Taunton's Threads - For people who love to sew
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Threads magazine Puyallup 2004: Sewing & Stitchery Expo Threads editors share highlights of the Expo, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year Each year as winter is drawing to a close, the Threads staff (or a subset of it) makes its annual pilgrimage to the Sewing & Stitchery Expo. We always have a busy, tiring show season in the fall, but by the time February rolls around, we’re ready for a big, glorious sewing expo to get us inspired for our next round of magazine issues…and personal sewing, of course. This year’s anniversary Expo was just the place to view the latest in fabrics, patterns, and notions for garment sewing, quilting, home décor, and craft sewing; to enjoy style shows; and to take classes in everything from recycling T-shirts to sewing as a business to couture techniques. The 30,000-plus attendees this year did all of the above, and more. For more information on next year’s Expo, visit www.sewexpo.com. Threads sponsors roundtable discussions For the first time, Threads held roundtable discussions with three groups of subscribers, who met with us to talk about what they like in our magazine, and what they’d like to see in the future. In addition to providing us with extremely helpful, thoughtful information on what our readers are looking for, these discussions also gave us the opportunity to find out what our readers are like as sewers and as people. We enjoyed meeting 30 women of various ages and sewing experience, all of whom are passionate about fiber arts. Their enthusiasm for sewing, their creativity (displayed in some very handsome outfits), and their curiosity about what goes into making a sewing magazine confirmed for us how strongly invested in Threads many of our readers are. We’d like to thank all of the participants who joined us in Oops…we shopped too much Let’s be up front about this: Both of us had to rig up extra luggage (cardboard cartons—functional if not glamorous) to carry our fabric purchases home. The offerings at the Expo just happened to be irresistible, and we know that we weren’t the only ones to yield to temptation. Vendors’ booths were busy and crowded, and visitors were grateful for the big red Threads shopping bags we distributed at our booth. The photos show a few of the many products and booths that caught our attention as we wandered the show floors.
New patterns from independent designers Style shows attract fashion-savvy sewers For those who wanted an eyeful of fashion while sitting down, there were several daily style shows. Bobbi Bullard, Linda Lee and Lois Ericson, Lyla Messinger, Pati Palmer, Martha Pullen, Eileen Roche, and The Valley 4-H Club sent dozens of gorgeous ensembles down the runway -- no matter what your taste or personal style, there was something for everyone in these shows. To celebrate the Expo’s 20th anniversary, Joanne Ross, program chair, and her staff arranged to have “Fantasy,” this year’s Bernina Fashion Show, presented in its entirety at a special gala on Friday evening at a Final breakdown… …of the Threads booth, not the Threads staff. After four long, busy days, we were pretty ready to head for home when the Expo ended on Sunday evening. But first, like all the vendors, we needed to pack up our belongings. Ever wondered how many magazine staff members it takes to knock down a booth? Believe it or not, this can be done by a single person, but it’s faster and more fun with several.
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