2013 Sewing & Stitchery Expo

You know how amused I am by a good "shoe shot". So -- any guesses about who this foot belongs to?


Yes -- that's me in the sensible sandal. With buckles, even.  One purple big toe, four bright red...
But who is the mystery foot??



Just in case you don't understand how OUTSTANDING this foot is -- here's a close-up. Yes, they are VERY high heels. And even more remarkable -- A TATOO..!!

The beautiful young blonde -- on the right -- Kelly Newell -- is the owner of the tatooed foot. She runs the WSU conference office. AND she has some very colorful tattoos. Not just on her foot..(I don't know what that means)

Kelly -- with Janet York -- work on 40 conferences throughout the year.
Believe it or not, the Sewing and Stitchery Expo is NOT THEIR ONLY SHOW....

Taking a little break during our planning meeting -- Kelly with Joanne Ross, the Chair
of the Sewing & Stitchery Expo. 

We have many wonderful things planned for the 2013 show. Although I can't make the major announcements until contracts are signed -- believe me -- YOU SHOULD MARK YOUR CALENDARS for the 2013 show. February 28-March 3, 2013. BE THERE. It's going to be AMAZING.

One of the things I can tell you is that we are happy to announce that Mary Bridge Children's Hospital will be the recipient of all the money we raise at our Sunday Charity Event. AND -- the event itself is going to be VERY, VERY DIFFERENT from anything we've ever done before. I'll give you a hint...there WILL BE bloggers involved....and another hint...there WILL BE television cameras in the room...

All over the country (DARE I SAY -- the WORLD??) the finest sewing speakers and teachers are working on their class descriptions for next year's Sew Expo. It is exciting to see what they're bringing to the show -- and you are going to have the BEST TIME EVER.

Hummm...what can I tell you? Would you believe Tom Cruise is going to be filming his next movie on the Fairgrounds during the show?

Maybe I could tell you Oprah is planning to launch her comeback at Sew Expo...

Okay...just kidding.

We don't want Tom -- and we don't need Oprah.

We want the #1 headliner for any consumer sewing show in America.

Drumroll........the one, the only......the incomparable.......most recognized and beloved woman in the sewing world...... NANCY ZIEMAN...!! 

A picture of Nancy, teaching at Quilt Market...maybe...

I tried to find some Nancy pictures that would be new to NANCY...

Nancy will be bringing all-new-classes -- and as soon as she tells me -- I will tell YOU.

Coats & Clark Charity Event

One thing I know for sure. Women who sew are the most giving, generous, loving people IN THE WORLD. You proved that -- once again -- at last year's Sew Expo -- by delivering 4,480 pillowcases for the children of Mary Bridge...

Our first year, you made 2500 pillowcases and we were blown away.  Year Two?  4,480.  OMG

I made it MY MISSION to visit Mary Bridge Childrens Hospsital in May when I went to Puyallup for the 2013 planning meeting. It was a beautiful spring day -- and I started off at the Tree House -- where the childrens' families can stay...

I was delighted to see a child's artwork quilt on the wall...

There is a beautiful playground right across the street...

When your patients are children, you try to handle their transport in different, less scarry ways...

The poles on either side of the carts are for the IV's...

Even the waiting rooms have a whimsical nature theme.

And -- in every room -- there was a handmade pillowcase....

Along with the Mary Bridge zebra!! 

Everywhere I went that day -- in the hospital and at Treehouse -- I was greeted with hugs from nurses and volunteers who all said the same thing, "THANK YOU FOR THE BEAUTIFUL PILLOWCASES....they mean so much to the children."
Of course, I didn't take any pictures of the children that morning. But I looked into many rooms where a child was sleeping on one of our pillowcases. I passed children in the hall, scooting along in a wagon or on a cart -- clutching their pillowcases...


YES...YOU ROCK. And we're working on the 2013 Charity Event EVEN AS WE SPEAK. You know we try to do SOMETHING DIFFERENT every now and then -- and the 2013 Coats & Clark Charity event will be VERY, VERY DIFFERENT. But the one thing that will not change will be the Pillowcase Patrol...

Thanks again, Coats & Clark, for being such a wonderful sponsor. The fact that you delivered a spool of thread to every single woman who made pillowcases, then hosted our sewing/mentoring style show -- AND gave away a grand prize.
2012 was a great year. We want to make 2013 EVEN BETTER!!