Monday, June 28, 2010

Marilyn Norton at Friday Night LIVE

If you were at Friday Night LIVE -- you recognize my fabulous red sequins WRAP with the luxurious t-shirt fringe... Although I made it for the 2009 GO RED event, it had been living in a plastic tub in my basement...

So, I decided that I would share it with THIS SPECIAL AUDIENCE...and ya'll got the t-shirt joke on the inside....yes, I crack myself up....

Mary & I were giving away our VERY OWN UNIQUE DOOR PRIZES...and we hand-picked the recipients...in this case, my friend Marilyn Norton who has worked hard to lose 60 pounds! We visit once a year (at Expo) and we both believe "LIFE IS NOT A DRESS SIZE"....

I love this picture of Marilyn -- she was completely shocked to be receiving this incredible gift I ACTUALLY SEWED MYSELF...(yes, people, that is sarcasm...)

THANKS FOR COMING TO OUR SHOW!! You were a most amazing audience -- and I can hardly wait to tell you what we have planned for NEXT YEAR'S FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE event. I'll be making those announcements in the upcoming e-newsletters!!

You ROCKED THE HOUSE, ladies!! And NOBODY had more fun that me and Mary...

Monday, June 21, 2010

DENIM Challenge Photos

At the 2010 Show -- Friday was "Recycled Denim Day" -- here's a picture of the two super-bloggers who started it all. The original "Inspired 2 Sew" girls -- Jan Potter, me and Bonne Swett...we LOVED our outfits...


Using this blog, I urged anybody wearing recycled denim to come to the food area of the Pavillion on 5:00 Friday for the "group picture"...


AND YOU CAME....Rhonda Pierce from Schmetz Needles was in charge of getting everybody into a group shot...

YOU LOOKED FABULOUS...


Rhonda was announcing the Schmetz door prize winners...

Our young photographer, London, is almost ready to take the official picture...

AND HERE IT IS...!!


We didn't get everybody into the picture...and one special person who is missing is Luveta Nickels!! Junk Jeans also provided some fun for the day -- taking lots of pictures and giving door prizes along with Schmetz.

Hey -- THERE WILL BE MORE POSTS. And I keep discovering new pictures! I haven't quite figured out how to organize so many photos...organization is a skill and an art..

I am quite sure many of you prewash your fabric, then store it -- neatly folded and color-coded, on narrow, visible shelves. Well, imagine my photos are pieces of fabric...and I have 2000 of them stuffed into one gigantic black garbage bag...

BUT I'M WORKING ON IT...And -- hey -- there are MORE PICTURES OF YOU over on the Schmetz blog...

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

2011 Planning Meeting

Hey -- the Sewing & Stitchery Expo does not JUST HAPPEN!! There are hundreds of people all over the world involved in making Expo the best consumer sewing show in America. Our exhibitors work to bring you new merchandise, decorate and ship their booth to Puyallup -- and the speakers create new classes every year, hoping their topic will be the "hot ticket" at next year's show.

Our actual management team is small -- and we work all year long -- mostly through daily phone calls and emails. But we do get togheter for A BIG PLANNING MEETING every year. And it can be a pretty messy process -- in more ways than one...

Our meeting took place in the basement of a condemned building (do you think I'm kidding?)...well, that might be a slight exaggeration. But, hey, at least we could hook up our laptops!! Ann brought healthy snacks this year. (personally, I MISSED THE DOUGHNUTS..).

I am proud to be the fourth member of the Expo Team. Pictured here -- me (Marketing), Janet York (Operations), Joanne Ross (Director), and Ann Sagawa (Education).
It is a complicated process -- and we work hard to consider EVERYBODY'S POINT OF VIEW. You, the Expo audience -- our valued guests. Also, our wonderful roster of exhibitors and speakers.

We have LOTS OF EXCITING THINGS PLANNED for the 2011 Expo -- and if you aren't getting the official e-newsletter -- be sure you go to the website to sign up for it. In the coming months, there will be lots of 2011 show news comin' at ya in the newsletters!!

Please be patient -- the website is being rebuilt this summer -- and we're on our way to ONLINE REGISTRATION for 2011!!

(if you want to see PICTURES OF MY WALK across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge -- check out my daily blog at Rita's Sew Fun.)

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

EXPO BABY & Friday Night LIVE

Remember Ashlee? I wrote about her last year in one of the e-newsletters -- she is truly our EXPO baby...as her Mom (Tanya) came to the 2009 show when she was 9 months pregnant. (in a wheelchair)...and Ashlee was born on the 4th day of the show. (right?)

At any rate -- she is our unofficial EXPO BABY and she is also officially the CUTEST MODEL we ever had...Although, Ashlee didn't seem to understand she was on a RAISED STAGE...and she was a very fast crawler!!

I've gotta say -- Tanya was very laid back about the whole thing...

I seem to be screaming, "KEEP THE BABY AWAY FROM THE EDGE!!"

Ashlee was a total professional...even though it was 100 degrees up there...wow...she is sooo beautiful...

THANKS AGAIN for being our baby model, Ashlee!! I know the pay sucked -- but I hope you are enjoying your recycled blue jeans AND the little sock monkey doll. It's the least we could do...
Thanks for everything, Tanya -- we can hardly wait to see Ashlee NEXT year!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

2010 Random Pictures

I THINK this is the audience for the Bates Technical style show -- right? Ya'll were having a pretty good time...it just may have been during the Elvis impersonator. And the good news is I'm pretty sure I HAVE THE VIDEO...

Here are a couple of booth shots. If you ever see yourself -- SEND ME AN EMAIL...

From the brand new Janome booth. They did a great job with the popular "Upcycle" event. It was fun to see how it was possible to make something out of nothing...


Our attendees are doing exactly what they're supposed to do -- SHOPPING, SHOPPING AND MORE SHOPPING...THANKS for coming to play our sewing/shopping game!!


Over the summer -- I'll be posting many specific EVENT photos -- so be sure to come to the blog every week because you JUST MIGHT SEE YOURSELF!!