For the Love of Sewing

There really is no excitement that can equal the experience of being together with thousands of other people who all love sewing! We talk of sewing, we teach of sewing, we see and experience great products and in our head we conjure up images of our next grand project. We share our hopes, dreams, and desires with each other and so many times, bond new and wonderful friendships! 

  The Sewing and Stitchery Expo 

The Sewing and Stitchery Expo is a great opportunity for you and I to meet up and enjoy our craft together. You can meet me in class while I'm teaching of course, but when I'm not in class, you can find me at the Showplex, vendor space #935 (yeah, they changed that from #933). In actuality, you will find me in both booths because I am combining with my next door vendor, Susan Liane Kennedy of The Smuggler's Daughter.

She sells fine fabrics online, and together we hope to amp up your expo experience! This event is Feb 25-28, 2016 at the Washington Star Fair, 110 Ninth Avenue SW, Puyallup Washington, USA.  

 

Finding Your Way Around

Finding vendors and classes can sometimes be a problem, so I've tried to give you a quick guide through the showplex in this image.  The yellow highlights where my two classes are, with the exception of the Thursday afternoon Etsy class- that will be in room L, which I believe is a tent, and will be across from the Pavilion. The Pavilion is next to the showplex and houses more vendors as well as the fashion show area upstairs.

 

 

Classes

My favorite subject! I will be teaching a class on Vintage patterns called The Vintage Pattern Collection. We will discuss how the sizing and directions, competition, and technology played a huge role in how patterns were produced, marketed, and sewn. I'll be sharing examples so you can see for yourself how patterns have changed over a 50 year period, from 1930's to 1980's. If you're are at all itching to become a collector, or would like to start sewing with older patterns, this class will help you know what you are getting yourself into! We will both have to get up early for this one.  There are only a few spaces left in the Thursday class, but here are the links to sign up:

Thursday, 830am

http://www.sewexpo.com/shop/c/p/1650A-The-Vintage-Pattern-Collection-Thursday-1650A-830-AM-x10852950.htm 

Saturday, 8:30am

http://www.sewexpo.com/shop/c/p/1650C-The-Vintage-Pattern-Collection-Saturday-1650C-830-AM-x10852951.htm 

 The other class I'm teaching is on starting or building a business with Etsy called Success with Etsy. The show producers are continually asked for classes on Etsy, so it must be a popular topic! The first year I applied to attend this expo, I proposed an Etsy class, but they didn't accept it. This year they didn't accept my other proposed topics, but wanted me to teach this Etsy class instead. In this class I must tell you about the business side of my life, which does include an Etsy shop. I will share with you what I've learned about Etsy culture, preparing your business for start up, and how to gain and keep your customers, and the many ways that Etsy helps to automate a busy persons life. I don't talk about my business side much, so I hope you'll come and share this time with me. The Friday class is almost sold out with only 20 spaces left.

Thursday, 1:30pm

http://www.sewexpo.com/shop/c/p/1651A-Success-With-Etsy-Thursday-1651A-130-PM-x10852952.htm

 Friday, 10:30am

http://www.sewexpo.com/shop/c/p/1651B-Success-With-Etsy-Friday-1651B-1030-AM-x10852953.htm

 Sunday, 10:30am

http://www.sewexpo.com/shop/c/p/1651D-Success-With-Etsy-Sunday-1651D-1030-AM-x10852954.htm

  

The Smuggler's Daughter

 Susan Kennedy of the Smuggler's Daughter is also teaching a class called  The Wonderful World of Online Fabric Shopping on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 4:30 in the L tent if you would like to know how to better shop for fabrics on the internet. 

https://www.sewexpo.com/module/search_content.htm?form_version=2&showSearchResults=1&search_keyword=susan&image.x=0&image.y=0

 Come See Me!

Look for these promotions and many many more:

• Enter the "Pick your Pattern" giveaway and win any pattern of your choosing.
• The Tia pattern for Craftsy will be sold at $5 each 
• Buy a pattern and get 10% off your fabric
•  Need accurate measurements? Let me take your measurements and help you assess standard alterations you may need. We have measurement and alterations sheets ready to go and free for the asking!
•  Look for our pairings of gorgeous fabrics and fun and feminine patterns to inspire your next creations! This photo above is only ONE example of the lovely fabric/pattern combos.
• Notions and trims will be available to make my exact outfits.

We had hoped to do a fashion/trunk show on the free stage, but since that didn't work out, you'll just have to come to the booth to get the full affect!

As always, I look forward to seeing you again, or meeting you for the first time. Please come introduce yourself and I promise to do my best to remember my manners and be charming!

Have a great Sewing Day!

Laura

Here I come, Sew Expo Puyallup!

Did you get your Sewing and Stitchery Expo- THE sew expo of all expos in Puyallup, WA- brochure in the mail this week? If not, then you can download it online here
 https://siterepository.s3.amazonaws.com/569/2013_sewing_and_stitchery_brochure.pdf
but let me warn you that it's 42 pages big and packed full of almost every kind of sewing class you can think of taught by all your favorite famous and some not so famous seamsters, from Nancy Zieman to....um.....ME! This show is not an easy one to get in to, especially to teach. The show producers carefully screen all participants, both teachers and vendors to ensure you get quality teachers and products that will be new, interesting, and well rounded.

I will be teaching a 1 needle class on Friday and Sunday at 1:30 called "Contemporary Vintage." We will be discussing vintage patterns, and through the years how they differ from modern patterns in terms of fit, instruction, and the techniques they use and expect you will already know. I submitted and resubmitted several class proposals, then edit and re-edit the final selection. Writing this little blurb is harder than you think!

 On the free stage I'll be doing a short presentation on eveningwear. I have a model coming to show you some of the best designs that have been in juried competitions, and I'll talk about the specialty of constructing eveningwear, and answer any questions you may have. Very conveniently, on Saturday I'll also be participating in the American Sewing Guild fashion show. Being a member has it's perks!

On the sewexpo.com website is a link to speaker biographies. 52 pages are listed by name in alphabetical order, putting me right below the very talented Mary Mulari. I remember her teaching very clever crafts on Nancy Zieman's TV sewing show when I was first starting out in my professional career in the late 1980's. I could never schedule my day so that I could watch it, but it's quite an honor to be on the same page with her now!

If you've ordered anything from me for the last 6 months you would have received a "save the date" bookmark. I'm now holding all new designs until the show, so I hope you too are making plans to be there with me February 28-March 30, 2013. You can expect to see many of the same sewing experts, and others that are new. Together we can make this into one of the best venues for the new generation of sewists.  Do you go every year? Will you be there this year? What other changes do you see, or would you like to see?

Sewing and Stitchery Expo 2012 and GIVEAWAY

About 15 years ago, when Expos were a new thing and I was still in college, I went with an Aunt to the now famous Sewing and Stitchery Expo in Puyallup, Washington. At $2 a pop, we could take a class from any number of well known sewing educators. We left with notebooks full of information, agreeing not to return until we'd fully utilized the information we'd collected. That experience feels like a lifetime ago, and since then I've become an educator myself. It was time to make good on my commitment, so early this month Tricia and I took a drive up north to visit the show on Saturday where she and I were to participate in the ASG style show.

Because I would have a second change for the show, I decided to come ready for my first scene, wearing an embellished version of Southern Belle. Right away, Rhonda Pierce of Schmetz Needles introduced herself. I told her that my favorite needle is the Microtex, but I forgot to mention the double needle sewing on the yoke of this dress. Can you see it here?

 Then I stopped off at the WSU booth who introduced me to Rita Farro, who does the blogging, networking, and marketing for the show. She is a delightful person, and has a fabulous smile.



Soon it was time to line up for the fashion show. The runway prattle is made up from the questions I answered on the show application. My jaw dropped instantly when I heard "...and Laura has been sewing for 40 YEARS!" Everyone laughed. The MC added with a smile "I didn't write that!" I'm sure I look my age, but did they have to announce it? lol.


Being an avid Project Runway fan, I secretly hoped I'd get a chance to talk to Suede, whom we know from Season 5. He works for Simplicity now, and would be doing a stage presentation.You see, I would have liked to ask him what it was REALLY like to be on  Project Runway. I had applied to be on the show some years back, just about the same season he was there. It's just as well I wasn't accepted because the retro genre was not doing very well with the judges at that time. For a split second he looked at me and looked as if he would come my way, but thought better of it and turned away.  

Throughout the day I browsed the booths and stopped to talk with friends, acquaintances, complete strangers, giving away a few patterns of the Clara Bow Apron. It's incredibly easy to talk with people with a love for sewing in common. One really young girl, probably still in middle school, stopped me to say she liked my skirt. I gave her a sewing pattern. She looked at me in bewilderment. "But I only wanted to say I liked your skirt!"

1920's Clara Bow Apron

I have 5 Clara Bow Apron patterns that I'd like to give to you, my little dwindling group of followers here on blogger. (I suspect it's from severe neglect!) Hopefully this will make it up to you. This means that YOU have very good odds of getting a pattern. All you need do is:
1) be a follower
2) make a comment here about sewing topics you are interested in, OR the topic I've written about that you enjoyed most.
IF you want extra entry points, you can:
3) "like" on Facebook
4) sign up for the newsletter

Do it before April 4, 2012. I'll draw 5 names from a bucket on April 5th.
 Good Luck!

Post update: thank you for your entries, kind words, and suggestions. Best of all, Congratulations to the winners!