More Seminar & Workshop instructors from
recent Original Creative Festivals:

Julie McAuliffe - Always Quilting
Julie's been working with sewing design and construction for over twenty years. She is an award winning quilter, seamstress, and decorator. An accomplished dressmaker, she was a National winner in the Simplicity pattern contest.

Becky Stefanoff - Becky & Me
Becky is a long time Quilt pattern maker. Recently she and her partner designed several lines of fabric for Fabri-Quilt. Her and her partner Lori Wardian, (The "Me" of Becky & Me), have also recently designed a line of Fun Quilt Themed T-Shirts and Greeting Cards.

Penny Langsdorf / Silhouette Patterns
Penny's love of sewing started in grade school and expanded when her sister-in-law opened a fabric shop exposing her to a world of wonderful fabrics and designs. It remained a family affair when her mother became a Viking dealer and she learned all the new Stretch and Sew techniques.

She is a founding member of her local North Jersey Chapter of ASG and a certified Home Sewing Instructor. She has been teaching sewing privately and in local adult schools around her area. In August of 2005, she along with others around the country completed the extensive weeklong SPIFFY training in Dallas, TX. Serving the tri-state area of NJ, PA and NY. She is available for individual fittings and classes.

Barbara Crawford / Crawford Designs
Barbara Crawford is the not only the owner of Crawford Designs an established pattern company , that specializes in appliqué designs and country collectable dolls , but is now leading the way in the Needle Felting craze ! Crawford Designs has just introduced the first book in the United States on needle felting wearables , fashion accessories and dimensional which includes 16 designs and instructional introduction to needle felting , techniques , ideas , color charts and more . Barbara travels the country as a teacher and a vendor in many of the more popular Sewing and Quilting expos , she also is a guest speaker at many quilt guilds throughout the country . She has been designing since 1991 starting out as a subcontractor until she branched out on her own in 1995 establishing her pattern line for country collectable dolls and Santas , and in 2001 introduced her first appliqué patterns , she was introduced to Needle Felting in 2005 and has fallen in love with it , she has designed over 25 needle felting designs since then and is teaching classes on needle felting throughout the country.

Mary Lou Rankin - Park Bench Pattern Co.
Mary Lou has spent 20 years as a “closet” seamstress. In 1989, she threw caution to the wind and opened Rags, a specialty fabric store in San Diego, CA. She offered classes featuring stylish and comfortable clothing. Her ideas developed in to what is now Park Bench Patterns, Mary Lou’s line of simple, yet imaginative designs with easy to follow instructions geared toward the “real figure”.

Gay Gerlack - Sewabration
Gay Gerlack, Martinez, California, is the owner of Sewabration. She has a line of patterns and booklets, and is available to teach at educational seminars. Gay has taught for the Original Creative Festivals, the Sew, Quilt and Embroidery Festivals; the Creative Embroidery Conference; the Machine Enthusiasts Embroidery Conference; the Sewing and Stitchery Expo; the Janome Sew Easy Retreat; the Indiana Embroidery Conference; the Sparkle Cruise; the Valley Stitchers Guild; an independent two-day retreat in Indiana; chapters of the American Sewing Guild and various sewing centers. She will be teaching for the “Silk Experience” at the Houston Quilt Festival 2008.

She has had her designs featured in Threads Magazine, Sew Stylish, Designs in Machine Embroidery, and The Embroidery Journal as well as writing articles for Pattern Review.

The classes and projects are part of a simplified sewing series designed to make sewing fast, fun and creative….a Sewabration!

Judy Skeel / With Love From Skeelhaven
Judy is a self-taught artist who continues to learn, adapt and grow with her art. Her award winning work has been displayed in galleries and international expositions. She teaches across the clubs, shops and conventions all over the USA and Canada, as well as in her Westerville, OH studio. As an instructor, Judy has published articles on doll making skills, was a contributing doll artist to Patti Culea's book Creative Cloth Doll Faces, sells patterns of her own design and is the owner/ editor of the Association for People Who Play With Dolls, an international doll maker's newsletter. Her business "With Love From Skeelhaven" can be found on line at www.skeelhaven.com.

Artist Statement
"When I create I begin with an idea and let the process and the work itself take me where it wants to go while it pulls from deep within me. Each piece holds the ecstasy of completion and enchants me. I see my figures as my children often finding it difficult to let them go off into the world and speak for themselves knowing art should evoke emotion in the viewer and wondering if others will make the same connection. Every new creation connects me to God as I begin to understand what joy He must savor in creating His works."

Diane Boone / Sew-n-Such
Diane recently retired from teaching high school Social Studies and has begun a custom embroidery business. She has taught sewing/embroidery/fiber arts classes in the Reno area and has co-hosted the monthly Sewing Club at Sew-n-Such for the past 10 years.

Nancy McElhinny / Fabulous Fibers & Embellishments
After a lifetime of stitching, Nancy McElhinny has combined her 12 years of Executive experience with her love of fibers to create her own business. Fabulous Fibers & Embellishments is a wonderful collection of threads, fabrics, patterns, kits & more that are used for numerous form of needle art. Since 1995 Nancy has developed her business to provide fiber products to over 500 retail stores nation wide. In addition, Nancy and her husband travel to, one retail show a month to share her knowledge and products for Wearable Art, Crazy Quilting, Tatting, Brazilian Embroidery and much more. One of her projects has also been featured in Australian Smocking and Embroidery Magazine. Please visit her web site, www.fabulousfibers.com, for a taste of her wonderful products.

Billie Lauder / Easymade Publications
Billie is proud to be a third generation quiltmaker. She has been teaching quilting since 1976. When asked what quiltmaking meant to her, Billie said "It is the past, the present and the future." The past is her learning from her grandmother and mother. The present is her current teaching of her students. And the future is the people who will pass on the knowledge of what they have learned from her to others.

Billie has a knack for making quiltmaking easy for all levels of quilters. She loves to develop "Quick Trick" methods of quilt construction. A traditional quiltmaker with a twist; she loves to get quilters jazzed and excited to try a new technique for construction or look at something old in a new way. She likes to see just how far she can "push" a block. Her classes can be accomplished by all levels.

Julie McCullough / Magic Threads
I started life as a little girl who liked to play dress up and dolls. I am now a 50 year old who still likes to play dolls! I had a great childhood and just never wanted to leave it behind. We all make dolls for different reasons. I don’t analyze it too much!

I NEVER liked to sew as a kid but I was always doing some kind of art project. I majored in art in college but only went for 2 years. Got married and got a really boring job in an insurance office. I’d go home at night and CREATE. When my son was born, I stayed home with him. I went through macrame, tie-dye, batik, (remember, this was the 60s) weaving and spinning. I tried it all.

Oddly enough, everything I did was fiber. I stuck with weaving for 10 years, selling my work at art fairs around the midwest. I liked doing fantasy motifs so many of my weaving were tapestries with dragons and enchanted forests. I eventually got a booth at the Kansas City Renaissance festival and started making fantasy things out of store bought cloth as well as the woven ones. This meant I had to learn to SEW! UGH! I discovered that I could make things a whole lot faster and sell a lot more when I made things from satin and lame. CLICK FOR MORE

Mary Pierson - Original Creations / MJP Designs
Mary was born into a needlework tradition. Her mother and both grandmothers made quilts, embroidered and crocheted. Growing up with a needle (or crochet hook, tatting shuttle or knitting needles) in her hand, she does not remember learning to sew. Mary continued to do various forms of needlework throughout her younger life and has memories of making a “fort” out of her mother’s Cheerios and Oxydol boxes (template material). She knew no other quilters other than members of her mother’s sewing circle which she knew as various “grandmothers.” Believing no one else under the age of 60 made quilts, she remained a “closet quilter” until a Saturday in September 1983 when she learned about rotary cutters, quilt shops, quilt guilds, quilt shows, quilt classes and buying fabric for quilts all in a three-hour period. Her quilt making went from a pastime to obsession almost overnight. She joined her local guilds and began learning all she could about new quilting techniques. Mary founded a home business, Original Creations, making and selling quilts as well as hand quilting for hire. She quickly discovered that she had a talent for breaking down various methods into simple segments making otherwise complicated techniques simple to accomplish. Looking for an employment change in 1996, she and her husband, Jerry, took their business, Original Creations, on the road as a mobile quilt shop vending and teaching at shows nationwide. Since then Mary has taught quilting, punch needle and embroidery classes all over the country. By 2000, Jerry was able to leave his employment of 22 years and join her fulltime. Mary continues to search for easier methods to enable all levels of needle workers to enjoy various techniques. Her motto is, “If I can turn everyone into an addict, then I’ll be normal.”

Kathi Quinn, National Education Coordinator for RNK Distributing
Kathi Quinn, National Education Coordinator for RNK Distributing, exclusive distributors of Floriani Products has become known for her love for sewing, quilting and embroidery. Kathi started her passion for all aspects of embroidering with the early home embroidery machines. Kathi began teaching others her tricks and solutions to everyday challenges in home embroidery many years ago. Today she has taught classes all over the country in basic embroidery techniques, all about stabilizers, sewing projects, computer software basics, serger projects, heirloom sewing, and many more. Along with a relaxed personality makes her class fun, informative, to the point and creates a workshop type atmosphere. Kathi has become licensed on all major machines through Martha Pullen schools and has recently taught at the Hands on Sewing Schools, and Martha Pullen Schools. Her expertise along with a relaxed personality makes her class fun, informative, to the point and creates a workshop type atmosphere.

Rochelle Savage - Rochelle's Fine Fabric & Quilting
Rochelle Savage owns and operates a full line fabric store in Port Orchard, Washington. It is now in “its” 24th year. The 5500 square foot store houses over 10,000 bolts of fabric. Rochelle's Fine Fabric and Quilting, specializes in one of kind fabrics for apparel and an abundance of cotton novelty prints for the crafter and home decorator as well.

Rochelle began machine sewing when she was 8 years old. The obsession for piecing and quilting began in 1980, before the mass marketing of the rotary cutter. The fantasy of one day becoming a famous fashion designer moved by the wayside as quilting took over everyday after everyday of thought and action. Rochelle enjoys the daily challenges of owning a fabric shop and looks forward to learning new techniques and ideas so as to share these ideas, skills, techniques and knowledge with others.

Sally Lampi / Barbara Willis Designs
Sally has been making and designing cloth dolls for twenty years. Sally’s designs are of both an original nature as well as for commercial patterns. Her line of patterns includes; 20 dolls, 4 garments and bags of sort. Sally has taught soft sculpture dolls in many country's and throughout the United States. Sally always try’s to have a little humor in my work; this is recreational sewing and should be fun, stress-free, play.

Patti Medaris Culea / PMC Designs
Patti was raised on a farm in the mid-west surrounded by creative people. An uncle was an original animator for Walt Disney. A cousin painted murals in NYC (one is still at La Guardia Airport). Both her mother and father are artists and have seen their daughter carry on the family tradition. After high school, Patti studied art at Biola University in the Los Angeles area. While working as a flight attendant in Phoenix and in Japan she studied under various masters. After painting portraits for several years she began experimenting with fibers. Having two daughters helped her focus more on the human figure in cloth.

Patti retired from the airline industry in 1996 which has allowed more time to follow her artistic dream. Her husband is a published author. After 31 years as a TV news anchor he currently works as a Media and Communications Director for one of San Diego's County Board of Supervisors. Both of their daughters are grown and they now have a granddaughter. See the Newsletter archives for more updates on the family. Today, Patti combines her love of fabric and dyes by creating beautiful cloth dolls and journals. She has developed her own technique in beadwork and many of her pieces show this. In addition to the above she has a full line of cloth doll and journal patterns.

Karen Shifton / Cat Tails
As a cloth doll artist for the past 17+ years, there is a history behind my involvement. Art has always been an intimate part of my life for as far back as memory allows. A wide palette of media has grabbed my attention and interest: from crafts & collage to mosaics, fused glass jewelry and hand dyed fabric. Life held lots of fascinating objects to use as a jumping off point for something else. Imagination was well exercised as a youth and sharpened as an adult.

As a hobby and pastime, sewing made a late entrance into my life. In about 1990 I was just getting my feet wet on the craft show circuit making appliquéd sweatshirts and dabbling in various other handmade items for sale. This evolved to making rudimentary rag dolls and simple decorative cloth creations. Obtaining some new media, I am venturing into new uses for art pens and pencils. After attending some lectures, I discovered some of these teachers were using colors and drawing faces so alive with individuality, I fell in love with the medium of cloth dolls. Many classes plus several teachers later, my dolls began to “sing.” As others began to take notice and a dear friend who owns a local quilt shop added needed encouragement, my designing and teaching endeavor took root. Through the years, my creations have progressed from the flat pancake stage to complex sculpting with needle and thread. Dolls who's simple expression, can tell a life's story. The skill to be able to persuade cloth to change from its two-dimensional state to a sculpted sentient creation still holds a fascination for me that no other medium contains.

My fabric figures have been displayed at various venues through out the United States and Canada and as far away as Australia and Japan. Patterns for my creatures and figures are available on line at www.clothmagic.com . Inquiries about completed dolls always welcome.

Margaret Smith / Texas Quiltery
Margaret is a fourth generation Texas quilt artist, is a designer, piecer, quilting instructor and a longarm quilter. She has been quilting since 1980 and teaching others the art of quiltmaking since 1990. Margaret began designing and publishing her line of quilt patterns in 1999, using the technique she developed, “Appliqué With A Box Of Crayons”®. Margaret works from her home studio and operates her online shopping web site, www.TexasQuiltery.com. Since 2003, she has been touring the country exhibiting at shows and teaching quilt groups the art of “Appliqué With A Box Of Crayons”®.

Betts Vidal / bettsvilad.com
A small chalkboard placed 18 inches from the floor by my parents was their way of encouraging me to draw at the tender age of eighteen months. They say I especially enjoyed drawing Christmas trees. I've no recollection of the little chalk board but I cannot ever remember not drawing. From the ages of two or three, my earliest memories are of vivid colors, textures, stencils (red tulips on my cornflower blue little table set), iron filigree gates, details and perspectives. To this day, I can sketch a thought easier than I can articulate one. Thanks Mom and Dad!

My first introduction to sewing was at my first Brownie meeting. My patient leader taught me to thread a needle by winding it around my index finger, rolling it, then removing it with the help of a finger nail...at the age of seven, I thought..."The world is mine!" From that point on, I envisioned myself transforming fabrics into anything a doll, my younger sisters or I could wear. Treasured saved snippets of these long ago fabrics are reminders of my earlier attempts.

Studying art, painting, drawing, interior design, pottery, basketry, lapidary and quilting...the love of natural elements, richly textured fabrics and surfaces, luscious colors, Americana, buttons and found objects...sketching on old envelopes and napkins, lovingly folding, stacking and restacking fabrics by colorways, the ability to draw, draft and daydream led me to the delectable world of dollmaking...

Janet Taylor / Taylor Made Iron-on Designs
I purchased my first Iron-On design in January 1981, and from the moment I applied it I was hooked. For the next twenty years I pursued my hobby with a passion and enjoyed every minute I could spend doing it. In 2001 after retiring from what I now like to call real work I deiced to make my hobby in to a business. I wanted to let people know the ease and fun of what I was doing. I started out mostly giving instruction and working for a friend whom I was buying my designs from as well as doing custom work for people. In January 2002 my friend, I was working for decided the show and work schedule was more than she wanted to keep up with and so I bought her business and show schedule. Since our home is in the mountains out on a dirt road and difficult to find and for 30 years I had done the commute to the city, 8:00 to 5:00 job, this was a wonderful option for me. My husband was a willing partner, having retired years earlier as a truck driver to ranching, he was happy to be back on the road again.

At the present time we operate our business at shows and through mail orders. I do not have a website, but I do have a catalog that is available with over 700 designs and ideas in it.

Sheila Reinke's / Hancock Fabrics
Sheila start of sewing was in third grade when she joined a 4-H club. Her love for sewing continued to grow and hardly a day ever went by she didn't sew something. In high school, when her friends were finding jobs, she discovered sewing for customers to be a great opportunity. When moving from a rural town to Omaha over 20 years ago it seemed like a perfect match to go to work for a fabric store. She has been employed by Hancock Fabrics for 20 years. Seven years ago she took the position of District Demonstrator which oversees the education in her district. She does three in-store seminars (Quilting, Holiday, and Fleece) each year that several thousands attend. She organizes clothing sewing seminars (with nationally known guest speakers) and six quilt retreats each year. Her love for teaching sewing continues to grow.

Carla J. Scherbert / Sierra Sewing Center
An avid sewer for over 40 years, Carla capitalized on her love of computers, software and sewing when the first computerized sewing/embroidery machines were introduced into the sewing market many years ago. Within days of owning her first embroidery machine, she was “hooked” on machine embroidery and saw the opportunity to start a successful small business, Carla’s Creations, thereby filling a niche market for custom handmade gifts and embroidery personalization. Carla’s passion for machine embroidery and all things related to machine embroidery has continued for over 15 years.

Currently, Carla is the General Manager for Sierra Sewing Center, Inc., where she manages two stores in Reno and Carson City, Nevada. Carla teaches Embroidery Club classes that are consistently full with a waiting list of students eager to join in order to learn more about their fabulous embroidery machines along with beginning to advanced machine embroidery techniques. She has also developed and teaches embroidery software classes both in 3D Embroidery Studio, 3D Embroidery Artist and 3D Sketch.

Carla is also a licensed teacher of heirloom sewing for Martha Pullen Company, Inc. and Pfaff. She offers wonderful classes ranging from basic French sewing techniques and lace shaping, to classes in constructing a beautiful lace christening gown, etc.

Trish Harriman / Attic Heirloom
Trish Harriman, owner of Attic Heirloom, has been stitching since the age of 7. She designs and produces embroidery, wool appliqué, miniature punch needle and rug hooking punch needle patterns and kits as well as doll patterns, ornament patterns and kits. She has enjoyed teaching classes at quilt shops across the country. Her newest passion, rug hooking punch needle is becoming ever increasingly popular with quilters and crafters.

James Raymer / Dalco Home Sew
James has been in the textile industry for over 25 years. As Vice President of Dalco Home Sew, he has lectured, demonstrated written articles for Sewing & Embroidery Professional, appeared on the “America Sews” television program and spent the past several years traveling the country developing a dealer network for EasyStitch™ appliqué.

As a teacher, his goal is to make teaching embroidery and appliqué fun, entertaining, and easy while encouraging all sewers to expand this art form through the sharing of ideas and their own imagination and creativity. (www.dalcohomesew.com)

Wenda Coburn / Just For Ewe / Calico Gals
Wenda Coburn is a mother, a teacher, a volunteer project organizer, and a quilter! She has been sewing since childhood and quilting became an expression of her own individual creativity. As a quilt teacher and a volunteer coordinator she has helped plan many service oriented projects, including quilting at the jail!

Since that beginning, her passion for sewing, design, quilting and instruction has grown. In 1990 she started Just For Ewe Sewing providing a variety of services from traditional tailoring services to dress making and custom drapery design. Enthusiastic about helping others to experience the joys of sewing, she began teaching sewing and quilting techniques in 1998. In 2004, she became a certified Square in a Square® instructor and product distributor. In 2007, she was awarded Square in a Square® Diamond Certification. In June 2007, look for Wenda’s quilt pattern in Jodie Barrows new Square in a Square® book “Moving on with Diamonds.”

Wenda regularly teaches near home at Calico Gals Quilt shop in Fayetteville, NY and travels the Northeast teaching workshops. She lives near Syracuse, NY with her husband, daughter, son, and doggy daughter and 2 cats.

Gail Bird / Igolochkoy-Birdhouse Ent.
GAIL BIRD, is an innovator, author, lecturer, designer and teacher both nationally and internationally. For 29 years Gail has specialized in the art of IGOLOCHKOY™ (Russian Punchneedle embroidery) and has the largest collection in the world of punchneedle works, including many famous wearable and quilt artists. Gail was the first person to embellish cross-stitch with charms by creating her own line, Simply Charming. For 10 years Gail worked as a craft designer for Falk Industries, manufactures of net and tulle. Ms Bird owns and operates her own company, Birdhouse Enterprises, selling her tools, books, and kits at consumer shows, special events and on her web site. www.gailbird.com.

Linda McLaughlin - Linda M Designs
Linda has had a lifelong love of fabric---but it wasn’t until 1993, when she discovered fabric dyeing—that her love of fabric turned into an obsession. In 1996 she started her own business—Linda M Designs—and started selling her fabric at quilt shows. At that time, Linda began sharing her love of hand-dyed fabrics by teaching others how to dye. Always eager to lean more, she has also taken workshops from Jean Ray Laury and Jane Dunnewold.

Jerry Reese / Husqvarna Viking National Education Specialist / Sew Viking
I have the fun job of traveling nation-wide, meeting fellow I am convinced that I was born with a needle and thread in one hand and a crochet hook in the other hand. That was all fine and dandy until I could be left unattended with a machine, my first sewing machine. I took all of the ‘home-ec’ classes that were offered, and began my real journey of creating my own clothes. As I got older, I found

I had to make my own clothes out of necessity. I was taller than average and had the responsibility of supporting young children. To support my children, I had the good fortune of getting into the computer industry at a perfect time. Computers soon became an integral part of my everyday life. Little did I know, my computer experience as well as my love for sewing, would meld into a whole new life-style. CLICK FOR MORE.

Ellen Lessmann / Sew Viking
Ellen is from Omaha, NE, and is a life long sewer, learning from her mother and grandmothers. Quilting is one of her sewing interests, and a mounting pile of unfinished quilt tops propelled her into machine quilting on a conventional sewing machine. She has taught machine quilting throughout the Midwest for several years, and enjoys the wonder on the faces of students as they realize they too can quilt on the sewing machine. She teaches a variety of techniques, so everyone can find the niche they like and in which they can excel.

Cara Gulati / Doodle Press
Cara Gulati has spent her life around fabric. She has sold fabric and clothes, designed them both and ended up with her own company as a designer and manufacturer of children's wear. Fiber art and quilting in particular grabbed her heart and led her to things of a flatter nature.

Cara makes very large art quilts and is currently working on a series called 3-D Explosion. She has written a book and teaches workshops on this design and sewing technique. One quilt in the series, "3-D Party Explosion" won Viewer's Choice at the Houston International Quilt Festival in 2003.

You can find Cara on Simply Quilts and Kaye's Quilting Friends on TV. Doodle Press is Cara's publishing company. She designs fun and artistic quilts that are unique. Her patterns and book can be found in quilt stores around the world and on her web site at www.doodlepress.com.

When she isn't lecturing, teaching nationally, publishing or creating art quilts, Cara can be found walking her dogs in the forest, where she lives with her husband in Marin County, California.

Pam Damour / The Decorating Diva
Known as the “Decorating Diva”, Pam Damour offers professional drapery workroom training to the trade. Co-author of “Pillow Talk”, and a regular on both HGTV and Discovery Channel, Damour is generous in sharing the knowledge of her 20+ years as a sewing professional. As a seasoned educator, Damour travels internationally teaching her specialty techniques that have brought her years of continued business as the couture of home dec sewing. Producer of 10 how-to DVDs, and host of her own radio show “At Home with Pam Damour”, she enjoys the hands-on aspect of the window treatment industry. Pam lives on the shore of Lake Champlain in a log cabin, nestled at the foot of the Adirondack Mountains, where she teaches sewing retreats and her teacher certification programs. She is an avid skier by winter and a golfer “wanna be” by summer. Pam lives with her husband and teenage daughter. Her home based interior design business flourishes thanks to the teamwork of her dedicated staff.

Cindy Michaels / Bernina of America Educator
Cindy’s love of sewing began at the age of eight, when her mother put a needle and embroidery threads into her hand. After finishing school and a career in the banking industry, she decided to be a stay-at-home mom. While raising four children, Cindy began teaching all the women in the neighborhood how to sew. This grew into a new career, and as the children grew up, she began teaching for a local sewing machine dealer. While working in this multi-line sewing machine store, both as a teacher and sales person, Cindy discovered her love of all things Bernina. Six years ago she began her travels with Bernina of America as a Sales Trainer and Education Consultant, and now does Free-lance teaching and sales for Bernina dealers around the US. Cindy has been published in “Through the Needle” magazine, and teaches and speaks on a wide variety of sewing and embroidery topics throughout the country.

Kathleen Dziurda / Sew-n-Such
Kathie is a 5th generation native of Nevada. She began learning to sew about age 4 when her Grandma Fern gave her a hoop with a stamped design and some floss. Her mom and 4-H furthered her interest in the subject. Kathie holds degrees from the University of Nevada, Reno in Home Economics Education and Science. A certified teacher since 1972, she retired in 2000 after more than 20 years of teaching high school. Further training since retirement has included classes at OESD, 5 years of Bernina University, more than 40 hours of embroidery software training, and many seminars at a variety of sewing and embroidery events. Currently Kathie teaches classes at Sew-n-Such and digitizes embroidery designs for a number if businesses in the Northern California and Nevada area.

Louise McAndrew- My Stitching Niche
Louise has been sewing for over 40yrs. Her mother taught her at a very young age and her love of sewing has only increased since then. Louise started an on-line web site selling her handmade items in 2005 but she has since turned her site into more of her designs in pattern form. She has also come with kits as well. Louise has had her hand in many different outlets for selling her creative and original designs for years.She is currently teaching locally here in Saratoga Springs, NY for the Saratoga School districts Adult Education Program and is loving it!

Margaret (Marge) Grishow – Hatched in Africa
Margaret has been representing Hatched in Africa and All Sorts Embroidery Designs since 2003. Having been an embroidery enthusiast since 1994, Margaret readily recognized the superior quality and beauty of these designs. It is a rewarding experience to introduce to fellow embroiders, these wonderfully digitized designs.

A large assortment of sample items that are additional to the ones displayed in the Hatched booth, will be presented. Techniques to be demonstrated will be appliqué embroidery, cutwork embroidery, and crystal application.

Walter Floriani - Floriani Embroidery, Sewing & Quilting Products
Walter Floriani is the fifth generation of the "Floriani Embroidery Legacy". He is known as "The Embroidery Guru". Walter Floriani is a world renowned embroidery creator, production specialist, consultant, educator, speaker, author and entrepreneur. His families' history spans back to the beginning of the mechanized embroidery process. His knowledge of mechanized embroidery is only overwhelmed by his love of his family history and the sharing of their embroidery knowledge with all of you. He and his wife and partner Sherri have owned and operated the family business since 1981. The Floriani Family of products include "Floriani Favorites" embroidery designs, The Floriani United Network for Embroidery Education (FUNclub) as well as their newest venture, in partnership with RNK Distributing, in the creation of a new line of stabilizers and threads created specifically for the embroidery process. Creating educational tools as well as products that produce the highest level of quality embroidery is the main focus of the Floriani Family Business.

Jann Baird / Secrets of Embroidery
Jann is the author of Secrets of Taming Computers and other computer help publications. She lives in New Zealand and manages Secrets of Embroidery, one of the largest home embroidery websites on the Net at www.secretsof.com . Secrets of Embroidery is an Internet mall that features designs, tutorials and embroidery projects from over 40 world-wide designers.

Sue Green- Baker / The Place That Sells Sewing Machines
Sue has been working in the home sewing industry for over 30 years. She has shared her expertise with the sewing consumer in many fields. Many will recognize her for her extensive work with sergers. Sue has co-authored several books on serging including , Sewing With An Overlock by Palmer/Pletsch, Creative Serging Illustrated by Chilton Book Company and 101 Sewing Secrets by the Singer Sewing Reference Library.

Having traveled all over the United States, Sue lives to teach and create. She has written several Owner’s Workbooks for the Baby Lock Sewing Machine Company. The new workbooks will teach consumers how to use their Baby Lock sewing/embroidery Software.
Sue and Patty Seevers have co-authored a book named Threads, Threads, and more Threads for converting dewing machine embroidery thread colors between 10 major thread brand companies. They have also completed VolumeTwo Threads book on a CD for color comparisons between polyester, cotton and acrylic threads.

Sue has also done training workshops for Baby Lock dealers how to use the Palette software programs at Baby Lock Tech in St. Louis, Missouri. Sue currently teaches hands-on serger and Masterworks, Palette and Designer Gallery software classes in the greater Northern California area.

Cynthia England / England Design
Cynthia is a graduate of the Art Institute of Houston and has
been creating quilts for more than thirty years. Experimentation with
quilting techniques led her to develop her own unique style. Cynthia’s
quilts have been honored with many awards, including two Best of
Shows at the prestigious “International Quilt Association”. Her quilt,
Piece and Quiet was distinguished as one of the Hundred Best Quilts
of the 20th Century. Cynthia teaches and lectures nationally and internationally. Visit her website at: www.englanddesign.com

Notable Awards:
Best of Show and Award of Excellence, AIQA, TX, 1993
Best of Show, Pride of Dallas, 1st, Dallas Quilt Celebration, 1994
1st Place and Viewer's Choice Wall Quilt, AQS, KY, 1994
Best of Show, 1st Place, People's Choice, Fabric of Our Cultures Show, Victoria, TX 1994
1st Place, Quilter's Heritage Celebration, PA, 1995
Juror's Choice, Tactile Architecture, Washington, D.C., 1994
Named as one of "The Twentieth Century's Best American Quilts". See the Piece and Quiet gallery page for more details about this prestigious award.

Kandi L. Christian / Sew Timeless
Kandi L. Christian, MBA is a well-known teacher of home décor classes with an heirloom twist in both the US and England. She is a licensed Martha Pullen instructor and has been a free lance educator for companies such as Singer and Husqvarna Viking.

In addition to writing articles for several major sewing magazines, she has written a series of instructional sewing books called “Sewing for the Romantic Home”, (published by Classic Press: ISBN 0978712706) and was tapped by the BBC to be their expert seamstress for their popular television show “While You Were Out”. She has also worked at trade shows and craft fairs and has been a speaker at some of the largest conferences.

As the owner of Kandi’s Cottage, one of the first web-based retail stores on the Internet in 1995, she knows what it takes to sell products both retail and wholesale. She knows what works, and what doesn’t, and can clearly explain it to you.

She is also the owner of Sew Timeless, a company that teaches hands-on heirloom sewing classes all across the US and England.

April Sproule / Sproule Studios
April Sproule is an artist who creates with textiles. She is well known for her hand painted and stitched silk pieces, as well as her original wholecloth quilt designs. She has won numerous awards for her work over the past six years that she has been entering national competitions. Her work has been featured and sold in many galleries and museums.

She has been the owner of Sproule Studios since 2001. Sproule Studios is a textile arts facility offering workshops in surface design and textile arts and is locate in Fortuna, California. April is also a longarm quilter, and extends her quilting services to her clients. Her business is located in a small town in northern California

As an accomplished designer and workshop facilitator, teaching and sharing her innovative techniques with others remains one of the favorite aspects of her business. She strongly feels that it is only through passing her skills and knowledge onto others that it truly becomes of any importance.

April’s formal education was in the field of fashion design, and she has many years of experience in several types of manufacturing. She continues her education through college courses, and workshops taught by her favorite artists.

Davia N. Shireley / Appliqué Buffet
Davia has a master’s degree in speech, 35 years special education experience in various state school systems and in The Department of Defense overseas schools, graduate of public speaking courses, and certified ceramics instructor.

Davia has been full time RV’ing for the past 8 years. Started the “Appliqué Buffet” business in January 2001 and has presented “Designing with Appliqué’s” seminars at many RV Club rallies, RVIA Shows, RV manufacturer’s homecoming rallies, Honda Gold Wing motorcycle rallies and Sweet Adeline’s Conventions.

Day Warren / Sew Stitches Sewing School
Day has been sewing for herself and others for many years. For over eleven years, she has continued to teach a variety of sewing classes at a local area sewing shop. After seeing a grand resurgence in sewing recently, and feeling there is more of a need than what the area can fulfill, Day is very excited that she is a Certified Palmer/Pletsch Beginning Sewing Instructor along with Connie Webb have teamed up and subsequently launched “Sew Stitches Sewing School.

Shelly Smola / My Fair Lady Designs
Shelly Smola has been sewing and embroidering since childhood. She is the owner of My Fair Lady Designs, which features a line of elegant embroidery designs. Her designs have been used in project articles in Creative Machine Embroidery, Paper and Embroidery, and Quilting and Embroidery, and they are favorites of wedding dress designers in the U.S. and Europe. She teaches in Idaho and attends embroidery conferences in the US.

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REMEMBER TO BRING
BASIC SEWING SUPPLIES
IF YOU SIGN-UP FOR
WORKSHOPS OR
HANDS-ON CLASSES
You will need to bring the following supplies if you are taking any hands-on
classes: sharp sewing
shears, rotary cutter,
cutting mat, straight pins,
marking tool, ruler, tape
measure, #2 pencils and
notepad.
Sewing machines are
provided in the classroom.
Students should check
class descriptions for
additional items needed.

Trade Show Sales – full time position – immediate opening

Trade Show Sales Job Description:
As a Trade Show Salesperson you will be responsible for the financial success of our public events. You will be responsible for selling the events by contacting former vendors and cold calling potential new vendors, acquire sponsorship and help build attendance. Your responsibility will be to foster and maintain relationships with key industry accounts to increase vendor sales and attendance by communicating the value of the event. DETAILS

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