Sewing and Stitchery Expo 2015

This year I took a little bit of a "vendor" break and went to Expo to network and help my friend Dana Marie, designer at Dana Marie Designs. If you aren't familiar with her work, it's part wearable art and part rock 'n roll. I know her through my affiliation with the Independent Pattern Company Alliance. Visit her site here: http://www.danamarie.com/












 The first day of the show I wore the new Pendleton design. I got so many lovely compliments and gave out a whole lot of business cards.  

However, my dress wasn't nearly as popular as my shoes! Many people commented- mostly about how comfortable (or not) they thought they must be. One woman came by and said "They told us to take pictures"  so she took a photo of my shoes. I wear a lot of black and white and red combinations, so it's true- these shoes are my all time favorites. I hope they never wear out.

 

The second day I had more opportunity to get out of the booth and wander. I wore Ginseng, a new spring design that will be out sometime between now and the end of March. So many people stopped me, swarmed, commented. It warmed my heart to know that people liked it.

Of course my affiliation with Simplicity meant I wanted to go to the fashion show. I enjoyed it very much. Stopping by the booth, I found they were giving away Simplicity clothing labels! The labels give you a space to write the pattern number, and then it is sewn into the garment. Years ago, they would give those away at the pattern counter. Would you add a label if they made them easily available again?


The business cards represent all the great people I met and talked to, like Carley Struve, instructor at Sew Good. It's wonderful to connect with the many people that do their part to keep the love of sewing alive! See you all at Expo next year!

Happy Sewing!

2015 A Year to Look Forward to!

Hello Readers! Isn't life great!? We get one pass at this crazy maze on earth, and no matter our situation, it is always worth the effort to seek the good, and be grateful. 2014 has been a good year filled with good moments, new friends and connections, and opportunities. I attended two new shows, one of them being the American Sewing Guild conference. With the passing of another year, it's a good time to look ahead as well. Here's a list of few of the events and collaborations to look forward to!

 

 

 

 

Sew News is sponsoring a Sew Along with Rhonda Buss using the Valentine slip!

The sew along starts March 2 and will last 4 weeks, ending March 23. It includes photos and video posted to the Sew News Blog.  It's 100% FREE, so support the sew along by purchasing your pattern from
the  Sew News Sew it All Shop. http://www.sewnews.com/index.html
Read the Sew News article and see their version of the Valentine Slip here: 

http://www.jillcase.com/resources/Sew%20and%20Tell%201503.pdf

It's a beauty!

 International Textile Expo

In March I'll be heading for Las Vegas and the ITE show. This is not consumer show, but is a show for retail stores. Will your retail store be here? I hope so! I will be participating in a fashion show, which is always fun to do, and with any luck, will get some good photos I can post.

 

 

 

 

Article For Threads

I am writing an article for Threads Magazine called "Mix and Match Patterns." It's a pattern making "how to" for successfully combining elements from different patterns in a surprisingly new way. It will be published in the Aug/Sept. 2015 issue #180. I think you're going to like it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Designing for Simplicity

I'm very excited to announce that I am now a special designer for the well-known Simplicity Patterns! I spent all of December designing and sewing my first pattern for them. It's been a favorite of my fans for years; a style I call Pongo. This pattern will be available with the Fall 2015 catalog, available about August or September. In connection with this, we are starting our own sew along site too! I'll be posting more about that later :-)

Happy New Year, and as always, Keep on Sewing!