Happiness is ...

... getting a bed for your Sasha baby. This was the part of the auction we didn't win that made Boo most disappointed about losing.

I have one overjoyed daughter (with one very cozy Sasha baby). Thank you Dawn!

♥ 2012 Sasha Festival ♥

The 2012 Sasha Festival is happening June 21-24 in Stratford upon Avon, England.

I know that seems like a long time away, but it's time to start planning now. Here's a message from Dawn Law, the festival organizer:

Owing to the Olympic Games and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee there will be a large number of overseas visitors next June, and hotel rooms in England are filling up fast. I have been contacted by our Hotel, The Grosvenor, about our likely demand for rooms, as some Hotels in Stratford upon Avon (one of England's top tourist towns) are already full.
I had provisionally booked 40+ rooms, at the Hotel and more could be made available if we act quickly. There are only about 70 rooms in this hotel. However, owing to demand they cannot hold them for very long.
In order to secure a room here for the Festival, it is advisable to book NOW.
I have negotiated the following prices:
Thursday, 21 and 22 June 2012 - Double room with breakfast £99 (this is for 2 people, not per head).
Saturday, 23 June 2012 - (price is £20 lower than Best Western's fixed rate for Saturday nights) Double room £140.(for 2 people, not per head).
Sunday, 24th June 2012 - (for anyone staying over) Double room with breakfast £79 (for 2 people).
If you need accommodation at The Grosvenor, you can contact the Hotel on (tel) 01789 269213, (fax) 01789 266087, (email) res@bwgh.co.uk Website address is www.bwgh.co.uk . They will need a £50 deposit at time of booking.
If you are planning to stay at other hotels in England during your visit, I suggest you contact them now as rooms in London, particularly, are becoming scarce.
In view of the urgency to book rooms, we shall have to change our proposed registration system. Please let me know if you are planning to come to the Festival and have booked your room a.s.a.p. via email, and I will put you on the list, and also let me know if you wish to come but will not be staying at the hotel.
I will then be able to send out registration forms which you can return to me.
The cost of our Festival will be £150 per person, and we are limited to 100 full participants (meals only may be possible, depending on numbers - cost later). The fee will include three meals, 1 x dinner, 1 x lunch and 1 x brunch., and includes 1 outing.
Confirmation and payment will be required by 1st September 2011. Paypal details later.
If you need further information, please contact me.
The website will be available very soon.
Looking forward to seeing new and old friends again.
Dawn Law.

Sasha Festival 2011 - post 7

Since there were no table hostess gifts or gift swap this year, and I didn't win any auctions or buy anything for myself in the sales room, I didn't bring home much new beyond the festival souvenirs shown in my last post. I did buy a copy of Anne, Ann, and Susanna's new book (which is fabulous - everyone needs a copy!) and a set of the bookmarks they are selling to help fund their future books.

And Boo brought home a quite a few additional new things, first and foremost being a baby waif who she's tentatively named Kitty. Kitty is a sexed girl with raised eyelids, from the early-to-mid 70's.

Of course Kitty needed more to wear, so Boo picked a few pieces to start her layette. Notice I said I didn't buy anything for myself in the sales room.

Calla and Rose also have more to wear, thanks to the generosity of Dorisanne and Jackie. Boo was amazed how nice people were to her. Calla is standing with items from a special children's workshop, including a child-sized Sasha wrist tag that Boo made; Rose is standing with items that were given to the kids with helped with the raffle.

This concludes my posts for the 2011 Sasha Festival. Let the countdown to the 2012 Sasha Festival begin ... 10 months and 10 days to go!

Sasha Festival 2011 - post 6

I finally found time to take pictures of all the official festival souvenirs. Hopefully I didn't miss anything; searching my bags and my memory, I came up with the following:

Registration -- tote bag, festival booklet, auction booklet, auction paddle, and nametag
Friday Workshops -- quilted pillow and fishing pole
Friday Luncheon: "An Afternoon at the Sangamon River" -- overalls and straw hat
Saturday Dinner: "An Edwardian Garden Party" -- dress, dress stand, and pinwheel
Sunday Brunch: "A Farewell to Springfield" -- gingham bag, Lincoln Logs, tights and shoes

Here are Desiree and Adeline wearing the outfits Boo and I received, which consist of a dress, white tights, and black shoes.

The dresses were on wooden stands, with a different fabric at each table and alternating colored ribbon sashes. Thus each dress was five-of-a-kind, with 18 different combinations. Boo and I sat side by side, so we have the same fabric but different sashes. The other 16 combinations are pictured below (click on a picture to see a larger version).

Here's a close-up of the bodice, showing the pintucks and buttons at the throat. I'm not sure if each button was different or if there were duplicates, but I saw a wide variety. I guess taking the buttons into account, that really makes each dress one-of-a-kind.

There were no table hostess gifts this year, but Boo and I did get a nice surprise from another mother/daughter pair: a floral headband for Boo, and Sasha notecards for me. I couldn't resist including them in this picture with the dresses and pinwheels, since they go so well with the "garden party" dinner theme.

We received overalls and a straw hat at our luncheon for the boys, and the fishing pole made at the workshops is the perfect accessory for an afternoon on the river.  Now that Gregor Hiker has found a new home in Switzerland(!) my lone "male" is Sigmund, who makes a perfect fishing lad. Boo and I made the pillows at the workshops too (fortunately they were  already pieced, though hand quilting was a challenge for both of us). The pastel boxes contained the shoes, while the gingham bags contained the tights and Lincoln Logs.

These tote bags are so large that they are tough to photograph. One side has a picture of a Gotz brunette in farm pants, while the other side is embroidered with "2011 Sasha Festival"; both sides are shown in this picture. Boo and I chose different fabric combinations so we wouldn't get our bags confused -- hers has the pink stripes.

And lastly, the paper goods from registration: the festival journal, auction catalog, auction paddle, and our nametags (there was also some Springfield literature which isn't pictured).