Online Registration

Online Registration will begin on January 5.

Go to the website: Sewexpo.com.....click on the "Register" header.

AGAIN -- IF YOU GET AN ERROR MESSAGE -- USE INTERNET EXPLORER.

TODAY IS THE BIG DAY...!!

YES -- IT IS UP. The Registration Brochure is UP on the website. Sewexpo.com

Please go there and let us know what you think. You can download it as a PDF -- then call your best sewing girlfriends and start to PLAN YOUR SHOW.

So -- heads up Helen and Wendy...


And ALL THE OTHER GIRLFRIEND GROUPS -- like Jan and Bonne -- the Inspired 2 Sew team...
And the YA YA STALKERS...Judy and Chris...


It's time to start plotting your strategy -- what vendors you want to shop...

What sewing celebrities you want to meet...

What new techniques you want to learn...


Make sure you schedule your time at Expo so that you see EVERY SINGLE FASHION SHOW...they happen six times a day on the Expo Runway. The schedule repeats Thursday, Friday and Saturday....(the Fashion Shows are a great chance for you to sit in a comfy chair and relax between shopping sprees!!)
Here's a tip -- if you have any trouble getting the PDF of the Registration Brochure to open properly -- be sure you are using Internet Explorer as your browser.

ONLINE REGISTRATION will begin in January...keep checking back on this blog for the exact date...

Registration Brochure

I know you're busy getting ready for Christmas...OF COURSE YOU ARE. That's exactly what you SHOULD BE DOING...

But here at Expo Central -- we've been working day and night to get the Registration Brochure ready. There are sooo many details. Of course, we want every page to be absolutely correct...but, really, at some point -- DONE is better than PERFECT...





Anyway -- as you celebrate your Christmas holiday -- remember that on MONDAY -- December 27th -- we'll put the Registration Brochure up on the web site.

Now -- TO BE VERY CLEAR -- you will NOT BE ABLE TO REGISTER for classes at that time.

Registration will not begin until January -- after we've opened the ticket office. (I'll put up the exact date on this blog -- as soon as they tell me.)


BUT -- on December 27 -- you will be able to "Print" a copy of the Registration Brochure. You'll be able to read about the classes, the teachers, the events. You'll be able to figure out your schedule and PLAN YOUR EXPO ADVENTURE...get together with your girlfriends, decide who's going to do what this year...

This will be our first year for online registration -- and we expect a learning curve.

Remember -- if you want to attend events and/or classes WITH A FRIEND OR A GROUP -- the best way to insure everybody getting tickets is to REGISTER WITH ONE CREDIT CARD.

One person would go online, and with their credit card, put the correct number of "tickets" in her shopping cart -- and your group should be good....

So -- have a wonderful Christmas. Then, start to plan for the 2011 Sewing & Stitchery Expo -- because we are gonna ROCK THE HOUSE...

Heads up -- if you have any trouble reading the PDF of the Registration Brochure -- make sure you are using INTERNET EXPLORER... (instead of Mozilla Firefox)...in our trial runs, Explorer worked better...

MERRY CHRISTMAS...

Clover Hall

YES -- the building formerly known as "Expo Hall" will officially become CLOVER HALL. As the official "notions sponsor" of the show -- Clover will be equipping the rooms in Clover Hall with their fabulous Clover Notions...



So -- what does this mean for you? Well -- if you are attending a hands-on sewing machine class -- Clover is equipping our classrooms with standard sewing supplies. While attending any sewing machine class, every student station will be equipped with Clover scissors, seam rippers, flower head pins, rulers, tape measures, marking tools, rotary cutters, mats, etc.

You KNOW the quality of Clover -- which is why this is such exciting news...You don't have to worry about forgetting to pack your favorite seam ripper...



Or, trying to get a scissors through TSA security...

Or, wondering about whether or not you'll need a marking tool or pen...
CLOVER IS DOING THE WORK FOR YOU...

So -- hey -- it just doesn't get any better than this, right? AND -- while you're anxiously waiting for the Registration Brochure to be PUT UP ON THE SHOW WEBSITE -- you could win SOME GREAT PRIZES...like -- over on the Nancy Zieman blog -- you can win everything you need to make a Florida Tote Bag!

Nancy is participating in a gigantic BLOG GIVEAWAY DAY...and her prize is everything you need to make her Florida Tote. INCLUDING some fabric from her personal stash...

The pattern is in template form, Clover’s Trace ‘n Create Bag Template–Florida Tote Collection. To see how this template works, go to Nancy Zieman TV. Nancy posted a new online video this week, so you can see for yourself how EASY IT IS.

In addition to the template and fabric, the prize-drawing winner will receive coordinating lining fabric , Shape-Flex, Create-a-Strap, Shape 'n Create, a Magnetic Snap, Wrap 'n Fuse Piping, and elegant D-ring hardware. (Total value of $89!)

Nancy will choose and post the winner's name and comment on December 17th and ship the prize on or before December 20th.

FUN, EH?? You know Nancy is our Friday Night LIVE entertainment....and it will be fun to keep track of her newest, best new sewing ideas via her blog and website. You know that whatever she's working on with Clover -- they'll BRING IT TO PUYALLUP...

Bonash Announcement

This is a picture of me on the LAST DAY OF THE SHOW -- I'm in Deborah Justice's booth (Labours of Love) -- and I'm wearing my fabulous New York City Circle Vest...which would not have been possible without Bonash...


Here's a picture of the new Bonash booth at the 2010 Sewing & Stitchery Expo. The woman doing the demonstration is "Beryl" -- who has one of those fabulous English accents. I could listen to her talk all day long...

Of course -- I'M ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE NEW PRODUCTS at the show. Isn't that one of the best things about Expo?? I understand "007" bonding agent isn't a brand new product -- but it was certainly new to ME...Beryl shows how you can use it to mend a rip or a tear in any kind of fabric. And that's a GREAT thing, of course...


When Mary & I did our all BRAND NEW MIDWEST YA YA SISTERS ACT in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin -- Mary showed a fabulous new sweater "creature" -- and talked about how she used Bonash to bond the facial features. Unlike the usual iron-on products like stitch witchery, or ther-mo-web -- Bonash doesn't add any stiffness to the project.

When I made my NYC Circle Wrap (using two pieces of knit fabric) -- I knew I could NEVER sew a 50" circle, without having rippled edges. Besides, I wanted to FRINGE it -- remember? Bonash is a powder -- and I just sprinkled it between the two pieces of fabric (wrong sides together) -- the finished result was FABULOUS...

And -- HERE IT IS -- drumroll -- for the 2011 Sewing & Stitchery Expo -- Mary Mulari will be hanging out in the BONASH BOOTH...

It is always exciting to see what new patterns and projects Mary is bringing to Expo. And this year -- you will find her IN THE BONASH BOOTH...

Coats & Clark Pink & Red Charity Event

From last year's charity event -- some fabulous pictures you may not have seen...

Lorraine Torrence....



Our special family of historic pink and red seamstresses...
Lynn Browne, from Coats & Clark...
The goofy Midwest Ya Ya Sisters...

Catherine Devico from Janome (I think the kimono is still on TOUR...)

Marsha McClintock...always steps up when we need her...

And our very own "Inspired2Sew" girls -- Jan Potter and Bonne Swet. They take every challenge TO THE LIMIT...

And -- my personal favorite -- our own Expo Baby. Remember Ashley crawling down the Runway??


I am ending with this adorable picture of beautiful healthy baby Ashley. For me, she will always be the 'Expo Baby" because her Mom, Tanya, was very pregnant at the 2009 show, and had to LEAVE to deliver Ashley -- who was exactly 1 year old at the 2010 show.

To remind you that for the 2011 charity event -- every dime of your $10 will go to the Mary Bridge Childrens Hospital in Tacoma.

This year, it will be a "Pro-Am Sewing Exhibition" -- and we'll be pairing our sewing STARS with some local sewing ROOKIES. They are working on their projects EVEN AS WE SPEAK...

For more details, be sure to visit our website -- Sewexpo.com

Irish Reading Shawl

My friend Marion recently told me how much she is enjoying the "Irish Reading Shawl" pattern. From last year's Midwest Ya Ya Sister show -- the Irish Reading Shawl is a great quick gift. In this picture, Mary and I are wearing our two different versions...
We both made our shawls out of vintage wool blankets....Mary chose to place a large button, using a pony tail holder instead of a buttonhole.

We made pockets big enough for a book, remote control, Kindle, etc. My pockets are from a felted sweater...

And, since my original blanket had a great fringe -- I cut it off and REATTACHED the trim around the curved edge of the shawl. This shaped back is the best part of the shawl -- and it's a nice bed jacket as well.

As winter approaches, and we're all trying to keep our thermostats turned down -- the Irish Reading Shawl makes perfect sense -- which makes it a great CHRISTMAS GIFT, EH?

Thanks for reminding me, Marion!! (she's using bits and pieces of some nice polar fleece, leftover from her marathon-charity-jacket-sew-a-thon)...

What other ideas did you get from last year's Expo that are turning into this year's Christmas gifts??

HEY -- speaking of Friday Night LIVE -- remember -- next year, Nancy Zieman will be our entertainment. If you go to Nancy's November 16 blog -- and LEAVE A COMMENT -- you could win the Clover Trace ‘n Create Quilt Template—Dresden Plate and Fan Collection.

But YOU'VE GOT TO HURRY...

I'm telling you -- they are giving away some REALLY FUN STUFF on these sewing blogs...

Congratulations, Laura!!

Laura Mendoza is a CTA -- and also one of my Facebook friends. I was delighted to see a recent post on her wall that she had won the Make It With Wool contest. She sent me this picture of herself in her FABULOUS JACKET...and I asked her to tell us about the contest. Read on to see her reply...


Hey Rita

My jacket is a McCalls pattern and that is Pendleton wool that I received at the 2008 competition.
The pants are one of Simplicity's Amazing Fit patterns (awesome patterns) and the wool came from Fabric Depot.
Here are some details -
- fiber in outfit must be at least 60% wool - can be sewn or knit/crochet
- must be a complete outfit, or a long enough coat/dress to cover you modestly
- judged on how outfit fits you, construction of outfit, and how the outfit shows the marketability of wool
And, these judges were picky. They caught a missing stitch in one of my buttonholes on the jacket. Also, said my tension was slightly off on one of my seams.
Now, I have to submit photos of me in the outfit, along with with actual garments to the National Make-It-With-Wool. They will judge them and let me know in January, if I get to go to the National convention in Reno. This entire competition is sponsored by the American Sheep Industry Association.
Besides winning the chance to compete at Nationals, I also won a Viking Husqvarna Serger, courtesy of Billie's Fabrics. And, I received 2 1/2 yds of Pendleton Wool, courtesy of Pendleton Mills.
This jacket also won Grand Champion at the Puyallup Fair this past September. I won a Bernina sewing machine there. I'm calling it my lucky jacket :-)

Laura

You can't use up creativity; the more you use, the more you have.
**********

I love Laura's signature line -- it is SO TRUE..!!

SEE YOU AT THE SHOW, Laura -- I'm sure you'll be wearing your award-winning new jacket!!

A Few Good Laughs...

We have over 1000 pictures from last year's show. Every time I go into those files -- I get to relive the fabulous 2010 show...and I always SEE SOMETHING NEW!!

From the picture vault -- do you see yourself? This was Friday Night LIVE...and Mary and I were having a wonderful time up on that stage. Ya'll were a GREAT AUDIENCE....
In this picture -- I see my friend Marilyn...and Mom...

I don't know anybody in this shot -- but I love that they are all having such a great time...

I cannot believe I found a picture with Jan and Bonne from our Inspired2Sew team...those girls are ALWAYS having a good time!!

And, of course, lucky for me London (the show photographer) got this great shot of the Ya Ya Stalkers -- who, of course, CAME IN DISGUISE...


Oh,yeah -- there's no doubt about it. Our Friday Night LIVE events are a good excuse to get together with our girlfriends and LET OUR HAIR HANG DOWN...

And for the 2011 FNL show -- Nancy Zieman will be up on that stage -- presenting a show that nobody in the world has ever seen before...

Oh, yeah...this is gonna be good...so please stay tuned. I put up a new post on this blog every Monday.

Be sure to regularly check both the show website AND Nancy Zieman's website so you can know what's happening!!

AND -- hey -- let's see if this Facebook thing might be some fun...I've posted THREE HUGE PHOTO albums -- so if you go there -- you might see yourself...

Wanna be a CTA?

The Sewing & Stitchery Expo is very fortunate to have a dedicated corps of volunteers called the Clothing and Textile Advisers. What do our CTA's do? Well, the most obvious thing -- they manage the traffic in and out of the classrooms. AND they stay on alert in the back of the room to make sure everything is working properly and nobody is jumping on the furniture...


They help send out the brochures, hand pull all those tickets you get sent in the mail -- and at the actual show -- they staff the ticket booth...

But Expo is just four days a year. In the summer, the CTA's run summer sewing schools for kids...




There is a complex schedule of duties at Expo -- and it takes a whole village of capable, well-trained CTA's to run the Expo Runway and the intense roster of fast-paced FREE STYLE SHOWS...

And we are always looking for some NEW RECRUITS!! If you'd like to become a Clothing & Textile Advisor -- email Ann Sagawa. (asagawa@wsu.edu) -- and she'll get you signed up for the next training session.

New Website

Have you been to our new website? www.sewexpo.com

We will be putting up LOTS OF INFORMATION about the 2011 show as things come together.

Right now -- you can go there and read about our special evening events. And you can check out the dates when the Registration Brochure will be available as a PDF.

Of course, we also mail out the brochures -- that happens after Christmas. But, like everybody else, we're always looking for ways to keep our costs down and save money -- and putting the brochure up on the website so you can DOWNLOAD IT yourself will save us lots of $$$ in postage.


So -- yes, you will be able to download the entire Registration Brochure...and ...wait for it........drumroll.......

THIS YEAR WE WILL HAVE ONLINE REGISTRATION.

Of course, that will not be available until January. Because we STILL have to wait for our "ticket office" to open. Yes, it's a hybrid process. Although you will be able to register online -- we will still be printing seminar tickets and hand-pulling your order which will be sent to you in the mail.


Complicated -- for sure. And -- OH Yes, it's a lot of work. But we are sure it will be WORTH IT -- right?? If you have any comments or suggestions about our new website -- please let us know!!

Nancy Zieman Announcement...

Nancy Zieman kicks off the new season of "Sewing With Nancy" at Baby Lock Tech -- the annual training event for Baby Lock dealers in St. Louis...



Who's that in Nancy's class? CARMEN from Quality Sewing!! Hey -- one of Expo's most popular vendors. Of course, with Baby Lock sponsoring the 2011 Friday Night LIVE event -- Carmen and Nancy had a lot to talk about...

The BIG ANNOUNCEMENT at Baby Lock Tech was that Nancy Zieman is launching her brand new internet television show. Which is available 24 hours a day!! AND it's all FREE. You can go to Nancyziemantv.com any time to watch FREE how-to sewing videos. You can also read Nancy's behind-the-scenes blog, post comments (to be eligible to win great prizes), AND print valuable coupons -- which can be redeemed at your participating Baby Lock dealers!!

I'm telling you...the sewing fun never ends!! The internet makes it possible for us to SHARE OUR LOVE of sewing with each other every day -- throughout the whole year...

So -- JUST FOR FUN -- let's do this. We have started a Fan Page on Facebook -- go there now and become a fan Sewing & Stitchery Expo FACEBOOK PAGE...Hey -- YOU CAN POST YOUR OWN PICTURE ALBUM. And we would LOVE to see your Expo pictures!!

THEN GO TO NANCY'S FACEBOOK PAGE. If all of us become "fans" on the same day -- we'll send her numbers through the roof!!

HEY -- IT'LL BE FUN..!!

2011 Quilter's Night Out

One of the best special events in the sewing world is the Sewing & Stitchery Expo's QUILTER'S NIGHT OUT. Every single year -- it is a SOLD OUT EVENT...

Last year -- 2010 -- you gave a warm greeting to Eleanor Burns. It was her very first time in Puyallup...(see her professional quilt holder in the back? that's right -- from the Inspired2Sew team -- Bonne Swett)...
And she was delighted with her standing-room-only-audience. Our 2010 Quilter's Night Out was an amazing night -- full of laughter and joy...and it will certainly be hard for us to top that. But -- hey -- THAT'S OUR JOB...

And, as you know -- for 2011 -- we are delighted to welcome Ricky Tims!! 2011 will be his first year in Puyallup -- and having him AND HIS GRAND PIANO -- on the Expo Stage for our 2011 Quilter's Night OUT.

This is a picture of me -- meeting Ricky for the first time at the 2009 Quilt Market in Houston, Texas.

SEE WHAT LENGTHS WE GO TO WHEN IT COMES TO BRINGING YOU THE BEST OF THE BEST??

In the next week or so -- you will receive the October e-newsletter. AND we'll be making some major announcements about changes and improvements for the 2011 show! SO STAY TUNED...