A needlework road trip

Back in mid-March, Mom and I loaded up my car and headed to Delaware for several days of cross-stitching fun.  Sadly, I took very few pictures of most of our excursion (what was I thinking?!?!?), so I shall bore you with words instead.

On our way north, we first stopped at the Woodlawn Needlework Exhibit in Alexandria, Virginia.  Woodlawn is a pretty colonial era home that houses a juried exhibit of needlework from around the country every year.  The house was full of beautiful works, and this year it included a special exhibit of items stitched by former First Ladies (and their daughters).  Talk about an inspiring exhibit!  There were so many amazing pieces of stitching on display there.  But no pictures allowed inside, so you'll just have to find the time to visit the exhibit next spring and see for yourself!

Just a few blocks away from Woodlawn was our next stop, In Stitches, the local needlework shop.  This was second visit to the store, and what a wonderful place it is!  Mom and I both picked up some 52/60 count linen thread.  I have a very specific use for that linen which I will share at a later date.  Of course, I also picked up a new pattern or two (even though I have my hands full with my own designs!).

We left the DC area and made it to Dover, Delaware not too long after sunset.  I had found our hotel online, and what a stunner it was.  It's a boutique hotel, with only 8 rooms, called the Dover Garden Suites.  The placed is lavishly decorated and very comfortable.  Mom and I were absolutely thrilled to have discovered this place.  It didn't hurt that it was less than a mile from the museum!

The next day we headed over to the Biggs Museum of American Art in downtown Dover for the first of our classes.  We learned a lot about antique sampler preservation that we intend to put to use on our own collections.  The class didn't take up the full day, so I headed over to Bombay Hook National Wildlife Preserve, while Mom chose to relax back at our hotel suite.

And here's where the pictures finally come in.  I had an absolute blast in the very short time I was able to spend in the Preserve.  The scenery there was beautiful, and there were so many birds:

 Great Blue Herons

 some sort of Swallow?

huge flocks of Snow Geese 

Mallards and many other ducks

There was also an 18th century home called Allee House at the end of one lonely road.  It was in sad shape, as were the outbuildings:

I really wish I could have spent more time in this beautiful space:

Sadly, I missed most of the lectures the second day due to a stupid migraine, but I hear they were great.  I was able to spend some time walking around the exhibit.  There were many beautiful samplers.  I got to see Susan Rambo's sampler in person (I know several of you have stitched a reproduction of it).  Although pictures were allowed, most of the photos I took were really crappy (surprise, surprise).  Here's the best of the worst:

And there was even a sampler with a possible North Carolina connection:

On Sunday, we drove to Philly and visited M. Finkel & Daughter for an open house.  What a wonderful shop!  It was like visiting another museum full of lovely treasures.  So many beautiful samplers for sale, and such interesting histories behind some of them.

We ended the trip as we had ended so many the first part of this year, fleeing ahead of a snow storm.  We drove down to Ocean City, Maryland, and paid a visit to Salty Yarns.  Once again, a fabulous cross stitching store that was a delight to explore.  

So there you have it, a short summary of a truly wonderful trip!

I hope I haven't bored you too much.  Stay safe my friends, and I wish you lots of stitching and crafting time in the coming days!