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!