A Lady's Worke Box

Two weeks ago, our EGA Chapter was fortunate enough to have Ellen Chester of With My Needle come for a workshop - A Lady's Worke Box.  The event was held at the beautiful and historic Riverdale Inn which is just a block or two from the river.  The day was an absolute delight!  If you've not taken one of Ellen's classes before, you're in for a real treat.  She really does give wonderful instruction and there is always extra bits of information thrown in.  This time Ellen shared some fascinating worke boxes from the 1800's with us.  

Here's a photo from one angle of the room.  We had 17 EGA members attend to include Carol, Carol and Linda from Orlando, Eleanor from Texas (who is also a beautiful basket weaver and rug hooker), Helen and Anna from Texas and Susan from Pennsylvania.  

This is Susan, she sat across from me and it was a joy to get to know her.  We have a lot in common! She is not only a stitcher, but a quilter and book worm.  We each also have a son the same age.

Ellen's class kits also include this something extra that is always so special to me - this is my second class with Ellen and this personalization always makes me happy.  It's another indication of just how much of herself Ellen puts into her teaching.  Every single thing is thought of.

One of our members, Henri, made this delightful card for us to sign and give to Ellen.  I wish the photo showed more of the detail on the card.  You might notice that the house on the card is modeled after one of the panels on the worke box project!

Henri also made these personalized covers for our class favor for each participant.  Look at the detail!

Inside the cover was a counting pin made by another member, Devon!  Each pin was different!

I don't have a picture of Melody but do want to thank her for her tireless efforts in putting the event together.  She planned the event plus organized the block of rooms at the Inn and planned dinner for two evenings.  I had so much fun!  You might want to visit Ellen's blog post about the day - her photos are so much better than mine.

I've worked on my project since the class but don't have enough done to show you yet.  I was in a bit of a stitching slump and this class and my EGA stitching session last weekend seems to have moved me forward.  

I'd like to share that I would have never thought to join a stitching guild in the past or thought to travel a distance for a class.  If you've never done either of those, I would really invite you to give it a try.  I have found both to be a valuable experience and it's amazing how much a shared loved of a needle art can bring people together who may not otherwise have met.  The inspiration and friendships have been a wonderful experience for me and I've learned so much!