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Expo Faculty – Chantilly 2008
When you take classes at Original Sewing & Quilt Expo, you're treating yourself to the very best: passionate designers, best-selling authors, industry insiders and creative pioneers. Whether they arrive from around the globe, across the country or just around the corner, their classes are a memorable part of a satisfying Expo experience.
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Dawn Anderson
Dawn Anderson Designs
Centreville, VA
Dawn began sewing when she was 5 years old. She has worked as a custom tailor and dressmaker as well as designed and created costumes for theatre and dance. While attending college, she taught sewing for 7 years. Dawn earned a B.A. and M.F.A. in Theatre Costume Design. She worked as a costume designer, cutter/ draper, patternmaker, and advanced seamstress. She created custom costumes for actors, singers, and dancers. The costumes were modern and historic clothing, as well as specialty garments, corsetry, and millinery.
Dawn was fortunate to study traditional hand tailoring from a German tailor. She continued her studies abroad in England where she learned historic sewing techniques and visited many historic clothing collections. She lived and worked as a designer and dressmaker in Scotland. Upon returning to the USA, Dawn continued to work as a custom tailor and eveningwear designer. One of her gowns was worn to President Bush’s first inaugural ball.
Dawn now has her own sewing pattern company, Dawn Anderson Designs, which culminates all her sewing and teaching experience into thorough instructions and inspiring designs. Dawn also teaches the couture sewing group for the northern Virginia American Sewing Guild. www.dawnandersondesigns.com |
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Katie Bartz
Eagan, MN
Katie has the reputation of being an adventurer and an inspiring entrepreneur. She has a successful computer consulting business and is a sought-after educator in both the technical and sewing worlds. Her Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Information Systems and passion for sewing gives her the ability to understand the creative and technical needs of people in both industries. Katie likes nothing more than to share her knowledge and build confidence in everyone she meets. Katie’s life experiences and enthusiasm keep students involved and entertained in her classes, which provides a great environment for learning.
Katie has recently co-authored a book and enjoys publishing articles which showcase her embroidery software, sewing and computer abilities. She also enjoys producing instructional CDs and DVDs and has recently been invited to assist on the set of the television show “While You Were Out”. Katie is a licensed Martha Pullen Instructor, Certified Pam Damour Drapery School Educator, and is a Sulky Certified Educator. To put it simply, Katie loves life and enjoys sharing her warm spirit! www.kjbartz.com
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Mary Bell
KMB Fibre Ware, Inc.
Lambertville, MI
Mary began knitting when she was 5 years old. Shortly thereafter she started sewing, quilting, needlepointing, embroidery and cross-stitch. She is a life long needlecrafter that left the corporate world after 30 years in management and organization effectiveness to combine her love of the fiber arts into a new career as a sales representative in the midwest for several fine yarn companies. Her passion is teaching and she has been a knitting instructor and guest speaker in local yarn shops for several years putting on workshops and teaching new techniques and patterns to all ages. Mary's classes are designed to engage the knitter in color and design while enhancing their technical skills. |
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Nora Bellows
Noni Designs
Crofton, MD
Nora was taught to knit by her mom when she was 12, but did not discover the world of felted bags until 2000. Her first bag was made from a simple pattern, but she immediately began to innovate. Soon, her unusual creations attracted the attention of customers in the Baltimore knit shop (Woolworks) where she worked to support her knitting habit. In addition, she began making bags exclusively for private commission and for sale in a very few small boutiques around the East Coast. During the Fall/Winter 2005 season she founded Noni Designs and launched a line of eight fashionable, innovative bag and embellishment patterns that are as beautiful as the designs they feature. www.nonipatterns.com |
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Debra Bohn
Husqvarna Viking Independent Educator
Clemmons, NC
Over 30 years ago, Debra started sewing when her young daughter wanted a Cabbage Patch Doll for Christmas. You couldn’t buy one anywhere so Mrs. Claus got busy and took a class on how to make the doll. It was love at first project! For the last 15 years, she has been teaching sewing, embroidery and embroidery software across the United States. While she is accomplished in many sewing techniques, her obsession is embroidery and embroidery software. She has attended many training sessions through the years and is familiar with most brands.
Debra has been published in Creative Machine Embroidery and Through the Needle and is a contributor to Keeping the World Sewing and VSM Software Club.
Debra’s classes are designed to help embroiderers take the mystery, and misery, out of embroidering. She shares her sewing successes and her failures, with samples and anecdotes, with her students, who are glad to know they are not the only one who makes mistakes. Debra’s philosophy for teaching is that her students have fun while learning and she tries to help them realize that there is potential in all of them. www.husqvarnaviking.com
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Jan Bones
Lingerie Secrets
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Jan designs regular and plus-sized patterns for her company Lingerie Secrets, teaches pattern design at the University of Manitoba, produces sewing videos and writes books and articles for Threads magazine. Jan also travels extensively, sharing her methods for creating lingerie and how to make your own dressform. www.sewinglingerie.com |
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Barb Callahan
Barb Originals
Venice, FL
Barb designed and constructed one-of-a-kind garments using her label Barb Originals and sold them at art shows for almost 25 years, alongside her antique linens, buttons and trimmings. After years of hearing customer requests for patterns and instructions for these very wearable items, she decided to accommodate them. Today Barb travels the U.S. sharing her expertise in using vintage linens, buttons, hankies, trimmings and more to create stylish, flattering and easy-to-make clothing and accessories. She holds a bachelors degree in education and a masters degree in administration and counseling, and has also attended classes at FIT in New York. Her articles have appeared in Threads, Sew Beautiful and her company’s newsletter. www.barboriginals.com |
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Diana Cedolia
Independent Educator, VSM Group
Dunedin, FL
Diana was born and educated in England and has lived in the U.S. for 27 years. She is especially fluent in embroidery software and shares this expertise in many ways, but her true passion is the serger. She has organized and led several successful serger clubs in Florida over the years, and more recently has won prizes for her work at various Husqvarna Viking Conventions, mostly for her serging inspirations. She frequently contributes to various serger books. www.husqvarnaviking.com |
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Vickie Clontz
Annie's Keepsakes
Rockwell, NC
With 40+ years of sewing experience and a Bachelor of Science degree in Clothing Design, Vickie's passion for creating keeps her busy designing patterns for her company Annie's Keepsakes, teaching, holding workshops and programs for guilds, and winning ribbons for her Wearable Art. Her projects have been published in numerous magazines such as Create & Decorate, Quilting Arts, Crafts, Crafts 'n Things, and Giftmaker. Vickie specializes in wool and felting and encourages everyone to get their "daily dose of fiber". www.annieskeepsakes.com |
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June Colburn
June Colburn Designs II, Inc.
Largo, FL
June's odyssey began in 1973 with itchy feet and a Master's degree in library science. While working for international schools, June's motto, "Have sewing machine, will travel" led her into adventures hunting for fabrics in souks, bazaars and temple sales from Quito to Paris, Istanbul to Singapore. Talking with the people who wove, dyed, embroidered, sewed and sold native textiles influenced her life. The exquisite kimono fabrics of Japan defined her creative direction. June's work has been featured in many exhibitions, collections and design shows. She shares her knowledge and love of Asian textiles through lectures and classes. www.junecolburn.com |
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Carol Cypher
Port Ewen, NY
Carol is a fiber artist and teacher working primarily with feltmaking and beadwork, known for her provocative pairing of the two. She is the author of three books: Hand Felted Jewelry and Beads, 25 Artful Designs; Mastering Beadwork, A Comprehensive Guide to Off-Loom Techniques and How We Felt.
Her work is shown in museum and gallery gift shops, magazines, and several books on fiber art, color, jewelry and design. She is one of the bead artists featured in a Japanese bead art book titled The Art of Beading Stitches. Lesson 11 in the JALD beadwork certification program is her design.
She divides her time between studio, writing, and teaching workshops nationally. In 2008 her teaching schedule takes her abroad to New South Wales and Victoria in Australia and Osaka, Tokyo and Kobe in Japan. Her interviews and technique demonstrations are aired on PBS, DIY and HGTV television networks. www.carolcypher.com
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Pam Damour
The Decorating Diva
Champlain, NY
Known as "The Decorating Diva”, Pam offers professional drapery workroom training to the public and the trade. A regular on HGTV and the Discovery Channel, she generously shares her 20+ years’ experience as a sewing professional. Pam travels the US and internationally, offering programs that include a professional Drapery School, bringing trade secrets to home sewing enthusiasts, trunk shows packed with sewing methods and one-day home décor sewing workshops. Sewing retreats and teacher certification programs are held at her family’s home (a log cabin) on Lake Champlain at the foot of the Adirondack Mountains, and her home based interior design business flourishes, thanks to the teamwork of her dedicated staff. www.pamdamour.com |
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Shelley Doyal
Blue Flamingo Designs
Geneva, FL
Shelley has been a life long seamstress. She has a degree in Fashion Merchandising and surrounds herself with fabric, patterns and sewing machines. Along with being a sewing machine and quilt shop owner, Shelley conducts classes in embroidery software, basic sewing and quilt construction. Shelley is also a Certified Educator for Wild Ginger, a computerized software pattern drafting program. She recently formed Blue Flamingo Designs, a new pattern and sewing information company with her sister. She is a member of the American Sewing Guild and the Sewing Educator Alliance. Shelley enjoys working with her husband, remodeling her Florida home and of course sewing, sewing and sewing. www.blueflamingodesigns.com |
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Diane Gloystein
Sulky of America
Lincoln, NE
A love of beautiful clothing and a desire to create unique, one-of-a-kind designs led to a lifelong love affair with fashion, fabric and fiber arts. A sense of whimsical imagination is found in many of Diane's creations. Her position as a National Educator representing Sulky of America is the fulfillment of a dream which offers her the extraordinary opportunity to inspire students with a myriad of sewing techniques, surface design and embellishment possibilities. She travels extensively teaching and presenting seminars across the country, where her high energy presentations, incredible array of inspiring samples and infectious enthusiasm are met with rave reviews. Diane is a featured artist with her quilted Fiber Bubbles jacket in Sulky's newest book, Quick & Easy Weekend Quilting with Sulky. www.sulky.com |
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Cynthia Guffey
Baton Rouge, LA
Cynthia has owned a fabric and design studio bearing her name in Baton Rouge, Louisiana since 1983, and her designs have been worn everywhere from the opening of the Met to governors’ inaugurations to Acapulco. Her fitting and sewing expertise is derived from a mathematical background, and her constant search for the simple and the obvious. And although her precise sewing techniques are not short-cuts, she saves you time by helping you get it right the first time. She shares her effective, practical and simple fitting and construction techniques with students throughout the United States, offering seminars and workshops filled with information that results in beautifully fitted, custom-look clothing. Cynthia’s design philosophy involves creating lines that multiply opportunities to fit and enhance a figure type. www.cynthiaguffey.com |
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Lorraine Henry
Conselle Institute
San Diego, CA
Lorraine is a Conselle specialist in fashion sewing, fitting, and alteration with 28 years’ experience as a custom dressmaker/tailor and adult education teacher. She holds a degree in Clothing and Textiles from Brigham Young University. Lorraine is a master at deception, showing ways to use line, shape, color, and fabric to create simple "tricks" that make one appear taller, shorter, thinner, or wider – looking more like you want to be seen. Lorraine travels the country for Conselle offering seminars on wardrobing, fitting and alteration procedures. www.conselle.com |
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Debbie Homer
Jenny Haskins Products
Knoxville, TN
Debbie is the Jenny Haskins Products Division Manger for RNK Distributing. She started sewing as a child in rural Idaho where she sewed her own clothes and learned all facets of home décor and quilting. Life took Debbie through a series of successful professions while she raised her three children, but she has now returned to her first love of sewing and made it her ultimate dream career. Debbie’s approach to teaching Jenny Haskins’ techniques is laid back and entertaining for people of all levels of sewing. You will never again feel intimidated when you look at beautiful creations. Debbie’s classes will challenge those with years of experience while inspiring the novice to believe in their own gifts and talents. www.rnkdistributing.com |
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Mickey Hudson-Sandoval
That Seam's Fine
Nashua, NH
Mickey fell in love with the art of sewing at a young age and sewed for herself and family members. After years of sewing and figuring things out for herself she was determined to learn correctly and signed up for a beginner sewing course. When she finished the course, she was hired as a teacher. Mickey was now on a new career path, and has been teaching and working in the sewing world ever since. Mickey is a Certified Islander Sewing Systems instructor, and is known far and wide as the “shortcut queen”. Those who see her work are amazed at how little time it took her to get such professional results. Her greatest reward is watching her students’ excitement and confidence grow as their sewing skills develop and improve.
www.thatseamsfine.com
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Shirley Hummel
Morganton Sewing Center
Morganton, NC
Shirley has been sewing and teaching for 30+ years and has seen the fantastic advances in the sewing industry. She owns a shop that specializes in quality fabrics and classes. She has taught at the Martha Pullen School and has had articles featured in Sew Beautiful. She also traveled and taught as an educator for a major sewing machine company. Her love of quilting has her doing programs and teaching for quilt guilds, vending at quilt shows and teaching a technique for rotary cutting and strip piecing that allows the quilter to achieve perfect points with accuracy, simplicity of construction, and speed. Quilters are so excited to see how the resulting blocks go together with such ease! www.morgantonsewing.com |
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Jannette Jackson
Old Town Needlecrafts
Manassas, VA
Jannette has been knitting and crocheting for over forty years. Her interest in knitting began while watching a neighbor knit socks. High School home economics class provided the first formal instruction in the art and started a lifelong hobby. The hobby turned into a business in 1989 when she opened Old Town Needlecrafts in Manassas, Virginia. Knitting classes in the shop began as soon as there were six people signed up. To increase her knowledge and skills both as a knitter and as an instructor she took an in depth certification course sponsored by the American Professional Needlworker Retailers Association and The National Needlework Association. After completing the first year of the program Jannette was awarded the Silver Thimble for excellence by the National Needlework Association. She then completed the second year which was in design and was awarded her certificate. Two years ago while on a knitting tour through Norway she learned traditional Norwegian stranding, a technique for making beautiful two-colored garments. www.oldtownneedle.com |
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Kathy Kansier
Ozark, MO
Kathy is a quilt making teacher, show judge and AQS Certified Appraiser. Born and raised in Wisconsin, she holds a B.A. degree from the University of Wisconsin. Her mother taught her to sew at age four and by the time she was five, she was stitching simple embroidery projects. Her father’s stories about “The Old Days” placed a love of history in her heart, and her passion for needlework, quilt making and history has endured throughout her life. Her favorite technique is hand appliqué and her award winning quilts include dimensional work, embroidery and beaded embellishments. She also enjoys rug hooking, basket making and creating cross stitch designs.
Kathy frequently travels to teach quilt making at guilds and shows. She has taught at the AQS Show in Paducah, the International Quilt Festivals in Chicago and Houston, The Appliqué Society Shows in Sacramento and Tampa, Road to California and recently at a major quilt festival in Brazil. Her classes include hand and machine appliqué, crazy quilts, underwater scenes, hand quilting and edge treatments. In 2001, she was a nominee for the Teacher of the Year Award, sponsored by the Professional Quilter Journal. In 2008, she was awarded the prestigious Jewel Pearce Patterson Scholarship for Quilt Teachers (sponsored by the International Quilt Association & Market). Kathy is also one of the national teachers sponsored by Bernina of America. She writes regular articles for the Applique Society Newsletter under the heading Quilts Up Close. Kathy’s self-published patterns and books are available on her website. www.kathykansier.com |
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Deb Karasik
QuiltMavens
San Franscico, CA
Deb’s infectious enthusiasm, warm smile and easy going teaching style are just some of the attributes that have earned her a large following of students. Knowing that paper piecing, setting curves and perfect spikey quilts challenge some students, she’s made it a personal goal to not only see to it that all of her students understand the process, but actually end up enjoying it! Relatively new to the quilting world, Deb has only been actively quilting since the fall of 2000, when her daughter told her she was pregnant with triplets! If that wasn’t incentive enough to jump into quilting, what is? But in this relatively short time, Deb has gone from a beginner to a quilt designer, an accomplished author, teacher and award winning quilter.
Deb teaches extensively throughout the country, is currently finishing up her second book for AQS, and still manages to maintain a full time job in the interior design industry. www.quiltmavens.com |
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Shirleen Kistner
Vintage Yarns
Lambertville, MI
Shirleen opened Vintage Yarns – knitting with a new twist in 2004. She enjoys teaching at the shop and making her own projects. Embellishment and accessories make projects look special and details are always the most important part. Bead and knitting go hand in hand with beautiful edges, trims and jewelry. www.vintageyarns.com |
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Cindy Losekamp
Sew Artfully Yours
Cedar Grove, IN
Cindy is the creator of several Signature Series embroidery disks for Cactus Punch and CEO of Sew Artfully Yours, Inc. Cindy's skills take machine embroidery to new heights in creativity, and along with embroidery, she is also the creator of a myriad of other machine techniques. She is the designer and author of thirty-one books, and has been teaching and inspiring people to sew and create for twenty-one years. There are no boundaries in artistic pursuits when it comes to her books and classes. Everyone is encouraged to transcend to a higher level of creativity. www.sewingart.com |
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Linda MacPhee
MacPhee Workshop
Edmonton, Alberta
Linda MacPhee is well known as a leader and innovator in the clothing design & home sewing industries. Not only has she been recognized by the Canadian Awards for Business Excellence, but she has also won the YWCA award for Woman Entrepreneur of the Year 2003. She has also been awarded The Global Television Woman of Vision for November 2003 as well as the University of Alberta Alumni Award of Excellence for 2004. She is co-founder of MacPhee Workshop, celebrating 25 years in business, one of Canada’s largest design houses and pattern manufacturers. In her capacity as Creative Director and Chief Fashion Designer she has been instrumental in developing and producing over 200 different patterns currently carried by MacPhee Workshop. Her television series, ‘Sew Much Fun’ is currently being shown in the United States and Canada. Her new series, Linda MacPhe's Workshop, offers the viewer and eclectic view of the wonderful and creative world fabric. Linda is also a regular contributor to magazines. She has been featured on the cover of and inside "Sew News" magazine, the well-known American sewing magazine, several times.. www.macpheeworkshop.com |
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Laurie Malm
Lollipops Designer Bindings
Fernandina Beach, FL
Laurie is the owner and developer of Lollipops® Designer Bindings, a manufacturing company which makes bias bindings from high quality fabrics. She started the company in 2004 after her son, Sgt. W.E. Rodman, a soldier in the U.S. Army, went to war in Iraq. While there during the first invasion, he phoned home and asked for quilts for himself and the members of his unit. Busily constructing quilts just weeks before Christmas with her quilt guild, Calico Stitchers of Savannah, GA, she got the idea to make bias bindings into pre-cut rolls shaped like Lollipops®. She now has a thriving web-based business and has been seen lecturing and teaching in National Quilt Shows. She works with several well-known designers in making unique bias to match up with their quilting and sewing fabrics. Her son has been back to Iraq for two more tours of duty and she continues to encourage ladies who sew to be the Florence Nightingales of today by adopting soldiers in their community – they are ‘all our sons and daughters!” www.popsbindings.com |
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Tanja Martin
Loving Stitches Quilt Shop
Fayetteville, NC
Tanja is originally from Germany, and began quilting on a longarm eight years ago at Loving Stitches Quilt Shop. She now teaches longarm and sewing classes. Tanja and her soldier husband live in Fayetteville, NC with their two cats. www.lovingstitches.net |
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Linda McGehee
Ghee's
Shreveport, LA
Linda has a diverse sewing background with 40 years experience from garments to handbags, piecing to heirloom, surface manipulation to combining a variety of methods into a sampler of various techniques. Linda has traveled the globe demonstrating and lecturing from her books and is much sought after at trade and machine conventions, consumer shows, guilds, shops, and television.
Linda is owner of Ghee's mail-order sewing and notions company. The most popular patterns are those designed by Linda for handbags with ready-to-wear handbag hardware. She has published several books on sewing; Texture with Textiles (winner in the sewing division of PCM's 1992 Product of Excellence Awards); More...Texture With Textiles (finalist for the same award in 1993); a Companion Project Book; and Spiraling Schemes and Chromatics (winner in the sewing book division of the 1997 Primedia Awards of Excellence); Simply Sensational Bags - How to stitch and embellish handbags, totes, and satchels (out of print); and her latest book,the Perfect Bag - 101 Stylish Looks from Simple Patterns.
Linda has designed and created garments for the prestigious Fairfield Fashion Show, Statements, Capitol Imports, and Better Homes & Gardens. These garments are works of art combining many of the techniques from her books. On My Way to the Mardi Gras, from the Fairfield 1996-1997 show graced the front cover of Craft & Needlework Age Magazine, October, 1996. www.ghees.com |
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Lyla Messinger
L.J. Designs
Reno, NV
Lyla J. Messinger is an internationally recognized speaker, author, and designer. Her Company, L.J. Designs, just launched a new pattern line called A La Mode, which is a perfect addition to the well known L.J. Designs line that is celebrating 11 years of innovation! Lyla is an innovative, inspiring teacher with endless ideas you can use to create sylish, boutique style clothing. Her book, Ordinary to Extraordinary: Terrific Treatments for Garment Sewing features her original designs and techniques. www.ljdesignsonline.com |
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Kim Montagnese
AhHa!
Amherst, OH
Kim began playing with fabric and sneaking the use of her mom's "forbidden" sewing machine in the early 70s. Long before great fabric or creative classes were available, Kim was forced to make it up as she went along. She came to love the look of hand appliqué, but lacked the patience. Fortunately, a series of mistakes led to the method she uses today. Students love the "no curved piecing"," inside out" and "quilts that keep on giving" concept of quilting. Kim loves the AhHa! moment students experience and has felt privileged to share the fun for the past 15 years.
Kim's quilts have won many awards throughout Ohio, been displayed at the Denver International Airport as well as private collections across the country and also featured in Art Quilt Calender. She is a member of Lorain County Piecemakers, Studio Art Quilters Association and Firelands Association for the Visual Arts, and is proudly associated with Pear Tree Gallery and Ginko Gallery.
http://colorzmyworld.blogspot.com
www.peartreegallery.biz (Mixed media purses and journals)
www.cottoncandyquilts.com (Patterns)
www.interweave.com (Piece in Cate Pratos book Mixed Media Self-Portraits)
www.martingale-pub.com (Two quilts in Leigh McDonald's book Adventures In Circles)
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Leslie Pfeifer
The Quilt Patch
Fairfax, VA
www.quiltpatchva.com |
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Mary Lou Rankin
Park Bench Pattern Co.
San Diego, CA
www.parkbenchpatterns.com |
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Kathy Ruddy
Unique Patterns
Mukilteo, WA
Active in the sewing industry since 1962, Kathy's experience spans five decades as a pattern designer, serger and fitting expert and Vice President of Unique Patterns, a complete solution to successful dressmaking patterns for sewing with the bodyskanner™, which captures accurate measurements of your body. Her specialty is to sew and serge fast and easy without sacrificing quality, fit or fashion detail. www.uniquepatterns.com |
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Peggy Sagers
Silhouette Patterns by Peggy Sagers
Dallas, TX
Peggy holds a degree in Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising from Brigham Young University. Having drafted patterns professionally on a free-lance basis for numerous manufacturers in the Dallas area, Peggy created her own pattern line, Silhouettes, in the late 1990’s. Her patterns incorporate B, C, and D cup sizing as well as proportionate lengths, which are unique in the pattern industry. She brings no frills to the home sewing world, but instead focuses on classic designs for great-fitting business and casual wardrobes. She has been a featured guest on HGTV’s Sew Much More, and currently spends her time teaching at seminars and workshops in the United States and Canada. www.silhouettepatterns.com |
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Susan Schrempf
Ergonomic Advantage
Aurora, CO
Susan has made careers of embellishing. Whether it was sprinkling glitter onto arrangements in her flower shop, adding icing flowers to all types of cakes in her baking business or creating elegant confections in her chocolate shop, her passion is embellishing. For the last ten years, Susan has focused on the sewing industry. She has taught embellishment by machine across the country at guilds, sewing shops and expos. Susan's primary passion is sharing. Her enthusiasm for her craft delights students of all ages and levels of accomplishment. Susan's published works can be found in Sew News and Designs in Machine Embroidery magazines. She is the author of Simple Silk Ribbon Embroidery by Machine published by C&T. Susan has also designed for Embroideryarts monogram embroidery company. |
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Emma Seabrooke
Sew KeysE, Inc.
Islamorada, FL
Emma Seabrooke is a certified Palmer/Pletsch pant and fit instructor. She trained with French Couture for years and took many fashion design courses in college while obtaining her degree. Emma loves sewing with knits and has designed clothing patterns for them. She has perfected the best styles for all sizes, especially “well-endowed” ladies. Emma is an active member of the Home Sewing Association, and believes all her students can achieve clothing that looks and fits beautifully. She offers patterns, notions and fabrics that apply to her classes for sale. |
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Suzy Seed
National Educator representing Sulky Of America
Houston, TX
Creativity and over 30 years in the sewing industry has resulted in a focused attention toward teaching and inspiring her students. Suzy has worked in retail sales with both fabric and sewing machines, as a sales representative for a notions house and for manufacturers of sewing products. She also was a cutter and sewer for a small manufacturer and has been a Sulky Educator for more than 10 years, teaching Sulky "Sew Exciting" Seminars across the country as well as many freelance classes. She is versed in a multiplicity of sewing machine brands. Suzy has the heart and the skills of a master teacher with a passion for sharing knowledge and inspiring people in the use of threads, machines, ideas, and tools. Suzy believes her classes and seminars should be inspiring, fun and creative. www.sulky.com |
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Patsy Shields
RNK Distributing
Sellersburg, IN
Patsy began working in the sewing industry in 1983 with a major sewing machine company. Since that time she has also done Sew Better Seminars through Chilton Book Co., pants fitting and blazer construction seminars, Sew Exciting Seminars with Sulky of America and is currently working with Floriani Stabilizers and Walter Floriani, a 5th generation embroiderer.
Patsy travels presenting educational seminars, one and two day serger workshops for groups and shops as well as workshops in free motion quilting along with numerous other quilting and embellishing techniques, is a certified “Cotton Theory” quilting instructor, and also teaches at various Embroidery Retreats.
She has written articles for several publications, including Sew News, Sulky of America publications, Sew Fancy by Martha Pullen, Creative Machine Embroidery, Sewing Savvy, Round Bobbin Embroidery and Quilting Professional publications and has been mentioned in Serger Update Newsletter, Know Your Baby Lock, by Chilton, and several others. She also has her own video on Ribbon Embroidery by Machine.
She has appeared on “Quilting in the Heartland” with Sharlene Jorgenson, “Creative Living” with Sheryl Borden, and on “Sew Perfect” with Sandra Betzina. She is a current winner of the first ever Certified Master Sewing Educator award which was presented in ’07 to her along with eight other prominent sewing educators across the country.
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Marilyn Sommer
The Quilt Patch
Fairfax, VA
www.quiltpatchva.com |
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Connie Spurlock
Sew Wonderful Dreams
Coeur d’Alene, ID
Although she didn’t even learn to sew until she was over 30 years old, Connie used her background in marketing and education to develop Sew Wonderful Dreams, a pattern design company. Fifteen years ago the company focused on craft patterns, while today the emphasis is on quilting and education. About her company she says: “We believe the best marketing tool we have is to educate. Everyone can learn but the way we learn is variable. Our classes are designed to help you learn in a way that will be most beneficial to you.” www.sewwonderfuldreams.com |
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Kathy Stachowicz
Baby Lock Education Consultant
Sanford, FL
Kathy is a creative needle artist, designer, and author who comes to Baby Lock with an extensive teaching background in sewing machines, sergers, and hand needle arts. She encourages sewing enthusiasts to be creative with fun and easy embellishment techniques. Kathy has received awards for her wearable art, specializing in surface design and fabric manipulation. Kathy co-authored two books full of fun fiber and rich textured techniques, contributed to Sulky of America’s Concepts book series, and was published in Australia’s Machine Embroidery magazine. For 11 years Kathy has shared her knowledge and expertise while working as a freelance educator for Sulky of America and she is thrilled to bring those same skills to the Baby Lock Education team. www.babylock.com |
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Jennifer Stern
J Stern Designs
Manchester, CT
A sewer since childhood, Jennifer was destined for a career in fashion design. Years of expanding and honing her technical skills and developing a signature style have brought her accolades and recognition in the sewing industry. Jennifer won Best of Show at the 2001 and 2002 Pfaff Creative Showcase Fashion Show, and she has received several awards for her entries in the Bernina Wearable Arts Fashion Show in 2003 and 2004.
You can read Jennifer’s monthly contributions in Threads magazine’s Embroidery Essentials Department, and she has recently launched her J. Stern Designs pattern collection. www.jsterndesigns.com
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Jim Suzio
Pittsburgh, PA
An independent motivational sewing speaker and highly sought-after instructor in the U.S., Canada and Australia, Jim is a self-taught sewer with a passion for learning how things are made (and how to make them better). His simple, clear and direct approach to embroidery software has resulted in his most popular series of classes and workshops ever. His numerous television appearances on America Sews with Sue Hausmann and Canada's The Big Breakfast Show, contributions to The Ultimate Serger Answer Guide and articles featured in Sew News magazine all feature his innovative and unique style. Jim lives and creates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with his wife Betsy and their daughter, Meri Katharine.
http://betsyelle-ivil.tripod.com/index.html
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Jolee Tarbell
My Cozy Cottage
Charlottesville, VA
With degrees in Home Economics, Business, Education and Art, Jolee has been a teacher, quilt and needlework shop owner and designer of needle arts and quilt related clothing patterns. She is a member of the Studio Art Guild and American Sewing Guild. It is a thrill for Jolee to share ideas with sewing enthusiasts across the country. She'll soon be presenting her publication Fit to Be Tied and continuing to teach classes with all who share her love of fabric artistry. www.mycozycottage.com |
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Marcy Teikari
The Quilt Patch
Ashburn, VA
www.quiltpatchva.com |
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Cheryl Weiderspahn
Homestead Specialties
Cochranton, PA
Cheryl Weiderspahn is a respected award-winning seamstress, an accomplished designer and an entertaining teacher, speaker and author. Her background includes 36 years experience of over 2,200 extensive custom orders from her successful home-based sewing business. She founded Homestead Specialties Pattern Company in 1996 from her drive to awaken the dormant creativity in sewers across the country. She now travels about once a month to teach, vend at sewing expos, and give programs and fashion shows of her innovative original designs.
Cheryl’s philosophy of garment design is that after you spend your hard-earned money and precious time on a project, it should open up a world of wearing pleasure. Cheryl works hard to bring you designs with multiple wearing options without sacrificing style. Make just one garment, and then choose from dozens of different ways to wear it! She is widely known for her vest worn 48 ways. Imagine having a new look every time you go to your closet! Her original designs have been featured on the cover of Pfaff Club magazine; in Lark books; in Sew News, Sew Beautiful, Craftrends, Designs in Machine Embroidery, McCall's Quilting, and Quick and Easy Crafts magazines; in Creative Machine and Total Embellishment Newsletters. Cheryl has been a guest several times on "Kay’s Quilting Friends" TV show. Her patterns have been carried by several distributors and in over 600 U.S. shops and several foreign countries. www.homesteadspecialties.com |
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Dini Yan
Momo-Dini Embroidery Art
Demarest, NJ
Dini is originally from Beijing, and along with her sister Momo, is a recognized artist in China. Their paintings have won awards in both China and international competitions. As a professor of Fine Arts at the University of China, Dini taught at the Fine Arts Institute of Northeast Normal University.
Dini and Momo design and digitize embroidery patterns for their company, Momo-Dini Embroidery Art. Their designs merge the different cultures of the East and West together to give the embroidery new life and energy. Dini and Momo blend the best of art and technology, and their goal is to produce the best designs with the highest standards and quality. www.momodini.com |
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Gail Yellen
Gail Patrice Design
Glastonbury, CT
Gail’s original design sweatshirt jacket classes have been a consistent favorite at Manchester Sewing Machine Center in Connecticut where Gail has taught a variety of techniques for the past 7 years. Gail Patrice Design began when a gallery owner in Maine carried these designs as ready-to-wear jackets and sold out the collection each season! Gail has created a pattern line of jackets and is developing a series of DVDs to include her favorite design and embellishment techniques. She is an active member and the Manchester Neighborhood Group leader of the CT Chapter of the American Sewing Guild. Gail holds a BA in English and Dental Hygiene.
www.gailpatrice.com |
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Hope Yoder
Designs by Hope Yoder, Inc.
Sarasota, FL
Hope is an author, designer and sewing instructor who specializes in heirloom sewing. She loves to incorporate traditional heirloom techniques and machine embroidery into romantic ladies’ clothes and accessories. She has written two books entitled: "Embellished Heirloom Treasures" and "Victorian Dreams Heirloom Shirt". Hope has created a new series of machine embroidery CDs called "Heirloom Embellishments" which features heirloom techniques that are re-created in the embroidery hoop.
Her work has been featured on the cover of Sew News, Designs in Machine Embroidery and Clotilde’s Sewing Savvy magazine. She also writes for Australian Machine Embroidery, Creative Machine Embroidery, Sew Beautiful and House of White Birches. Hope travels the country teaching hands-on-workshops helping ladies discover how to “Romance Their Wardrobe” using her special techniques.
www.HopeYoder.com |
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Carissa Zanella
Hillbrook Quilting
Charles Town, WV
www.hillbrookquilting.com
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