Use these insider tips to make the most of your Expo experience!

1. Friday is always the busiest day – but on Sunday, even the most popular teachers have space available in their seminars.  If you weren’t able to get a ticket for a seminar you wanted, try Sunday!

2. Don’t forget that it is possible to buy seminar tickets during the show.  Many people don’t realize that we often add additional offerings of the most popular sold-out seminars.  Visit the ticket booth in the Showplex to see what classes have been added to the Expo schedule.

3. Take another look at the 3:30 and 4:30 seminars.  Those classes rarely sell out – and are some of our hidden gems!

4. This year, there will be no Style Shows on Sunday.  Be sure to include them as part of your Thursday, Friday or Saturday schedule! Style Shows will be offered on those three days at the following times:

9:30  “Beyond Fashion” with Marcy Tilton and Sandra Betzina

10:30  “McCall’s, Vogue, Butterick Spring/Summer 2008” with Pati Palmer

11:30  “From Workroom to Reality – Simplicity Presents Inspired by Project Runway Collection” presented by Simplicity

 
1:30  “Great Style at Any Age” with Linda Lee

2:30 “A Bounty of Wardrobe Ideas” with Peggy Sagers

3:30  “Independent Pattern Company Alliance Fashion Extravaganza” with Dana Bontrager

5. For those of you who were lucky enough to get a seat at the sold-out Rowenta Charity Tea, remember that this year it will be held in a new location – Second Floor of the Pavilion, Room A. If you’d like to contribute but were unable to attend the tea, your donations of small “pink gift” items are welcome! Drop them off at the Susan G. Komen For The Cure kiosk located in the Showplex building near the Ticket Office. Thank you for making this event another success!

As we ramp up for the 2008 Expo, I’d like to share an email from Lisanne Yuricich, Clotilde Yuricich’s daughter. Clotilde is a nationally recognized sewing authority, lecturer and author of Sew Smart. You may have purchased sewing tools and supplies at her online store, www.clotilde.com.

“Mom is celebrating her 80th birthday this year.  She will be attending the show this year with her dear friend, Kathy Ruddy.  Mom has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.  Mom knows she has some "memory issues" or "forgetfulness."   She enjoys things in the moment but she does not initiate conversations much anymore.  She listens and smiles. She has always so loved the women of Puyallup -- she is really looking forward to the trip.  But they should know this may be their last opportunity to say hi to her and to connect,” Lisanne said.

We’re organizing a project to honor Clotilde.  You can sign a giant card at the Expo (location to be announced in the next newsletter).  Or you could bring your own card for Clotilde and drop it off at the kiosk near Kathy Ruddy’s booth (# 611).

Janet York, Show Manager
Sewing & Stitchery Expo

Janet works on the Puyallup Sewing & Stitchery Expo throughout the year – but the Expo is only part of her job. Janet is also responsible for organizing 30 other conferences and meetings each year as a Conference Manager for Washington State University’s Center for Distance and Professional Education.  “Expo is by far the biggest thing I plan each year.  With over 30,000 attendees – it’s like giving a gigantic four-day party!” Janet said.  Janet coordinates all of the logistics for the show.  That includes negotiating contracts, arranging for the audio visual equipment, working with the decorator, ordering lighting, coordinating stage set-up, and much, much more.  A big part of her job is working with the vendors.  She distributes information about renting vendor booths, determines who’s returning and the number of booths available for new vendors, and works with Joanne Ross and Ann Sagawa to create the vendor floor map.  Janet is also the main contact person between the Expo and the Puyallup Fairgrounds management.  She says, “The challenge in the last few years has been dealing with the new construction on the Fairgrounds – trying to figure out the best location for all the events going on during the four-day show.”  Janet is also responsible for developing the print materials for the Expo – including the registration brochure and the at-door newspaper.

Do you travel to the Expo by bus? We want your stories!  We’ve really enjoyed profiling the “girlfriend groups,” and now we’d like to profile bus tours!  Who are you?  How far do you come?  How many are in your group?  Where do you stay?   How many years have you been coming to the show?  Send your stories to me (Rita Farro) at ritafar@mchsi.com. We’d love to get pictures of you as you arrive in Puyallup!

See you at the show!