It's Christmas in sewing world (Puyallup, WA s

The News Tribune ^ | 2-27-10 | Cole Cosgrove

[STARWISE]

On stage Friday at the Sewing & Stitchery Expo, sewing guru Linda MacPhee presented a fashion show of eclectic jackets. As a model twirled at the end of the catwalk, audience member LeeAnne Ulrich stood up from her folding chair, her jacket nearly identical to the model’s.

“Oh, look!” MacPhee said into her microphone. “That’s so good – it sends shivers. You must not be able to go anywhere without people wanting to touch you and feel you. Come up here!”

After some coaxing, the 54-year-old Ulrich walked up on stage and showed off her creation – a flannel-backed satin jacket bedecked with frilly eyelash ribbons, iridescent in shades of pink, purple and blue.

Approving applause came from about 400 audience members at the Free Stage at the Puyallup Fair & Events Center.

Ulrich, who lives near Wenatchee, bought the pattern at last year’s expo from MacPhee, who has a show on PBS.

Linda MacPhee site

Standing on the fringes of the fashion show, Bob McKay, 58, wore a cowboy hat, boots and denim.

“It’s like welding,” he said of sewing. “Different materials, but the same program: Rather than pay someone else to do it, you learn to do it yourself.”

He and his wife, Gail, traveled from Sedro- Woolley to attend the expo, which runs through Sunday.

“I drive that far to go fishing, so I can’t say no to this,” he said.

The expo is billed as the biggest sewing party in the country. Show manager Janet York said she expects about 30,000 will attend the four-day show, which features 183 seminars each day and 484 vendor booths. Highlights include sewing-world celebrities such as Eleanor Burns.

“They love this show because we bring in exhibitors from all over the world,” said expo director Joanne Ross of Tacoma, who started the show in 1984 as a way to pay for national speakers to come to Tacoma. “We’re the one place once a year where they can get anything they want related to the sewing world.”

She said sewing industry executives attend the event, and some use it to unveil new products.

On display at one booth was a pink T-shirt with white letters that said: “Promiscuous – I sleep with every quilt I meet.”

Vendor Kathleen Brown said the first time her husband, Michael, a Presbyterian pastor, saw the shirt, he said, “Oh my gosh, what are we selling here?”

Then he predicted the shirts would sell out.

Kathleen Brown, 58, of Vancouver, Wash., has attended the show for more than 20 years. Her sister from Texas and two friends from Oregon help with her “Of My Hands” booth. The group rented a house in Puyallup for a five-day “slumber party.”

Brown also leads a Focal Fabric Fun seminar.

“For me, empowerment is a big thing,” she said. “Anybody can do this – you don’t have to have the best sewing machine or be the most creative.”

Next to Brown, in the “Pieceful Designs” booth, Pam Bocko sold items such as cupcake pin cushions – a “non-fat, no-cal project!”

Bocko said Brown has been her mentor in how to run a sewing business.

“I came to the expo a few years ago and took a class from Kathleen,” said Bocko, 51, of Eugene, Ore. “Since then, I’ve gone from selling no patterns to traveling all over the country selling patterns.”

Bocko recently quit her job as a medical technologist and now travels full time selling patterns.

“We started the expo on a whim, hoping it would fly,” said Ross, the show’s founder. “We grew very quickly, beyond my wildest dreams.”

“This is the Mecca of sewing shows,” she said.

[STARWISE]

Diana Lee adjusts a plush microfiber turban at the Cascade Sales stand as customer Kay Gamman shops Friday during the Sewing & Stitchery Expo at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. The show started in 1984 as a way to pay for national speakers about sewing to come to Tacoma.

Puyallup Sewing & Stitchery Expo

~~~~

Material Girl Blog -Almost Paris-Without the Passport

After riding in an airplane and a shuttle van, I was dropped off at an unassuming corner across from the Puyallup (pew wallop) Fairgrounds.

As I began a weekend of people watching it seemed that quilters were in the majority and garment sewists the minority at the Sewing and Stitching Expo. To add fuel to the fire I saw a woman wearing a hat which made it look like she had a scissors stuck through her head. But then I kept looking and slowly but surely I started to see people wearing clothes that were handmade.

On Saturday I spotted two young designers. Friday I took a class from Marcy Tilton about Paris influences in her sewing. Some of her slides were from our trip in November. Saturday noon I sat outside eating a crepe filled with Nutella just like in Paris. The cherry trees are blooming.

And then there were the many, many vendors and their displays. So much like what I saw in Paris. Although no one would call it the Eiffel Tower, the old bridge that we crossed on our trips between the motel and the Expo reminded me of it. The runway shows were full of creativity and ideas and people! There was gorgeous fabric and must-have notions everywhere. I WILL fit into my suitcase and I can’t wait to get home and sew!

The fairgrounds had great food-fresh raspberry scones, BBQ, gyros and crepes. People were wonderful-all manner of sewing sisters, best sewing buddies, mothers and daughters and even the occasional husband/wife team.

...

...

Puyallup pics from various sources:

...

Quilter, Marti Michell

...

Puyallup Video - Nancy's Notions Booth

Puyallup Video - Sue Hausmann, Singer/Viking/Pfaff

Puyallup Video - overall show view

Puyallup Video - Babylock booth

Excellent pattern/machine/notion review site - Pattern Review

Excellent comprehensive sewing/quilting/crafting forum - Artisans Square

From last year - Mary Mulari, noted sewing and sweatshirt re-purposing artist extraordinaire, wearing a red outfit, made from sweatshirts, of course.

If you love the needle/fiber arts, yarns, fabric, quilting, sewing and crafting, don't miss a chance to go to Puyallup, WA for the Sewing & Stitchery Expo if you ever have the chance . It's out of this world !!

[KYGrandma]

WOW!!! A quilting thread!! Good job.

[PhilosopherStone1000]

Wow! Does that bring back memories. We used to “do the Puyallup” with my grandparents back in the 60s.

Good times, good times.

[STARWISE]

It’s beyond wonderful .. used to man a booth
for my then employer. It is the best. Most
are saying that quilting seemed more prominent,
which is a current trend, but so many of the
independent pattern designers attend, and they,
their classes, patterns and fashion tips are
fabulous.

In this economy, and with God knows what we’ll
be facing ahead, I think more folks will get
into sewing and re-purposing their clothes.

[STARWISE]

~~PING!

[patlin]

THANKS!

OH, to live in an area where I could bask in all things fiber art related. I am soooo jealous.

From the article:

On display at one booth was a pink T-shirt with white letters that said: “Promiscuous – I sleep with every quilt I meet.”

I love it! Quilt historians have said that if the quilt maker sleeps under the quilt, it brings good luck to the recipient(s) of the quilt.

[STARWISE]

Thanks .. ;)

World Wide of Quilting

http://www.quilt.com/

THE MOST HUGE international quilting show in the world

http://www.quilts.com

Gallery

http://www.quilts.com/home/galleryViewer.php?txtfile=/gallery/sqf10-1/onlineGallery

[Brent Calvert 03969-030]

Hey, first time I’ve noticed a quilt/sew thread. I’m working at a quilt shop right now (actually at lunch). We have trunk shows in Washington, so some of my work may be in one of those pictures.

[T-Bird45]

Bookmarking for the wife so I can show it to her after she comes home this evening from her quilt guild meeting.

[Brent Calvert 03969-030]

I printed that sleep tee. I am the only one in the world who has printed those!

[STARWISE]

I know ... it’s nirvana ... such a guilty
pleasure for fabriholics (I’ll never use
up my stash) ........ ;)

[STARWISE]

Neat ! Did you attend the Expo ?

[STARWISE]

Good deal .. ;)

[patlin]

I’ve got my new ‘Imperial Frame’ & the smaller Viking Mega Quilter waiting for unpacking. Picked them up yesterday from my local quilt shop. well, local in that it is 35 miles away, lol.

[patlin]

KEWL, so do tell, what was your inspiration for that clever quote?

[Brent Calvert 03969-030]

No, I am in Iowa at Block Party Studios, Inc., screenprinting fabric and quilting-related tees. Our product was sold there by a customer of ours running a trunk show for us.

[Brent Calvert 03969-030]

The owner of the shop, my employer, Jeanne Coverdale is the designer of the sleep tee. I am the screenprinter of the product.

[patlin]

I know ... it’s nirvana ... such a guilty
pleasure for fabriholics (I’ll never use
up my stash) ........ ;)

:-) Have you signed your quilting/sewing will yet? My daughter gets all mine.

[STARWISE]

Nancy Zieman/Sewing With Nancy .. sewing and quilting show videos (free)

http://sewingwithnancytv.com/

Christopher Nejman site .. sewing gadfly, purse pattern
designer, includes videos of sewing events and shop
visits (choose featured videos for those)

http://www.christophernejmantv.com/

His youtube channel

http://www.youtube.com/user/christophernejman

Craft & Hobby Assoc show - Orlando 2009

http://www.youtube.com/user/christophernejman#p/u/62/XqBLDMP2TsA

http://www.youtube.com/user/christophernejman#p/u/61/vjw56cq_n9s

[Brent Calvert 03969-030]

Add custom-made quilting signature labels to the back of your quilts, and leave no doubt as to whom they belong. On the labels, you can add the date, the quilter, and any other message.