It was even fun to fly again. Sitting next to me on the plane was a wonderful man currently serving our country - and what would you guess - in your wildest imagination - that he did in Iraq? Mended uniforms!!!!!!!!! Yep - and without even zig zag on the sewing machines (?) provided. It was amazing to hear his stories of the challenges in even just keeping our soldiers attired. That task of mending uniforms has been arranged now for in other ways, or I'd be calling on you to help me provide them with suitable notions, etc! That encounter was truly a 'God-arranged' one for me - what a fun and eye-opening flight it was...
Puyallup (I know how to both spell AND say it now) - it is Pew-ah-lup - is different from the other shows I've attended as a vendor/teacher in that it is conceived and managed by Washington State University rather than an individual or company.
The entire show was wonderful... starting with my wonderful hostess. Karen so graciously provided not only a bed, but wonderful food (with help from hubby Michael), a place to which to ship my stock ahead of time, and a guide for shopping for booth needs beforehand - etc.
In her great sewing area, I spied her Bernina machine case - painted on beautifully by a friend. With painting like this in my background - I was especially attracted to it and thought it was a neat idea to share...
Karen even found me 2 helpers in her friends, Diane and Kathy. Yet another customer, (another) Kathy - volunteered to work in my booth, so we had a real blast working all together. I'm sorry I don't have one picture of all four of them together - so here are 2 pictures with my immense gratitude for all their VERY capable and wonderful assistance! I could NOT have done it without them - and it was all so much fun too.
At these shows - you get inspiration everywhere! This jacket was worn by a customer to my booth - and my mind immediately transformed this embellishment into the use of the new bias cut silk doupionni strips that I am offering. I'll be using this idea TODAY on my last jacket for my newest pattern: Transformed.Now that my stock and samples have safely arrived back home - my heart is at rest! In my concern for getting the stock OUT there, I neglected to consider carefully how I would get it to UPS to ship BACK. So - Karen and Michael came to the rescue! I can't thank them enough.....
This was the first show I flew to rather than driving - so it was all a learning curve for me. The Puyallup show is a very, very nice blend of garment sewing, quilting, home dec, and other fiber-related booths. The show is big - but not overly so. Unlike, say the Houston or Chicago Quilt Festivals, it is not so big that you can't thoroughly see and 'dig' into each booth. The facility is another big PLUS. Such a fairgrounds and great buildings and food choices, I've never, ever seen! Combine all that with wonderful people, enthused about the same things you are - and you have a recipe for success. If you can make it - GO! I certainly hope to return...
