Saturday, December 24, 2011

WE SCREWED UP

Okay -- this is one of those "you can't see the forest for the trees" kind of stories.

Our website is sewexpo.com

OF COURSE WE KNOW THAT...it's ALWAYS been sewexpo.com.

BUT that is NOT what we put on the front cover of our brochure...no siree....that would have been WAY TOO EASY.

We put sewingexpo.com. Which -- if you went there -- you realize is ANOTHER show. Actually, it's a bunch of shows. My friends Marlene and Stan Ingraham run those shows -- and I was delighted to speak at their Kansas City show last fall -- and Mary and I did our Ya Ya gig at their Minneapolis show...and they have a great website!! We're delighted to send our attendees over there for a little visit...

but I digress...

IT'S NOT OUR WEBSITE, FOLKS...

And -- thanks for sending ALL THE EMAILS telling us how badly we screwed up...lol...

There are no excuses coming from me. We could not be more humiliated or embarrassed... everybody in the State of Washington proofread that registration brochure before it went to the printer...

Honestly -- we ALL HAD A CHANCE to see that the website was wrong. And, yes, it is pretty darn amazing that NOT ONE OF US noticed we were using THE WRONG WEBSITE...

WE ARE SO SORRY for any confusion this horrible guffaw may have caused you....and there's nothing we can do about the PRINT brochure. I will be seeing this in my sleep...for many weeks, I'm sure...

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Thursday, December 22, 2011

REGISTRATION IS NOT OPEN

Dear Sew Expo fans,

Here's the deal...The online registration cannot open before our ticket office does. And we have been deliberately coy about when that's gonna happen.

But -- apparently -- coy isn't working.

THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE DATE the ticket office could open is January 5. HEY -- IT MAY NOT HAPPEN THAT DAY, EITHER...I'm just sayin' that's the BEST CASE SCENARIO...

We ARE testing the system. And this afternoon, somebody got "into" the system -- and after spending an hour, she BELIEVED she had "registered". We think her credit card was even charged...BUT SHE IS NOT REGISTERED...AND WILL NOT RECEIVE TICKETS...

What a mess, eh??

SO PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO REGISTER UNTIL YOU SEE ON THIS BLOG...OR -- ON FACEBOOK --

THAT THE SYSTEM IS OFFICIALLY OPEN FOR BUSINESS....!!

We know you're anxious....and we love that about you. But please give us a chance to work out all the bugs....

SAVE YOURSELF.........PLEASE............GIVE US A CHANCE TO GET IT READY THIS YEAR....I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT....

Be sure to "Like" us on Facebook -- and you will receive notification of WHEN THE SYSTEM IS READY TO GO!!

WE LOVE YOU, TOO!!
Rita & the Expo team...

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Happy Chanukkah!!

Well, OF COURSE WE GOT AN EMAIL....because when I said "Merry Christmas"...it offended a Jewish attendee who does not celebrate Christmas..

I am so sorry.

So -- please know that Happy Holidays is what I really meant to say...

Chanukkah started yesterday and goes for 8 days...and I certainly hope it is a joyful celebration for you.

I am sorry if anybody took offense because I was not "inclusive". My point was simply that many of us enjoy our hobby of sewing so much at this time of the year because we are making gifts for the people we love. AND that started me thinking about gifts we give ourselves...which led me to say SEW EXPO IS A GREAT GIFT.

I've learned a LOT MORE ABOUT CHANUKKAH in the last day or so -- my understanding is that giving gifts is not a big part of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah -- but I still say -- GIVE YOURSELF THE GIFT OF SEW EXPO..!!

HAPPY HANUKKAH TO our Jewish sewing sisters!! OF COURSE we are looking forward to seeing you at the show -- and we would love to hear about your Chanukkah sewing traditions.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Merry Christmas Sewing Sisters!!

Yesterday wasn't much of a "post"...and today -- you have a LOT OF FUN READING TO DO because the actual Registration Brochure is posted on the website!! Yippee...

But as you make your plans for the 2012 Sew Expo -- I thought this forwarded email message was very timely. Thanks, Linda P. -- for reminding me of something I've known my entire life...Helen and Wendy know it...




"The Sisterhood"


A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting with her mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.

'Don't forget your sisters,' she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. 'They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need sisters. Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them.'

'Remember that 'sisters' means ALL the women...your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too. 'You'll need other women. Women always do.'

What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman thought. Haven't I just gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grown up! Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!'

But she listened to her mother. She kept contact with her sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her mother really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, sisters are the mainstays of her life.

THIS SAYS IT ALL:

Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes.
Men don't do what they're supposed to do.
Hearts break.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Careers end.

BUT.........

Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can reach.


When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you....Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters,daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family: all bless our life!

The world wouldn't be the same without women, and neither would I. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other.

Every day, we need each other still. Pass this on to all the women who help make your life meaningful. And there is NO BETTER SISTER than a Sewing Sister...!!


************
Have a very Merry Christmas!! I am already looking forward to seeing you -- some of my FAVORITE SEWING SISTERS -- at the show!!

It'll be here before you know it...

2012 Sewing & Stitchery Expo brochure cover!

I'm telling you -- this internet stuff is easier said than done!! Hey -- that's true for just about everything, isn't it? Sewing, marriage, parenting...hummm...

Anyway -- Ann will be posting the ACTUAL BROCHURE on the show website tomorrow!! I wanted to give you a little preview...

I think, what will post, is actually a "link" that you have to click on to see the cover. If it doesn't work -- you'll just have to wait for one more day. TOMORROW THE WHOLE BROCHURE will be up on the website...

Sewexpo.com


2012 Cover Only Final

Monday, December 12, 2011

Christmas at the Puyallup Fairgrounds

Dear Sew Expo Fans,

We are all busy ramping up for Christmas. Today is the day I hope to put the TREE up at my house...and the next 12 days are going to fly by.

Thanks to Laura M. -- I get to share a WAY different view of the Puyallup Fairgrounds -- and I thought her email and attached pictures would be a good way to say 'MERRY CHRISTMAS'...

From Laura...

Hi Rita
Attached are a few photos of the Puyallup Fairgrounds during the holidays. Sorry, the quality isn't better. But, nighttime and a cellphone camera.......:-) The event was the Victorian Country Christmas. This is a five-day event that has been at the fair for 24 years. It features vendors selling holiday items and gifts, entertainment at various stages throughout the day, and a Living Nativity show every evening. They use the Showplex, Expo Hall, and the Pavillion. The indoor photo is downstairs in the Pavillion. As you can see, they make the booths look like a 19th century village. All the vendors must wear period costumes. The outdoor photos are the common areas between the Pavillion and the Showplex.
Laura




(in a second email)

Another outdoor photo of the common area. The retail indoor photo is the Showplex. The other two are the Living Nativity set. It is located at the end of the Showplex where the ticket exchange would be. They curtain off the area for the show. I wish the pictures were better, but you get the idea.
Laura




THANKS, LAURA...

Because I live in Iowa -- and I have only ever been to the Fairgrounds during Sew Expo -- it was stunning for me to see pictures of it all decked out for Christmas. I would LOVE to attend the Victorian Country Christmas at Puyallup. Maybe next year, eh?

What did you buy, Laura?? THANK YOU for giving all of us such a unique different view of this place we love so much...it looks magical -- even without the sewing machines!!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Starting the Countdown...

If you regularly read this blog, you understand the work and planning for Sew Expo goes on 365 days a year. But once the Registration Brochure is put together -- time starts to move at WARP SPEED.

And we are putting the FINAL TOUCHES on the 2012 brochure. I won't lie to you. It is always painful. Because one teacher might be teaching two or even three different topics -- the seminar descriptions take up MANY PAGES...

It costs a fortune to PRINT THE DARN THING -- not to mention the postage fees. So here's our cunundrum.....

We can continue to encourage the teachers to offer more classes -- and put just the "titles" in the brochure...that would take the brochure down to a manageable 16 pages and save us A LOT OF MONEY. The complete descriptions, with photos, would all be on the website...

OR -- we can continue to do what we are currently doing -- pack it ALL IN the printed brochure. But to do that -- we'll have to limit the number of classes we offer. For example, no teacher could present more than two topics...??

What do you think?

Anyway -- they ARE WORKING ON THE BROCHURE...and here's a handful of pictures I sent -- JUST IN CASE they have room for photos...(which almost never happens)...

This one is EXACTLY how I feel about Sew Expo....


A Simplicity Style Show pic...

I would like one shot of the Hey Rita totebag...so I sent several. If you want to crop the bag -- that would be fun...it is a well known character on the show blog and would add a fun element to the brochure -- don't you think?? (I have approximately 3,000 pictures of this bag -- and the two red-headed twins are presenting a special program this year....!)

happy people taking a hands-on class -- Jan Bones is a HOT TICKET...

One of my favorite audience shots!! Eleanor Burns' class...

another Hey Rita tote possibility -- here with her two birth-mothers -- Jan & Bonne -- who are also bringing A SURPRISE to the 2012 show...

this is a real "sisters" group from Alaska -- a group shot of their fabulous pink outfits!!



My best Pillowcase Patrol picture of the kids with their pillowcases




















another great pillowcase shot -- good pic of Barbara from the hospital


I CAN HARDLY WAIT for you to see the brochure!! We'll let you get over Christmas, first...

Monday, November 28, 2011

More Information...

It seems to me that after Thanksgiving -- time begins to speed up. And Expo will be here BEFORE YOU KNOW IT!! So you need to get your posse together...gather up your sewing sisters -- biological and adopted -- and start to MAKE YOUR PLANS. Remember -- it's March 1-4, 2012. Remember where I was in this picture?
Yes, that's right. In Bettendorf, Iowa for the Super Seminar with Ricky Tims...the whole room was a beautiful quilt show...

And HUNDREDS of sewing enthusiasts filled the auditorium...

Sewing Sisters ALWAYS MANAGE to have a good time, don't we??

Of course, I was delighted to have a visit with Alex Anderson to talk about her 2012 Quilter's Night OUT...!!

Here's a description of what she's bringing to Puyallup:

Alex Anderson has put together a very special presentation for our Quilter’s Night Out. She likes to call it, “How in the world did that woman get a television show?” For 11 years, she served as host of HGTV’s “Simply Quilts” and she continues to be one of the most sought after instructors and lecturers in the international quilting industry. A founding partner of The Quilt Show.com and The Quilt Life magazine with Ricky Tims – Alex was chosen by the readers of Quilter’s Newsletter as “the most influential person in the quilting industry”. (okay, it was a three way tie with Ricky Tims and Karey Bresenhan of Quilts, Inc.). Alex will be presenting a “virtual trunk show” -- telling her life story through quilts.



AND -- more good news -- BERNINA is the sponsor for the 2012 Quilter's Night OUT..!!

THANK YOU BERNINA...we are looking forward to having Alex at the show.

We are putting the final touches on the Registration Brochure -- even as I write this blog post.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Excellent New Speaker!!

Gail Yellen of Gail Patrice designs is COMING TO PUYALLUP!! Here she is -- teaching in Chantilly, Virginia. Her classes are sold out -- and I heard nothing but rave reviews.
Of course, she came to visit in the Schmetz Needles booth -- here she is holding the Super Needle...and wearing one of her great jackets...

A fabulous project to upcycle your old sweaters -- Gail has developed a technique to butt-the-edges-together...
And the results are FABULOUS...

Here's a description of her class -- BRAND NEW FOR SEW EXPO...

# Collage It! The Ultimate Recycling Project
Gail Yellen, Gail Patrice
Room H
Thursday 1:30 pm, Saturday 1:30 pm
Room L, Sunday 1:30 pm

With Gail’s unique approach, create one-of-a-kind jackets from recycled wool sweaters using template sets as the collage "puzzle pieces". She will explain how to felt old sweaters, when and how to interface, combine colors and textures, then put it together with perfectly flat butted seams. Gail will share her collage jacket trunk show – each one a unique work of art. From initial sketches to the finished jacket, see the step-by-step process of how to make your own collage jacket.



Welcome to Puyallup, Gail! Our attendees are GOING TO LOVE YOU...

Monday, November 14, 2011

Sewing Sister Story

It is SO MUCH FUN for me to hear your sewing sister stories. As I'm writing this, I'm working for Schmetz Needles at a show in Minneapolis. And Jan -- a woman who regularly reads my blogs -- walked right in the booth to introduce me to her crew of sewing sisters. Hopefully -- I'll next be writing about them when they COME TO PUYALLUP.

This is an email I received last week...from another one of our sewing sisters...and she is actually PICTURED in the photograph at the top of my RitasSewFun blog. Can you spot her? She writes...

Dear Rita,

I have a couple of 'Sewing Sisters' . Chris and I met back in the 70's when we both volunteered at our local art center, The Old Hotel. I was into sewing and painting back then. Chris was with a group of sewists and needleworkers who rented a room in The Old Hotel for their shop. It was a co-op called 'Cozy Corner' We both were farm wives and volunteered on Saturday, as that was a hard day to find volunteers....and the day made no difference to us.

After Cozy Corner closed I didn't see Chris for a while.....till we ran into each other at a 'Clotilde Seminar' in a nearby town.... Soon after, I heard about Sew Expo, and a bus was taking a group from nearby Tri-Cities, Wa. I called to see if she would be interested.....she was, but not on the bus.....:)

She wanted to drive....the rest is history....we have been going to Expo for over 20 years, now! Along the way we have bonded with a few other Sewing Sisters -- (including the Yahoo group -- right, Linda?). Chris lives 30 miles away....and when she goes to the city, it is in a different direction than me.....so we don't get to see each other often. Expo is our Getaway together!!!

Another 'Sewing Sister' is my beautiful Step-Daughter, Debra! Actually, that's the first time I ever called her my step-daughter.....I have shared her with her birth-Mother since she was 8 years old and I was 19! I hope she got her love of sewing from me....we have different interests...she loves machine embroidery and I love hand work and applique & 'wearable art'. Several times she has either came home and went to Expo with Chris and me or met us there. Last year she went with us.....what a great time we had.

All the best, Linda B. in... Othello

Linda -- I WAS HORRIFIED when you wrote that you and Chris had actually talked about going SOMEPLACE ELSE for your "Sewing Sister" weekend!! PERISH THE THOUGHT.

And OF COURSE I REMEMBER YOU.

Hey -- You are the reason there was a sock monkey invasion at my house starting two years ago...!! Mary and I LOVE THE PICTURE of you, wearing the fabulous apron you made out of the "kitchen towel" door prize the last time we did the Midwest Ya Ya Sister show.

Thanks for sharing your Sister Story, Linda. It really is what Sew Expo is all about. Whether you have any real, biological sisters is not the point. It's our love of sewing and our need to share with others that brings us together... and that makes us a Sisterhood...

WE'LL SEE YOU AND CHRIS AND DEBRA AND THE YAHOO SISTERS at the 2012 Show....it'll be here before you know it!!

Monday, November 7, 2011

The Heart of Expo

Laura is a wonderful example of what Sew Expo is all about. She won a hot pink sequins sweater at Friday Night LIVE (Mary and I were giving out tacky door prizes) -- and in the true SPIRIT OF CREATIVITY -- she made this...



She recently wrote me...

Hi Rita,

So, you want "sister" Expo stories. Well, how about mom/daughter instead :-) My mom (Charlotte Lee) and I have been to every Sew Expo except the first one (and one year she was sick). We started out going just one day and shopping. Even when I worked the Fabricland booth, we always had one day for just the two of us to do Expo.

We then started adding two seminars to our day. In 2006, Mom and I joined CTA, and our Expo world changed. We now go to Expo every day, but still only have one day just for us. We spend Wednesday helping with the fashion show prep. Thursday/Friday we shop or attend seminars in the morning and are fashion show dressers in the afternoon. Saturday is still our play day. That's when we see everything and maybe do a seminar or two. On Sunday, we go to the charity event and then do seminar room hosting in the afternoon.

We also did Pacific Fabrics Thursday night, Friday Nite Live, and Quilters Nite Out. And, of course, we now do the Annual Sew Expo Yahoo Groups Wednesday Night Dinner :-)



Here's another Expo story. Through the Yahoo Groups, I have made several new friends. One of my favorites is Anna from Albequerque, NM. We have become very good friends, even though we only see each other once a year. We do communicate with each other all the time.


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

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You are EXACTLY what Sew Expo is all about, Laura. Thanks for taking the time to write -- and for being such a huge fan -- always having that wonderful energy and smile -- YOU are the reason there is a Sew Expo.

SO THE REST OF YOU -- take a lesson from Laura. CALL YOUR SISTER, YOUR MOM, YOUR GIRLFRIEND -- mark your calendars -- the countdown has begun.

March 1-4......SEE YOU AT THE SHOW, LAURA!!

Monday, October 31, 2011

Quilt Market

This week -- we were all busy doing the FINAL EDITS for the Registration Brochure. Well, at least most of the seminars were picked and the initial grids have been built. We have SO MANY EXCITING CLASSES to pick from -- it's always hard to make the final selections. And we have some new speakers and vendors -- it'll be fun to introduce you to them in the coming months...

As I write this -- I am NOT in Houston at the International Quilt Market. But thousands of people from the sewing industry ARE...at the George R. Brown convention center...

Everybody who is anybody is in Houston this week....I usually work in the Schmetz Needles booth -- it's a great opportunity for me to touch base with our speakers and vendors. Here's a picture of Luveta Nickels at her booth last year...

And in 2009 -- I had lunch with Eleanor Burns to talk about her Quilter's Night OUT...

Lynn Browne from Coats & Clark -- we enjoy brainstorming the new twists to the Coats & Clark Charity event on Sunday morning...(the spear in her hand is actually the Schmetz Super Needle)

I am laughing with Eileen Roche of Designs in Machine Embroidery Magazine -- and Rhonda Pierce from Schmetz...as I write this -- they're both in Houston...WITHOUT ME...

This picture from the Moda booth (two years ago) gave me a great idea...

Wouldn't it be fun to set up one of those 'PHOTO BOOTHS" at the show this year? Since we have a "Sewing Sisters" theme -- you may want a souvenir pic, eh? My sister Deb is coming... aa RARE OCCASION...I'd love to have a picture of us...

Do you know anything about setting up a Photo Booth? Email me... ritafar@aol.com