From Jeanette:
Seminar was great. I met a lot of nice ladies from all over the US and even one from India. I took 2 classes from Lynn Payette. You will all love her when she comes next fall. She was lots of fun and was an inspiration to me. There was always something going on, and you get to see the pieces offered next year in San Francisco up close, which is always better than just looking at a picture. I plan on going again whenever possible.
From Fran:
The Pittsburgh seminar was very nice. Loved the hotel and the classes. I took a class from Lynn Payette and Mary Alice Sinton. Both excellent teachers.
From Susan:
I had a great time at the seminar. I enjoyed my class (Walk on the Wild Side) with Linda Reinmiller. In addition to showing us new stitches, she talked about how she came up with this piece and how the stitches and colors carry from the light canvas through the medium canvas and onto the darkest canvas. Several stitchers chose different color themes and all were very pretty. Three of our members won items from the opportunity drawings. There was a national EGA meeting, MER’s EGA meeting and many opportunities for shopping between the boutique (Stitchery Row), books (Ruth Kern) and the merchandise night. It was a busy week.
From Terry:
As this was my first national seminar, I really didn’t know what to expect, so I entered into the experience
with an open mind. As I told several people, “I am going to have a good time, no matter what!” And boy, did I!
The Seminar Committee did a fantastic job handling all of the organization and setup. What a massive job. The displays were beautiful – I really enjoyed the Education Exhibit – such amazing pieces! And seeing the National Tapestry in person was wonderful. Our own Lenore did an outstanding job with the daily newsletter, keeping us informed on events, winners of doorprizes, events (and the status of Bruce!)
I loved both of my classes, “A Little Silver In the Sea” with Lynn Payette, and “The Wandering Lamb”, a crewel work with Barbara Johnson. Both teachers were great, and I learned new techniques and about wonderful new fabrics and fibers. What fun!
On Wednesday, when I didn’t have a class, I and some friends did one of “the top 10 things to see in Pittsburgh”, the National Aviary, the only bird zoo of its kind in the nation. This was a fantastic experience. We got to feed birds out of our hands, and see penguins, flamingos, parrots, and too many more to mention in approximations of their native habitats. And only one of us got pooed on!
Pittsburgh is a great city, not at all what I expected. Not a smokestack in sight, only tall, tall, TALL buildings, and tons of beautiful stone churches. Did you know that Pittsburgh has 15 bridges in downtown (and all of them painted yellow)? And that Lawrence Welk’s “continuous bubbles” machine was invented there, as was the Ferris Wheel, and Salk’s polio vaccine?
The hotel that hosted the seminar was beautiful, and huge, with crystal chandeliers and old-fashioned elegance. I think I was finally starting to be able to find my way around at the end of the week! And the hotel staff could not have been nicer. No matter what the hour, I was always met with a smile and a “Can I help you?” from the front desk down to the housekeeping staff.
One incident that sums up Pittsburgh for me – several of us were at a café on the outskirts of the city having lunch, and the café was about to close. We were going to call a cab, but a waitress said, “No, don’t do that. I’m leaving now, I’ll take you back to the hotel”. She drove us back and dropped us off at the door. How great is that?
By far the very best thing about the seminar was meeting ladies from all over the world who shared a love for needlework, and had so many different talents. In the evenings, there was a room set aside for a stitch-in, and it was great visiting and seeing what everyone was working on. Virginie from Paris, Bernice originally from New Zealand, Mary Alice from Texas, and above all, Julie from Pennsylvania, my roomie. I made friends, learned new stitchery skills, and had a great time. I would recommend the experience to everyone.
