One AMAZING SEW-IST

Okay -- so here's how it works. On the very first day, I sat down with Joanne Ross at the tables in the Pavilion. A woman with several totebags joined us.. (those tables are always crowded -- and sewing women being who they are -- we sit with strangers and start to talk sewing...).



She was joined by her friend...and I took their picture...

The two of them were headed to a musical event on the weekend...

So, OF COURSE there was an appliqued guitar jacket in her totebag...

I can feel the Hey Rita tote getting excited...she needed to be in a picture with our new sewing-artist-friend...

Then, she showed us the BACK OF her white jacket....holy cow....

WOULD YOU BELIEVE THERE WAS A THIRD WONDERFUL JACKET IN THAT TOTEBAG??

Yes, indeed, another over-achiever. ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE WORK...


You NEVER know who you're going to meet at Expo -- while you're just sitting there, enjoying a cup of coffee..

WHAT A SHOW!!

Welcome B.J.

The first time we met B.J. Howcroft, Mary & I were wearing our Go Red outfits. We were doing our "Ya Ya" show at the Ann the Gran embroidery conference in Florida. Since we'd already made these great red outfits -- we decided to wear them during our presentation. And we talked a bit about women and heart disease. At the 2009 GO RED show in Puyallup -- we learned that the symptoms are very different for women -- and often are ignored. Back pain, indigestion, a heaviness in your arms and/or legs. (heart disease and stroke are the biggest cause of death in women -- killing more women than the next seven causes combined).




Here's the REST of the story...

After the conference, B.J. and her husband Jim were driving home to Washington D.C., and B.J. didn't feel exactly right. At first, she thought it was her asthma...but she had a weird feeling in her upper arm. She said it felt like bugs crawling inside her veins...

To rush you right to the HAPPY ENDING -- because she remembered what the goofy Ya Ya sisters had said so recently about the symptoms -- B.J. had Jim take her directly to an emergency room. And she had open heart surgery the next day.

After some subsequent surgery, I AM DELIGHTED TO REPORT THAT B.J. HOWCROFT is doing great. She and Jim are enjoying their busy, active retirement. They are traveling and entertaining -- and if I ever get to the Washington, D.C. area -- she promised me a Civil War TOUR.

B.J. called yesterday -- and we had a wonderful catch-up chat. I gave her the link to this blog -- and now I'm writin' about her...

Cuz that's how I roll...

WELCOME, B.J...!!

Diana and Whitney at Expo

Here's the email I received AFTER the show -- Whitney was coming up from Reno to go to the show with her Grandma. As soon as I find the picture of the TWO of them -- I'll post it. Remember Whitney? She coined the phrase, "sewing paradise"...I LOVE IT...


Diana wrote: Whitney was inspired by you when she went to your Friday night live show.
The next day we were eating lunch when she saw a women buying a zebra
fabric. She said "Oh.... Look there is zebra fabric. That women must be
toning something down with zebra stripes... maybe she will even add T-shirt
fringe!! And... Make it reversible! "

Later she said " You know that zebra fabric we saw today? Maybe that women
could add ponytail holders!! " we laughed so hard we started crying. Then
she said " Why don't we get the zebra fabric and make a tank top with
T-shirt fringe, make it reversible, add a ponytail holder, and tone it down
with zebra stripes!! " ... So, we did! She was totally inspired by you and
Expo. And here's some pictures to prove it!

Diana Lindsley & Whitney Richard







YOU ARE MY KIND OF GIRL, WHITNEY! thanks for coming to our sewing paradise and playing our t-shirt/zebra-stripe/pony-tail holder GAMES..!

Rhonda Pierce's blue feather "collar" coat

Believe me -- it's pretty hard to make a jacket thAt STANDS OUT at a consumer sewing show. But Rhonda Pierce, in the Schmetz needle booth, managed to do EXACTLY THAT on the first day of Expo with her show-stopping blue feather velvet jacket...



She picked the exact right pattern to show off the incredible blue feather fabric...everybody was talking about it...



When I asked her how it was to sew on -- she did share the fact that she was hoping to talk her husband into getting a house-cat. BUT all the fuzz flying around during the time she was cutting out the feather fabric kinda cured her of the notion...

Lillian's First Birthday!!

It is SO HARD TO BELIEVE that it's been a YEAR since Lillian was born! This is one of my favorite pictures -- Elliott and his baby girl on her very first day...

Then -- when we went up to visit them -- Mom and Dad were giving baby Lillian her very first bath in the kitchen sink...





At Christmastime, Elliott & Lilly were taking a nap...



Here she is, with her beautiful Mommy...


Over the weekend, we attended her sock monkey birthday party in Tomah, Wisconsin. A great big room full of people, eating banana pudding, banana bread, and real BANANAS...all there to help her celebrate this wonderful FIRST YEAR.

She is a lucky little girl...HEY -- SO ARE WE!!

Welcome Eleanor Burns!!

Eleanor Burns came to the Sewing & Stitchery Expo for the very first time. AND WE LOVED HER. Her booth was mobbed every single day. She ran out of everything. It was amazing...Here she is, signing one of her reuseable totes...



On the first day, she still had books to sign...here she is with one of her fans...



The next minute, another fan....in the background, you can see Eleanor's son, Orion, working the cash register. It takes a village, folks...



THANK YOU for being so enthusiastic!! Eleanor was completely blown away by our little show. Our audience was amazing. And wasn't she fun? Eleanor starts her show by dancing down the aisle -- hey -- I HAVE A VIDEO!!

keep reading...sooner or later -- I'll find it and post it for you!!

My son Ross

My son Ross works as a photojournalist for a wildlife company. He lives in Brainard, Minnesota and his hobby is making short films. He wrote the screenplay for this one. And if you know me -- you will understand how really proud I am of the boy...
He is, of course, the star of the film...

If I had to give it a rating -- it would e PG-13. Consider yourself warned -- preview before you share it with small children...