Ya Ya Expo Ideas!

I hope you had a wonderful Merry Christmas, folks! My December has been jam-packed with a visit to New York City, time spent with my sister Deborah and her girls, then a visit from Mary Mulari so we could work on our 2010 YA YA program...

This is Mary Mulari, visiting me in Iowa -- and we spent a day going on a "Christmas Mansion Tour". The only reason I'm posting this picture is so that I can show my OTHER pair of fabulous stretch velvet gloves from New York City...here's a close-up. Pretty amazing, eh?






Of course, Mary and I are always on the lookout for the next interesting, unique, YA YA idea. It's really the BEST part of our job. And it is always a pleasure to see something that a woman SEWED with love, probably as a gift, that is still being enjoyed many, many years later...

We both yelped with pleasure when we saw this beautiful redwork flat pillow sham. I LOVE THESE. And, as you know -- I have a big collection of vintage flat shams. Mary has an incredible vintage redwork set that I photographed for my book, "Dress Your Dream Bed". It was awesome to see a bed made up with one...it says "Good Night"...



And, hanging in the kitchen, one of Mary's favorite things -- an apron with a very interesting hand-appliqued scene...it makes you wonder about the woman who made it, and also the woman who wore it. Where they lived, what they enjoyed cooking....


This next photo might be a little hard to understand....but if I tell you it's a picture of a quilt??

Made out of LIVESTOCK RIBBONS won at county and state fairs? This was a first for BOTH Mary and I...

And -- THIS just might be in one of our future Ya Ya seminars. Can you see what it is? A beautiful "muff" -- with a zippered purse on the back! (puckered silk). AWESOME, eh??
During this busy holiday season -- I hope your family appreciates all you do for them. Women who sew are, very simply, the BEST. You are kind, caring, patient, loving, generous and thoughtful. You think of others first, and you are always looking for ways to continue GIVING. I know who you are. You are my grandmothers, my mother, my sisters, and my friends.

And I'd like to wish you a fabulous NEW YEAR. We're all looking forward to 2010 -- and WE'LL SEE YOU AT THE SHOW!!

SIGNING UP FOR EXPO CLASSES

Hey -- some of you already received your Registration Brochures!

GREAT!! However, as anxious as you are to SIGN UP FOR CLASSES -- our ticket office does not open until January 5th. (it has always worked this way -- I'm just doing a review...)

If you complete your registration form and mail it to the ticket office, on January 5th, the envelopes will be opened according to postal cancellations.

Also -- the fax line will not be connected until January 5...so, near as I can tell, this is one of the few times it's to your advantage to use snail mail...

I know, I know -- you want ONLINE REGISTRATION. Hey -- ME, TOO!!

2010 Registration Brochures

YIPPEE KAYEE..!!! Katy, Barb, Bud and Mardell could NOT BE MORE EXCITED!! The Registration Brochures are HOT OFF THE PRESSES...



YES, people -- it DOES take a village!!


It takes thousands of man/woman/hours to get us to this point -- from speakers and vendors all over the country, then the Expo staff and volunteers. We believe it will be THE BEST EXPO YET...



So -- be on the lookout. It should be hitting your mailbox after Christmas...

Hey -- DON'T FORGET TO SEND ME ONE, ANN!!

Give EXPO for Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Did you ever think about giving EXPO as a Christmas gift??

Honestly -- think about Bonne and Jan. They represent a very large population of our audience. Women friends who use Expo as an excuse to get together and have a GIRLFRIEND WEEKEND. Also -- they have been working with Linda McGehee all year to bring a BRAND NEW SHOW to the Expo Runway for 2010!! (and you wouldn't want to miss that, now, would you?)

Here are two different friends -- waiting for their next class, relaxing with a little knitting. Who would you invite to join you at Expo? A neighbor? Maybe you could call up that old college chum you keep meaning to get together with??

We offer you plenty of opportunities to meet new people...

Learn new things....


And, well, there will be visiting,laughing, sharing...here I am with two of my Expo friends -- Judy & Chris...

So -- MAKE EXPO YOUR GIFT!! The timing is perfect! In 1992, when I earned a trip to Portugal -- I knew I wanted to take my Mom. The trip was in February. For Christmas that year, I gave Mom a little carry-on suitcase. Inside, I had a book about Portugal, and a letter about how much she had done for me...

I'm just sayin'...this is a great chance for you to CREATE a memory...

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!

This is a completely superfulous picture of my adorable grand-nephew Cash...but there IS A Christmas tree in the background!!

December Expo Insider Newsletter

Does this look familiar?

It is the official header for the show e-newsletter, the "Expo Insider". It goes out once a month -- and the DECEMBER issue should be hitting your emails this week.

In this newsletter, we announce which speakers will be teaching the BRAND NEW TWO-NEEDLE CLASSES at the show. When we asked our speakers to come up with a completely new extended class format -- including an educational handout -- THEY RESPONDED LIKE YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE. Probably the toughest job for Ann Sagawa this year was taking 43 single-space-typed pages of possible class ideas and choosing ONLY 15 topics for this new format at the 2010 Expo. Who will be teaching the Two-Needle classes?? I'll give you one little hint...



Okay -- a second hint...

And, alright -- a third teacher...

If you don't get the Expo Insider, you are missing out on lots of EXCITING INFORMATION -- so you should go to the website (http://www.sewexpo.com/) and SIGN UP NOW.

Our Show Brochure!!

If things are going okay -- as you are reading this blog, our brochure is GOING TO THE PRINTER!!

AND -- under the heading, 'YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HARD THIS IS"...I would like to give you a little behind the scenes about the process we go through to come up with the 'SHOW BROCHURE". In the summer, we send a letter to all the speakers and vendors, asking them if they want a booth, if they want to teach a class, etc. Once all that information comes back the real fun begins (nobody EVER misses a deadline!) YES, THAT IS SARCASM, PEOPLE...

Janet York (pictured here) puts together the VENDOR information, and Ann Sagawa (who, PLEASE NOTE -- has NOT SENT ME A PICTURE) compiles the CLASS information.

Then it becomes a matter of coordinating all that information. How many vendors, how many booths, who's teaching what, is the class 45 minutes? Two and a half hours? Is it hands-on? Do they need a sewing machine? A slide projector? Cameraman? Can they be in a room with no AV? ALL THAT INFORMATION must be crammed into the Registration Brochure. Believe me -- it is like trying to herd a flock of hyperactive hairy octopuses...

Class descriptions come in from all over the world. I'm editing from Iowa, Joanne is in Phoenix, Ann is in Tacoma and we email it to Janet in Puyallup -- who makes sure the grid matches the updated, revised class copy coming at her...and wouldn't it be nice to include a picture or two??....well....you can only imagine...


JANET -- THAT SOUND YOU'RE HEARING IS ME CALLING YOU -- I HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL CHANGES -- PICK UP THE PHONE!!! lol...

Olfa circle cutter demo

Of course, one of the reasons we all enjoy GOING TO A BIG SHOW is we get to see what's new and happening. The definition of "new" depends entirely on what you're "into" at this moment. For the last coupla years, I've been into circles and squares. I love the whole geometric thing...and cannot get enough of Kandinsky shapes.
But NOBODY TOLD ME IT COULD BE THIS EASY...!!


Of course, you probably already knew about this amazing invention, eh? I have a wonderful boiled wool coat (my friend Sandy gave it to me!!). Right now, it's plain black. But with this magic circle cutter -- I might cut out many circles of different sizes from my collection of felted sweaters...wouldn't that be cool??

Humm...I'll keep you posted...

Did you get your newsletter the other day? Be sure to check this blog next week -- because I'm going to post MY FAVORITE PICTURE OF JANET YORK...

Sharon, Danielle and Ciara

Thanksgiving is all about family and friends -- and that's also true of the Sewing & Stitchery EXPO. Why do we sew? So we can make gifts for our family and friends! This week I wanted to write about a family.-of-sew-ists...and then I remembered this special email. I LOVE MY JOB..

Dear Rita,

Just finding your blog but love to see you at the Expo each year!! We are a threesome that comes: myself (64), my daughter (39) and grand-daughter (who will be 18 on Feb. 26th). I take them both to Expo as their Birthday gifts!! Will come back and read your blog often.
Sharon Bosser
Danielle Dahm
Ciara Dahm

Of course, I asked her to send a picture -- cuz -- WHAT'S THE POINT OF HAVING A BLOG?? if you can't share some pictures!!

Thanks for playing my blogging game, Sharon. You are the first sewing TRIO-generation that I've heard about. Anybody else out there? I'll SEE YOU AT THE SHOW. And -- are the three of you planning your projects for our jeans-challenge-day?

Have a nice Thanksgiving, everybody!! I'll be right here next week at this time....probably just coming out of my turkey coma...

Linda McGehee video

When I was in Houston -- I got to talk to many of our EXPO speakers. This is Linda McGehee -- and I also have some great pictures of her new zipper projects. Keep checking the blog for the latest...

Londa video

Oh, yes -- ANOTHER VIDEO.!! Last week I got an email and one of my friends said, "oh, Rita -- you're just showing off now!".

But I think it's sooo much fun to put up a video interview -- and let the speakers tell you in their own words, with their own voice, what they're bringing to the show.

So this is the interview I did with Londa Rohlfing at Quilt Market in Houston, Texas. She didn't come to Expo last year -- but is looking forward to 2010. Take a look and sew what's new with Londa..!

Schmetz VIDEOS!!

Okay -- this is so much fun. As you know, I interviewed many Expo speakers when I was in Houston, working in the Schmetz booth. Those GREAT VIDEOS are posted on the Schmetz blog....go to:schmetzneedles.blogspot.com. If I'm doing it right -- that blog is also linked on this blog (if you look in the right hand column). Remember, folks -- I'm still learning...

Here's a picture of Rhonda Pierce talking about sewing machine needle education:


When you go to the Schmetz blog -- you'll be able to see and hear other people's sewing stores. The "Triple S Project" -- SCHMETZ SEWING STORIES -- is all about YOU. You can see and hear Luveta Nickels, Janet Pray, Linda McGehee, Kaye Wood and many other interesting sew-ers. I told my own sewing story, so did my sister Ronda and my friend Phyllis. You should share your OWN sewing story. C'mon -- play our blogging game!! IT'S FUN!!

This is a picture of Ronda and Phyllis actually sewing in a "round robin"...



YES, I KNOW -- this is just sooo much fun! Be sure to check out the Schmetz blog -- then go to my blog Rita's Sew Fun blog -- tomorrow I'm posting my interview with Nancy Zieman -- and you'll get a sneak peak of her new fabric line...

Eleanor Burns video

Thanks for coming to the Sewing & Stitchery Expo blog! This is my interview with Eleanor Burns when we were both in Houston for the recent Quilt Market. From now on, I'll be posting here once a week -- on Tuesdays. Everything on this blog will be about Expo and our vendors.

But, DON'T WORRY -- if you need a daily fix, I'll continue to post every day on the Rita's Sew Fun blog. And, yes, the "Imagine" video showing many of the quilts from the Houston Quilt Festival (including the John Lennon quilt) is posted over on the rita blog. You have to scroll down and click on "older posts" to see the quilt show video...

Jenny Haskins Quilt Market video

Thanks for checking in for the Tuesday Show Post. Because I attended the recent Quilt Market and Festival in Houston, Texas -- I had the opportunity to interview many EXPO vendors who were at that show. And I'll be posting some of those videos over the coming weeks. You'll recognize Jenny Haskins in this video. For pictures of Simon and the Jenny Haskins booth in Houston -- be sure to check out the rita blog. This week I'll be posting some pictures of the show AS IT GETS BUILT...the BEFORE and AFTER pictures are pretty amazing...



Thank you Jenny for the great interview in Houston! We're looking forward to seeing Simon in Puyallup...

And, thank you --blog visitors -- for coming here and playing my blogging game. I'll post something here about Expo vendors every Tuesday. (Yes, I do write on the ritassewfun blog every single day...)

THANKS FOR COMING!

Mary Mulari in the Pacific Fabrics booth last year.

Dear Pacific Fabric Customers,

HEY -- did the Pacific Fabrics newsletter bring you here? I hope you can open the video in the next post-- it was an interview I did with the Pacific Fabrics crew at Quilt Market last week.

Please visit the ritassewfun.blogspot.com -- where I write a new post every day. Today I posted my BEST SLIDE SHOW EVER....it is my tribute to the most creative people in the world -- sewers. In this case, quilters. I LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT...and I hope you like it, too.

There will be a new post on this blog every Tuesday. So please keep coming back!!!

VIDEO DAY (Pacific Fabrics)

For the next couple of months, I'm declaring Tuesday VIDEO DAY here on the show blog. Honestly, I took SOOO MANY VIDEOS during my time in Houston. Sadly -- not all of them turned out -- I'm still learning how to use my camera, y'know. But I got some pretty fun stuff!!
So -- TUNE IN every Tuesday to see my "guest video blogger"...it will be somebody who is coming to the 2010 Sewing & Stitchery EXPO...

Last week, my first video was of Superior Threads -- and Jan & Bonne WANT TO BUY THAT STUFF, BOB!! (he's traveling, girls -- be patient).

Today, please help me welcome the crew from Pacific Fabrics...

The Jan Here totebag

Okay. Last week, I was having a very busy day in Houston at the International Quilt Market. Imagine my surprise and delight when I received this picture on my Blackberry. Oh, yeah -- I am ENJOYING TECHNOLOGY...


Apparently, while I'm in Houston, Jan & Bonne are at a sewing event in California. They sent me this pic of YET ANOTHER TOTEBAG...these two just don't quit...is't it beautiful? It's called the "Jan here"...bag. It looked pretty cool plopped in the garden, don't you think?

And now I'm back in Iowa and the girls are probably back in Washington. It's a very small world we live in, isn't it??

Random Quilt Market photos

First of all -- I have to say blogging is absolutely NO FUN from a hotel. My internet was so slow, and I can't actually SEE the pictures that are loading...then, if it ended up being the wrong picture, it would take another hour to REDO THE UPLOAD...ugh...

Okay. Enough whining. I just want to say that I ended up downloading RANDOM photos -- and then writing a bit of text to go with the pictures. My thinking was -- hey -- if I took the picture in the first place, I must have thought there was something interesting about it, eh??

I'm delighted to have some pictures of the outside of the George R. Brown convention center in Houston. This is a HUGE, HUGE PLACE...I'm standing on the street -- looking to the south....



Then, from the same position, this picture is looking to the north...


Hey -- this is a great shot of our Schmetz Booth at Quilt Market. After Rhonda got it all set up. An excellent corner location. Beautiful!!


One of my favorite things to do (besides taking pictures of the Hey Rita tote) is taking a picture of my FOOT on a thing that says where I am or what I'm doing. It was interesting in New York City...maybe it doesn't play as well here...lol...

Quilt Market Superior Threads Demo

THIS IS SOOO EXCITING!! I figured out how to post a video!! Which is great news because I did LOTS OF VIDEOS at the Quilt Market and Festival in Houston. It was such a great opportunity -- as many of our most popular vendors were at that show. Hopefully, if I stick with this blogging thing -- I'll have lots to show you in the next few months about who's bringing what to the 2010 EXPO!!

Although I had some trouble (and it may not be over yet!) -- I really do appreciate the fact that six of you took the time and energy to email me tips and advice!! Sewers are the BEST, y'know?? Thanks for sticking with me...and I hope this little video makes sense...

She's also a Lumberjack??

hey rita! Well, the "hey rita" bag is leading somewhat of a charmed life I'd say, but my recycled jeans jacket "pocket change" leads a rather hard work life! Just check out a few of the many jobs I do every day in my jacket - no pretty dining rooms, quilt shows or fancy bathrooms here - just hard rugged WORK! I finally got my load of logs out - had to promise the crew chocolate cake as a reward for taking the pics!!! Back to work at the sawmill now, to get these logs into lumber - its all in a days work, logger babe jan



THANKS for sharing, Jan!! I had NO IDEA you were a lumberjack!! You and your jacket seem to be having a fine time. I'm quite sure you take the prize for "most interesting lumberjack jacket in the entire Pacific Northwest."

Jan & Bonne At Quilt Market??!!

They're everywhere, they're everywhere!! I was doing a little Quilt Market "interview" with Linda McGehee -- and, of course, I took a picture of her with my "HEY RITA" bag. (I cannot find the pic -- so you'll just have to take my word for it..) Linda said, "follow me, Rita" -- and she walked me over to the P&B booth -- where I saw these great samples of totebags -- one of her new patterns, I assume...

Imagine my surprise when she said, "Look inside"...

Do you recognize the designer signature?? I SURE DID...

That's right -- Jan Potter!! The designer of my favorite HEY RITA BAG....I felt like we had found our long-lost little sister!! CONGRATS, GIRLS...on your new pattern line!! I AM SOO PROUD...

Quilt Market Headlines

WELCOME PACIFIC FABRICS customers! I don't know why you ended up on this particular page of the Sew Expo Blog...there are actually some updates available.

Be sure to visit my Rita's Sew Fun blog (ritassewfun.blogspot.com)

I just put up a wonderful slide show with some of my favorite QUILTS from Quilt Festival in Houston. I write on the Rita's Sew Fun blog every single day -- and posts will go up on this show blog once a week (usually on Tuesdays).

THANKS for coming!!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

On set-up day, I took about 50 pictures of booths that were being built. One of my "funny shots" was of this cardboard cutout of Mark Lipinski in the Northcott fabric booth. I made a mental note to look him up during Market, and hopefully get an interview with him...


Imagine my surprise and DISAPPOINTMENT when I heard Mark had resigned from his magazine!! Last night, I went on to the hotel computer to confirm that story -- and on his website he announced that he not only quit his magazine, but he was no longer associated with Quilt Out Loud or QNN TV. Hey -- that was all news to me -- so I'm pretty sure it's news to you, too!! BUT -- I'm pretty sure Mark has some bigger and better things in the works, so I'll keep you posted.

The next picture is a candid moment with the Pacific Fabrics crew...there they are, eating a gigantic baked potato with Amy Barackman. What were they talking about?? OF COURSE -- THE SEWING AND STITCHERY EXPO...I have an interview with Amy -- so you'll be hearing lots more about what she's bringing to Puyallup in future posts!!

P.S. Of course, they all coveted my bag...I had to keep a good eye on Amy to make sure she didn't hijack Hey Rita...

Quilt Market VIDEO DEMOS

There are a million interesting things to see at Quilt Market. This is the show that is exclusively for Quilt BUSINESSES. Store owners from all over the world come to Houston once a year to see what's new in the quilting world. Fabric, patterns, thread, rotary cutters, products, notions, books -- YIKES!! There are hundreds -- no -- I'm sure -- THOUSANDS of booths full of everything under the sun. I decided it would be fun to track down a few of the vendors who also do the Sewing & Stitchery Expo to see what they might be bringing to Puyallup. My first attempt at a "video" demonstration was in the Superior Threads booth. Annie did a great job...I hope this video "uplinks"...

Bummer...the video did not work. That's me pushing my luck, eh? After spending over an hour getting a few simple pictures -- I couldn't just be happy with that...Oh NOOOOOO....I had to try to upload a darn video... Hey -- trust me -- it's a VERY INTERESTING DEMO -- and I actually ended up getting great video from Linda McGehee, Jenny Haskins, Luveta Nickels -- an Olfa cutter demonstration -- some other products that were new to me.

I promise to keep trying until I get it figured out!!

More from the show tomorrow...in the meantime -- the only picture I could manage to "upload" was of some plywood boxes. I'm telling you -- THERE MUST BE A MILLION OF THEM on the first day of the show...it's like building a temporary city...

Quilt Market Day Two

In one of the pre-show set-up pictures, I showed an electrical cord gaggle of cords that -- believe it or not -- turned into this beautiful booth:

Sure enough, on the very first day of the show -- here's Luveta Nickels in her booth with bells on her toes. (and recycled jeans everywhere else..)

ART & Inspiration

During our recent visit to Chicago -- my friend Marion & I ended up in the gift shop of the Art Institute. (surprise!) Although I'm quire sure you are NEVER supposed to take a picture in a gift shop -- I actually WAS paying $75.00 for this beautiful necklace.

It's various lengths of silk...teal and black...can you see? The silk is so delicate -- and the affect is very lightweight and soft. I LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT. Now I have to make an outfit to go with the necklace.

Quilt Market PICTURES

Okay -- it took very long time -- but here are a few pics...
The first one is of a big machine display area -- the Janome advance team was setting up this electrical octopus when I strolled by their booth. You will be amazed at the "after" shot...



This is what the typical booth areas look like on the pre-show day. Every aisle is full of huge wooden crates with merchandise...people could live inside these things...

Yes, I do know the pictures suck. And I have a hundred better ones...but, hey -- this is what came up. I knew you'd like to see 'em...

Hopefully, tonight, I'll be able to post pics of Linda McGehee, or maybe Nancy Zieman. (we're having dinner together tonight!!)

I can't wait!!

Quilt Market

Okay -- I've tried six different times to upload some of my GREAT PICTURES from Quilt Market. But, alas, hotel online hook-ups are just like any other form of temporary real life hook-ups...you start off very optimistic -- but at the end of the day -- you just know it's not working...

SO -- I'm wondering how I can tell the Quilt Market story with NO pictures??

Today was Schoolhouse. This is an entire day of mini-classes for quilt shop owners. Some 15 minute sessions, others 30 minutes. Manufacturers, designers, pattern companies -- they all have some new product or fabric to pitch. The "Schoolhouse Listing" booklet is available at 8:00 in the morning -- and the line-up is about a mile long. Then, for the next two hours, all the attendees sit on steps, chairs, the floor -- all over the big George R. Brown convention center -- circling the sessions they want to attend.

There are no advance sign-ups (each room seats about 100) -- so some classes have standing room only with people spilling out into the halls.

For example -- Eleanor Burns had two rooms completely jam packed. I AM SO EXCITED to have her coming to Puyallup next year! Tomorrow, I hope to interview her for the next newsletter (due out in 2 weeks).

Linda McGehee did a schoolhouse session about her new zippers. And I think I got a FABULOUS PHOTO of Linda & me...(you'll just have to take my word for it, eh??)...

Mostly, I got a lot of great shots of the show floor going together. It really is amazing how much work is involved in building a big show like this. Many thousands of man/woman hours, that's for sure. When I get home, maybe I can put all the pictures into a slide show for you to see.

A LOT of your favorite vendors are down here in Houston this week. Believe me -- these are some of the hardest working women in America...and I am sooo glad they do what they do....my hat is off to them!!

Arriving at Quilt Market

I had to get up at 3:30 AM to get on my plane from Moline to Memphis then to Houston. This woman got on the plane in Moline -- and she was at the gate in memphis ACTUALLY QUILTING. SO, of course, I had to sit down and find out what her story is...there is a very interesting story behind that quilt she's working on. But I have to wait a coupla days before I "go public". But I promise -- YOU'LL BE THE FIRST TO KNOW.
And here I am, having a visit with Elvis...

As I was walking down a long corridor of the Memphis airport, a woman came up behind me and said, "Hey, Rita!" I turned to say hello -- and was pretty sure I'd never seen her before. She laughed and said, "well, that's what your bag says"...

More about Quilt Market tomorrow. I took a few pictures of the booths BEFORE they get all beautified...

It's just not possible to understand HOW MUCH WORK IT IS to set up a big show...