Sewing in O Magazine?

As a faithful reader of Oprah's magazine, I'm completely aware of all the hype surrounding Ellen DeGeneres' debut on the cover of this month's O. I certainly enjoyed the spread on Ellen and the insider interview. But there's always so much more to O than the cover. As I devoured this issue, I was mildly amused when I turned to page 64 and saw in black and white, the word, SEWING in bold caps followed by a short - but positive - blurb about Heather Ross' Weekend Sewing (Stewart, Tabori & Chang) along with a cover thumbnail. As my eyes moved down the page, aha, another bold cap caught my eye. This time the word was APPLIQUÈ and it flanked a cover thumbnail of Cath Kidston's Make (St. Martin's) along with verbiage touting Kidston's minimal effort and big results projects. Wow. Being an avid Oprah reader since the inaugural issue, this is the very first time - to my knowledge - that there has ever been a reference/review on anything sewing.

I turned the page. And found a large red button with needle and thread at the bottom of page 66. The charming graphic graced the ever popular sidebar: If you only have...15 minutes. If you only do have 15 minutes, O encourages you to read a chapter of How to Sew a Button: And Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew (Ballantine). Now I'm stunned. Three references to sewing in one issue of O? Maybe the rest of the planet is really waking up to the intriguing craft of sewing. Hmmm....

I move on to page 146 and gaze at the eye candy in the Beauty Gazette section. The colors of the eyeshadows are luscious. And they are shaped like, I can't believe it, buttons! Ten different colors so luscious you want to buy fabric to match! And they are paired with cable-knit-embossed powder blushes. Uh? And oh yeah, the props they used to style the shot are actual needles, thread, a thimble and fabric-covered button blanks. I think I'm most impressed with the fact that they actually knew where to procure those items! Wow. Beauty and sewing, who knew?

Time for me to move on - head to the airport for yet another Stitching Sisters event. This time to Tampa with our friends at Keep Me In Stitches. I carried my issue of O on the plane so I could finish it before handing it over to my sister, Marie. Settled in my seat, I turn to Connections on page 213, the title: A Stitch In Time. A huge smile spreads across my face. And I sink into Meribah Knight's memories of her grandmother's sewing skills. Meribah's own mother shunned the needle, but Meribah felt a pull, a draw to needle and thread. And much to her mother's chagrin, enrolled in Home Economics in high school. Her mother thought photography would have been a much more modern and useful elective. But Meribah found her home. She sailed, she flew, she found herself. In college, she stepped away from it - mainly because of a space crunch in her Manhattan college pad. But years later, sewing pulled her out of a deep depression. She wrote, "With the passing of my depression, sewing took an almost sacred role in my life. It quieted my mind and engaged my hands." I know the feeling. I have explicit memories of a prayer I often voiced during difficult times, "God, give me something to do with my hands." And oh how those prayers were answered.

What a satisfying issue of O.

Video Debut

On October 24th, I was on the road with my sister, Marie Zinno leading a Stitching Sisters event in Springfield, MO at BSew Inn. Back at the ranch (the office of Designs in Dallas), my assistant (okay the woman who makes many things happen here at Designs) was taping a video about my new Stipple! Collection, Ho Ho Holiday. She did this entirely on her own. Set up the tripod, pushed record and then flawlessly stepped in front of the camera and let loose with perfect diction and a thorough understanding of the Stipple! process (she doesn't even embroider).

She managed to commandeer a technical professional, Roy Garland, to edit her masterpiece. And then showed the final cut to me - via YouTube. I was blown away. I had no idea she was capable of producing a video with such enthusiasm. Or that she even had the desire to do it. She's watched me on camera countless times - and I imagine bored beyond tears - in her editing responsibilities. But to have the gumption and guts to do it on her own, well, I couldn't be more impressed.



And I'm enjoying watching the views climb daily - today, her video is over the 4000 mark! That's awesome - and it's her first! Check it out by clicking on the video above. Denise has been here at Designs for over 8 years and has mastered many skills - but I never would have predicted this one! Good for her - and great for Designs to have her.

So this week when I'm in Tampa at another Stitching Sisters event, I wonder what she'll do. Maybe I should put a padlock on the sewing studio...or maybe, I should put a trail of M&Ms leading into the sewing studio. And then she'll start to embroider! And I can stay in Florida for a few extra days of sun and fun. Nah, I guess I'll be back in the saddle on Monday!

Montavilla Sew & Vac

Marie and I, The Stitching Sisters, are mid-way through our six-city tour. Last week, we spent Friday and Saturday with our host, Montavilla Sew & Vac in Portland, OR. The event was held in the spacious classroom of Fabric Depot (a worthy destination for all sewers). It took a team effort to set up 28 top-of-the-line Baby Lock Ellisimos but we were ready for our 128 guests on Friday morning. The staff at Montavilla was a dream team, each member greeted their guests and escorted them to their assigned seats. They made an effort to treat each embroiderer like a guest in their home.

And the fun we had! Christy and Brett Moore (pictured here) lead the audience in the Baby Lock cheer - Baby Lock, for the love! (Ok, you had to be there to understand but it sure built team spirit.) After we taught how to probably hoop and verify placement with some of the Ellisimo's unique features such as the camera, the whole room was cheering Baby Lock, for the love! Oh it was fun and educational. Marie and I worked hard and throughout the day our Jersey Girl attitudes came out of the closet! Hey, you can't control 112 embroiderers in a meek and mild manner. But everyone stayed on track and we finished six hands-on projects on day one and six more on day two. Here's a glimpse at some wonderful people we had the honor of teaching.

If you bought a machine, you were crowned with a feather boa and your team-mates were awarded a free collection of Kriswell embroidery designs. The whole Montavilla team got in the mood - sporting boas and crowns when one of their team members purchased a machine.

Tips & Tools

I get tons of questions about embroidery - hooping, stabilizer, placement and the like. I understand that many embroiderers still struggle with the basic elements of embroidery. The embroidery machine manufacturers offer us wonderful new features with every new machine. But we're still challenged on landing an embroidery design exactly where we want it on the fabric.

I've learned the key to success in any embroidery project is planning. Planning on where to place the design, select the proper stabilizer and find the correct hoop for the job. I've also learned that planning is whole lot easier when you have the right tools. The first tool I start with is a printed template of the embroidery design. I print on vellum - available in the scrap book section of most craft stores - because it's sturdy and translucent. If you've never created a template, you'll be amazed how easy it is to do and how valuable they are.

Insert a sheet of vellum into your printer. Open your embroidery design in embroidery software (any embroidery editing software will work). Go to File, Print and click OK. A printed image of your design will appear on the vellum. Most likely the image will have a cross hair to designate the center of the design. Now, place the template on the fabric in the intended spot. If you need to center the design on a pocket or cuff, use a centering ruler (three sizes are found in the Embroidery Tool Kit).

Just position the template on the zero mark of the ruler. Remove the ruler then slide a target sticker (found in Designs' Embroidery Tool Kit) under the template, aligning the crosshair. Now remove the template. Your center point is marked and you won't have to deal with the cumbersome vellum template during the hooping process.

Time to select the hoop - pick the smallest hoop available for the design. If using a spray adhesive, protect your hoop with Hoop Guards (found in the Embroidery Tool Kit). You'll never have to clean a sticky hoop again.

To make sure you're hooped straight, there are a number of tools to aid in that task. First, adhere Adhesive Centering Rulers to the hoop (these highly visible marks make alignment a breeze).

Another handy tool is Target Rulers - large crosshairs (comes in two sizes) with a hole in the center for the target sticker. Place the Target Ruler over the target sticker. Make sure the Target Ruler is parallel and perpendicular to the edges of the hoop. If so, you're ready to press go.

If not, use the Angle Finder to determine how many degrees you must rotate the design (on the machine's editing screen) to land the design exactly how you planned.The right tools make your planning process so smooth - you'll be stitching mistake-free right away!

Click image below to watch a video demonstration!

Quilting is Fun Again!

Many of you may think I've vanished since I haven't updated my blog since April. Shame on me for not staying in touch but I haven't been lying on a beach (although that's a lovely thought!). I've been busy stealthily working on a new technique. Stipple! Quilting designs are not new as we've been stitching stipple designs with our embroidery machine for a few years. But the Stipple! technique is revolutionary. It combines a few cumbersome tasks into one, easy and powerful embroidery design.

How did it start? Like most things, it was an evolution not a revolution. I've always loved quilting but my passion is machine embroidery. It's been my personal mission to combine these two loves into machine embroidered quilts and I've been doing it for over 10 years. The first issue of Designs in Machine Embroidery featured a quilt on the cover and my first book was Contemporary Machine-Embroidered Quilts (Krause Publications, Iola, WI 2004).

Traditionally, I embroidered on the quilt top only since I didn't want the bobbin stitches visible on the back of the quilt. Of course, then the challenge was how to quilt the embroidered quilt. Usually, I applied free-motion quilting stitches to the areas of the quilt that didn't have embroidery. This resulted in the embroidered areas to 'puff out'. The only way to avoid this was to free-motion quilt over the embroidery. I didn't like this either as the stitches would often interfere or detract with the gorgeous embroidery. I've been frustrated with the results for years.

That wasn't all that frustrated me. Cutting tiny pieces, matching points; ¼" seam allowances; short, repetitive stitches that some people actually count (while wear white gloves) and quilting a bulky quilt on a home machine have been tasks that I haven't exactly cherished.

It was this frustration that created Stipple! Stipple! combines bold, raw edge applique with stipple stitches applied directly to the quilt sandwich, not just the top. Trimming of the applique is done AFTER the quilt sandwich is removed from the hoop. So the tedious motion of taking the hoop off the machine/trimming the applique/finishing the design is non-existent. When you pull the block out of the hoop, you trim the applique and the block is finished - appliquéd, embellished and quilted!

I'm having a ball creating quilts again! Finally, a technique that gives the look I want - bold, colorful and full of texture. And because it's a digital file, it's perfect. Every block is the same. I just have to start with fabric that is larger than hoop and let the machine do the rest.

We Did It!

Now that the trail dust has settled, the Texas Sew Down is a cherished memory. We made new friends, taught new techniques, ate Texas barbeque and spotted many Western ensembles.

The Grapevine Convention Center was alive with laughter and it started early on Friday morning when Deborah Jones and Marie Zinno hosted the pre-event class on starting an embroidery business. Wow - what a treasure of information that was! Later in the day, Nancy Zieman told her best blonde jokes in her deadpan manner. I'm still surprised when she spins off from her educational content and throws in a side-splitting blonde joke. Nancy and Mary Mulari, two very professional women, are an absolute hoot in person. If you've never had the chance to see them in person, make a note to do so.

My business partner of ten years, Gary Gardner was amazed at how entertaining the presentations were. I said to him, "Did you think we just talked about seam allowance?"

Students learned Nancy's favorite sewing techniques, Mary's clever sweatshirt transformations and my latest embroidery tips. Students were impressed with the tons of one-of-a-kind samples displayed in unique settings. Denise Holguin, Managing Editor at Designs, designed the layout of the floor, scoured the countryside for the perfect accessories and created a garden of inviting product. It was so charming; attendees lingered in the sales area until the house lights flashed for the next speaker.

Some of our ladies had a blast glamming it up for the camera. Check out some of our favorites here.

Ask the Right Questions

Have you read the interviews of the Texas Sew Down speakers in the latest issue of Designs (March/April 2009)? I had so much fun reading the answers. You know, writing the questions was a pretty easy endeavor. I wrote a first draft and then sent those questions to my partner in crime, Denise Holguin. She cleaned them up and off we sent them to the speakers - Nancy Zieman, Mary Mulari, Deborah Jones and my sister, Marie Zinno. I didn't really give it much thought until the answers started to arrive.

One by one they came in and I savored every one! I learned many things about each of these fine ladies and some of the comments made me laugh out loud while other responses brought tears to my eyes.

Let's look at Nancy first - she was quite brave revealing that under those gorgeous blond locks lies a headful of gray hair. And she's going to be a grandma! Wow - that's a big milestone in her life. Her favorite mid-afternoon snack - popcorn! How upper Midwestern, don'tcha you know? Gotta keep those Wisconsin farmers in business.

The next time I have to clear a driveway, I'll call Mary Mulari and tell her to bring her Toro Power Max snowblower. Apparently, she's a pro at handling this big tough machine and good thing because her hometown of Aurora, MN gets 52" of snow every year. In the middle of the afternoon, you'll find Mary munching on one of America's favorite snacks - chocolate chip cookies and milk.

Okay, truth be told, I am a huge Oprah fan. And I have eaten lunch with Deborah Jones once a week for EIGHT years and never heard this story. I had to read her interview to learn she embroidered letterman-style jackets for guests on Oprah's show. Now that's a really well-kept secret! Her afternoon snack - a bowl of Cheerios. Oh for heaven's sake Deborah, at least wash the Cheerios down with chocolate milk.

Now I know Marie Zinno very well. After all, we're sisters. Although she often tells me she's proud of that she did happily reveal in the interview "she's the 'younger, more fun sister." I laughed when I read that and then wept when I read her answer to the next question, "Describe your perfect vacation day". She responded, "sitting on a beach on a tropical island holding my husband's hand." How sweet is that? I was her maid of honor, 17 years ago (okay, MATRON of honor), and the Zinnos are still quietly, madly in love. What she didn't say was that if it was in the afternoon, her other hand would be holding a Double Stuf Oreo®!

So let's see, if it snows on April 3-4, we'll be in good shape because Mary can clear the parking lot. If MY gray hair starts peeking through, I can have Nancy make it magically disappear so I look my best for the Texas Sew Down. And to make sure the event gets the coverage it deserves, I'll have Deborah Jones call Oprah and get us ALL on the Oprah show! And if I am too exhausted to go on stage, I can always count on Marie to entertain the troops since she's the YOUNGER, MORE FUN SISTER!
I hope you'll join us in Grapevine, April 3-4, 'cause we are planning on having one heck of a good time! There's still time to make arrangements, just click here for more information http://www.dzgns.com/texsewdown.php or call the office at 888-739-0555.

Last week, my partner in crime, Denise Holguin, and I played hookie and went to First Monday in Canton, TX. If you've never been or never heard, First Monday Trade Days is America's biggest flea market. And it happens once a month, starting on the Thursday preceding the first Monday of the month. Confused? Me too! But I found it was worth the trip, worth figuring out and worth walking and carting all the goods! We picked a beautiful Texas day - a balmy 78 degrees, blue skies with a gentle breeze. This is one of the reasons why I live in Texas - February never sounded so good to this Jersey girl!

But back to First Monday. We were on the look out for 'Texas stuff' for our big event coming up - the Texas Sew Down, April 3-4 in Grapevine, TX. Our plan is to make all our visitors feel like they've come home to the ranch when they spend a few days with us. And how better to set the scene than with well, Texas stuff! If the Texas Sew Down marks your first trip to Texas, you'll know what I mean when you get here. Only in Texas is the state flag as visible as the US flag. Only in Texas do they carve 5-pointed stars in the concrete along the highway and maybe on your neighbor's front porch. Only in Texas is rusty metal considered a national treasure. And if you're looking for that type of treasure, then First Monday is the national mint.

We found horseshoes ($.50 each!), decorative centerpieces for the VIP luncheon, a dandy dressform and vintage aprons (one made from hankies).

We met lots of nice folks (most of whom had trouble understanding the Jersey girl's questions) and treated ourselves to First Monday's finest cuisine - funnel cake, tornado potatoes and corn dogs. Geesh, at my age, you'd think I'd know better! But the fun we had and the sights we saw! Denise and I haven't laughed that hard in ages. Good thing we were smiling because we made three trips to the car and the last one was the killer.

Denise was loaded down with the bulk of the haul but we managed to make it across the grounds and the highway to the safety and comfort of our car. All this effort for prop-shopping for the Texas Sew Down! But it was worth it because we want to make sure we give our visitors a great big Texas Welcome on April 3. If you're heading to Grapevine on April 3 you can mosey over to First Monday on Sunday the 5th and see America's largest flea market for yourself.

A Treasure in Vegas

Normally, when I arrive at a sewing machine store to teach, I introduce myself and browse the samples and products so I can familiarize myself with the store's area of expertise and the customer's interests. Then I get busy unpacking and setting up my classroom. Well, I had some trouble focusing on the task at hand when I walked - shall I say, submerged myself, into Quiltique in Henderson, NV.

Wow - I love this quilt shop - I was bowled over when I walked in. Every where I looked I found inspiration. Their samples are amazing - they hang on walls, drape over gorgeous wrought iron furniture, nestle in pretty containers, spill from armoires, upholster regal chairs and more. I can tell you that at every turn in this xx square foot paradise, you will be inspired.

A family-run Bernina dealership and world-class quilt store, Quiltique is just a stone's throw from the Las Vegas Strip and worth every mile (it's under 10). For heaven's sake, I would take a cab here if I was attending a convention on the Strip. So long noisy casinos, hello piece (pun intended) and shelter in the desert!

Of course, the samples and the staff are just the beginning. I really get to know a dealership when I meet my students - their customers. I've always felt the attitude of the customers is a reflection on the treatment they are accustomed to receiving from their dealer. And what a happy bunch of embroiderers I had over two days. Many learned new techniques and discovered new tools to make their hobby more pleasant (and professional). But most of all, we (me and 80 students) had a ton of laughs, recovered a disaster or two and finished 160 projects in two days. Of course, none of that would have been possible without the gorgeous Quiltique setting, competent staff (thanks Lynne and Kay!) and Bernina 630 machines. A recipe for success!

Behind the Scenes

I'm just back from meeting 165 lovely embroiderers in Sarasota at Sew Worth It's Love of Sewing event. Wow - talk about a successful event. Sue Goldberg owner of Sew Worth It, really knows how to put on a first class event. Attendees were treated to hands-on classes, lectures from Nancy Zieman and me, great food and the use of Baby Lock's top-of-the-line machines. They went away with a wealth of knowledge for their favorite hobby and all were inspired to get home and get stitching! Wow - that was Sew Worth It.

I love meeting fellow embroiderers and am happy to go on the road to share my embroidery experience. But truly, I'm a home-body (you wouldn't know it from my frequent-flier miles) so I'm really looking forward to hosting the Texas Sew Down in April in Grapevine, TX. We're busy taking care of tons of details, right down to some Country Western music! I just learned Nancy Zieman's son, Tom, is joining us. This is a special year for Nancy and I as we are both preparing our youngest children to graduate high school this spring and launch them off to college in August. My son, Ted, will also be on hand at the Texas Sew Down to well, lend us a hand! Good to have two strong young men to help with this event because we're expecting lots of happy embroiderers to join us.

We've been busy planning the presentations and recently made a call to our writers to send some of our readers' favorite garments from the pages of Designs for the fashion show. If you've never attended one of my fashion shows, you might be surprised to learn how educational it is. I share my embroidery expertise as I critique each garment and discuss stabilizers, placement, color and thread selection. This 60-minute review will help you plan your own garments with confidence.

After a fine Texas-style meal, Nancy will take you behind the scenes of the Sewing with Nancy® television show. With over 25 years of television production under her belt, Nancy has some hysterical stories. Imagine the funny stories you've collected in 25 years in your own life - add the pressure of television, guests' unknown talents (or lack of) and severe Wisconsin winters. That's definitely a recipe for a disaster or two! Of course, all of this is presented by Nancy in her charming, down-to-earth, humble style. And that's just Friday night!

Embroidery, Chocolate and More Embroidery

What fun! 150 embroiderers under one roof in St. Louis, Mo. Everyone braved the cold - 10 degrees in the morning! - to get an early start on the day. Some came with friends and sisters, many made new friends. They stitched, they edited designs on the Baby Lock machines; fell in love with the NeedleCam™ Digital Camera on the Baby Lock Ellisimo; and hooped with regular hoops, Magna-Hoop and Magna-Quilter. They learned what hoop works best for what task. They stitched on satin, silk flowers, grosgrain, fur, terrycloth, knits, quilt sandwiches, flannel and cottons.

They used a variety of embroidery tools - target rulers, centering rulers, placement templates, glue sticks, Angle Finders and target stickers. Each team (27 of them) completed 12 projects over the two days. We talked about stabilizers, designing fashion embroidery and large scale embroidery compositions, thread coverage and proper hooping technique. We talked about navigating in the hoop - at the beginning of the design and during a mishap. We showed over a hundred sewn samples of embroidery. Marie and I fielded questions on everything from 'how do I hoop a onesie' to 'how do I start an embroidery business'.

Everyone was immersed in embroidery - talking about it, looking at it, wearing it and stitching it. But it wasn't all work - there were some great meals provided by Jackmans - especially the chocolate fountain, their signature dish! And no chocolate disasters - a few brown, shiny mustaches (so much more in vogue than the old milk mustache!) but no chocolate smears on fabrics.

Join me for my next event in Madison, Tennessee, just a stone's throw from the Grand Ole Opry. Visit www.sallychaney.com for more information or call the store directly at 615-859-0038. I know many of you have full-time commitments during the week so I scheduled two one-day workshops on a weekend to accommodate your busy schedule. See you in Tennessee on Saturday, Feb. 20 or Sunday Feb. 21

A glamorous weekend in the Big D

My Stitching Sister, Marie Zinno, joined me for a 'glamorous' weekend here in the Big D. We're working on our first joint book, Machine Embroidered Monograms for the Home. And Saturday was our photo shoot.

On Thursday, I picked Marie up at DFW - she flew in from her hometown of sunny Canton, OH - and headed to my house for our Show N Tell. We dumped all her bags and mine in the living room and tried to make sense of the embroidered projects. She had worked on the dining room and bath accessories in Ohio while I focused on bedding here in Dallas. We loved what we saw but realized we still had some work to do. So of course, we shopped! We needed just the right color blue fabric, a multitude of napkins for a very cool photo layout, a dust ruffle, some Double Stuf® Oreos - oh maybe they weren't really a necessity but I had to find a way to keep Marie motivated!

Then we made a list that didn't seem very long at all until we started working on it. We stitched all day Friday and into the evening and still, an early wake-up call on Saturday was needed. We headed to the studio Saturday morning -right on time, samples, props, embroidery machine (still a design or two to finish!), and threads all packed in the car. My favorite photographer in the world - Steve Woods - generously helped us unload and the day began. One thing nice about monogrammed accessories, there were no models involved so we didn't have a tight time table. One thing horrible about monogrammed accessories, HOURS and I mean, HOURS, are spent pressing and steaming. Then a click of the camera, an adjustment here and there, another click and then you 'rip the set.' Which means, all that pressing and steaming is now ruined! Talk about a glamorous weekend in the Big D.

But she's coming back for a truly glamorous weekend - this time in Grapevine, when we unveil the Machine Embroidered Monograms for the Home. She'll be joining Nancy Zieman, Mary Mulari, Deborah Jones and I for the Texas Sew Down. Oh my, are we excited - we have weekly meetings discussing menus, schedules, seminar content, menus, shipping details, travel plans, menus, audio-visual supplies and more menus! Yes, we are going to teach our top techniques - embroidery, sewing and quilting - but we're making sure everyone gets a true taste of Texas! Ya'll come down, now ya hear!