Joanna spent quite a while deciding what to do and then implementing it. The results are beautiful!!!! Here’s some pics that she said I could post. At some point Bernina will be showing photos and a video of the fashion show on their site, but I’m not sure when that will be, so these are before the show shots.

dress and jacket – it’s hard to see in the photo, but the jacket attached with a neat little loop attachment that’s embellished

bias cut dress

The jacket is embellished with embroidery (which Joanna created and digitized!) and little crystals adding just a little sparkle in the embroidery.

Sleeve detail with embroidery and green piping.

Joanna and I in the Bernina booth

One of the seminars I attended at Sew Expo was from Pam Damour who does a lot of home dec items. She is a fun speaker and I picked up a couple helpful things from her class. One thing I liked among other things she shared was the fact that she uses a fabric folding pen to help in creasing fabric. For us teachers it’s great because you can create a firm crease in the fabric without heating up an iron during demonstrations or seminars. But it also works great to fold fabrics for paper piecing, quick seams or anywhere you need to make a firm crease and don’t have access to an iron. Perfect!

And this is “just because”. Don’t you know that every time you attend a sewing/quilt show, that you have to have a “just because” purchase? Lol!!! I found this little scissor holder and really liked it and I can put it to good use, so I bought it.

Let’s see…..what else happened over the last four days of the Expo? Ummm….way too much! My mind is in overload! Whenever I go to shows, I take my camera and my notebook and pen. That way when I see something I like, want to remember or would like to investigate further, I can take a photo (if possible) or write a note to check out that “thing” I saw or want to do. The sad thing is that there are a couple things I still would like to investigate that are in my notebook from quilt market last fall. Yikes!

So my notebook is full. My mind is overwhelmed. My to-do list is overflowing. And my feet are exhausted! The first thing I want to do when I get home is start on some of these things, but as the way life is, other things must come first.

It was fun and exciting to attend the Sew Expo this year and I hope I’m able to go again next year. And next year, I’d love to meet YOU if you are there. Just drop me a note or if you see me, say hi!! :)

I’m hoping to be able to carry some of her collections as well as teach some classes with some of her projects. Stay tuned for more information coming in the months ahead! Her are a few pics of her fan-tab-u-lous creations!

This I just love! Michelle taught a lecture on one of her newest collections (Floral Delight) which combines embroidery and felting.  So neat and something I just have to try doing.

This is the Chantilly Lace Ensemble collection and the designs and projects are truly elegant!

Victorian Romance Ensemble is a wonderfully-fun and unique project. I love the way Michelle has designed the fans and the embellishment techniques she has used.

Here’s a close-up of the fan detail…

More from the Sew Expo to come….

Some of them are not quite my style, but I thought the Cassandra was a neat one with the two pieces of fabric meeting in the front. While I can’t say that my bulging closet needs another skirt, it has been a while since I’ve stitched a new skirt. So I think I’ll jump this toward the beginning of my to-do list.

Adorable Ideas is a machine embroidery design company and I have been wanting to give some of their designs a try. I came across their website a year or so ago and browsed around a little. They have some cute little designs. Many of them are not really detailed or dense in their stitches which can be good for some projects. I picked up a couple of design packs and want to try stitching a few things.

Beads…embellishment…beads…embellishment…beads!!! That’s all the rage. Stitch it and dress it up with beads or some type of embellishment. I admit, I couldn’t resist. LOL!!! What did you expect? I did find some pearls and some beautiful purple/blue/black Czech beads that are just beautiful. Did I need them? No. Do I have a project in mind for them right now? No. But I’ll add them to my bead tote and someday, in some project, I’ll use them. That’s why your sewing room has stashes! ;)

More from the Sew Expo to come…

Also, I like to take classes and see other teaching styles and methods. It helps me continue to improve in my teaching and gives me ideas of teaching tools that I can incorporate in my classes. You can never stop learning. My theory always is that you will always learn something, perhaps very little, but something from every class you take. Even if it’s a one second sentence or one little tool that’s mentioned. It’s always beneficial to take a class, because you are sure to learn something new!

And sometime it’s reassuring to know that the method you’ve been doing something is the right or ok way to do it. Many times, I will be doing something and I’ve had no “formal” training on the “correct” way to do it; I just figure something out. But then when someone is standing in front of a class teaching the same way I’ve been doing it, it’s nice to know I did it correctly! Right?

I took a couple of new classes related to something I’ve never done or done very little of (tatting and the Golden Threads quilting-as-you-go method). No time like the present to learn something new! Tatting I certainly want to try and create something. I have to admit, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, that I love handwork, I just don’t have time to do it. I can see loving this type of handwork if I can just find time in my day to do it. Actually I did buy a tatting needle and some thread, so I’m going to do something so I remember how to do it and maybe I’ll continue on from there. It’s simple, it’s easy, it just takes time. :)

My personal favorite way to quilt is to stitch the quilt top and then layer the top, batting and backing and quilt the layers together. I’ve done a little of the quilt-as-you-go method, but it’s not my personal favorite way of quilting. It does make it easier to quilt as you have smaller sections to work with inside your machine, but I’m not a fan of the joining together and having a cover fabric on the back. I know it doesn’t show that much, but for some reason it just bothers me to have that extra strip on the fabric. But that’s just me.

The whole reason for this post: sign-up and take classes! You will learn something! It would be nice to know everything there is to know in the sewing/quilting/embroidery industry, but unfortunately it’s just not possible. Participate in classes and you are sure to grow in your knowledge!

Fiber Etch – have you ever used this etching gel? I have several times and taught a couple of classes using it several years ago, but it’s been a while since I’ve picked up my bottle. If you’ve never heard of it, it is a gel that etched out plant fiber fabrics such as cotton, linen and rayon. It will not etch polyester, wool or silk, so you can create designs by using different fabrics and etching whatever design or motif you want.

www.embroideryonline.com Design NZ369

Basically what I’ve done with it is cutwork like the embroidery design above. I’ve stitched an open cutwork design with polyester thread on a rayon fabric, applied the fiber etch to the area of fabric inside the stitching, heated it with an iron and the fabric inside the stitching darkens and just falls out.

If you’ve ever done cutwork, usually you stitch the design and then take a little itty bitty pair of scissors and cut out the fabric inside. What a headache! It’s tough to cut out the fabric without clipping the threads plus getting a smooth clean finish without those little thread ends sticking out. Just look at the tulip and imagine trying to cut out all the fabric without snipping the threads?!?!

When using the Fiber Etch, the fabric just falls out inside and there is a smooth clean finish on the edge of the thread. It’s great to use and I’ve gotten out of the habit of using it, so this was a good reminder to get it out and create something with it.

What was neat was seeing how Dana (Dana Marie Designs) used the Fiber Etch here at the Sew Expo. She does use it for cutwork with embroidery, but she also showed some pieces using silk/rayon velvet. Trace a pattern such as a simple outlined leaf on the fabric. Just run a line of Fiber Etch following the pattern. Heat it and brush away the fibers. The rayon pile of velvet is etched away and the silk background remains. Just too neat!!!

I actually have some silk chiffon that I was planning on making a skirt out of at some point and doing cutwork around the edge of the hem, but I may dig around in my stash and see if I have a plant fiber fabric that I can do the same thing and use the Fiber Etch. I’m sure I have something!

The great thing with using the Fiber Etch is that you can etch out the top fabric and put another fabric behind it to show through as a different color. Make a very easy project look like it took hours to do! :)

There’s some other projects swirling around in my head in which I could use the Fiber Etch and create some neat things, so I just need to get that bottle out in my line of sight and make a note to do something.

Right now I’m in Puyallup, Washington attending the Sew Expo! Joanna, my friend from Colorado traveled together, but she is working in the Bernina accessory booth, so we don’t get to chat too much during the day. But it’s amazing to see so many wonderful vendors and talented people in this industry.

There’s lots to see and lots to do! Now if I can just remember everything I am seeing. Here’s a few glimpses from the day….:)

From All About Blanks: I’ve ordered some blank products from All About Blanks and they have wonderful quality items perfect for stitching embroidery. They have lots to choose from and their linens are delicate and sweet! If you are looking for some blank linens, be sure to check out this company online.

I love this for its delicate and elegant look!

The lettering font caught my eye on this pillow.

See the scallops and stitching? Neat idea!

These are so cute! Little tissue holders embroidered!

From Lana Jones: Lana is a talented lady who has recently written a book detailing embroidery on wood. I’ve seen this done multiple times and for some reason it has me fascinated! Embroidery on wood just sounds interesting. I look forward to reading her book!

I love the embroidered flowers on the clock!

Just plain neat!