[November 21, 2008]

Quilters tied to technology: Computerized machines revolutionize craft

Nov 21, 2008 (The Columbian - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Margie Bourlet figures she was about 4 years old when she first started working with a needle and thread.

Now the sewing machine in Bourlet's La Center home is more like a sophisticated computer. She downloads the intricate embroidery designs she's found on the Web into the machine and it helps her tackle the complex project, sometimes breaking it down into separate jobs. In a matter of weeks she's able to churn out colorful, embroidered quilts that previously would have taken her months to complete.

"The technology is amazing. The machines do things you'd never believe they could do," said Bourlet, 68, who was wearing a denim blouse she'd embellished with an embroidery design called "Hatched in Africa."

Some of Bourlet's embroidery, quilting and applique work will be on display this weekend in the House of Sewing Machines & Vacuums booth at the Vancouver Quilt, Craft and Sewing Festival at the Clark County Event Center at the Fairgrounds. The wall-hanging quilts she will show off look like paintings, they are so intricately designed. The quilt she calls "Santa's Ride," which was made with a pattern from Anita Goodesign, has about 600,000 stitches in it. "Covered Bridge," also from Anita Goodesign, has nearly 550,000.

"It's a lot of thread and a lot of color changes," Bourlet said.
The House of Sewing Machines & Vacuums, which operates stores in Vancouver and Battle Ground, is one of about 90 vendors who will host roughly 150 booths at the show. The booths represent some of the latest products in variety of categories from fabric crafts, quilting and patterns to rubber stamping and embossing. The selection of machines on display ranges from models for embroidery and quilting to high-end combination models that can sew, quilt and embroider.

In addition to the vendor booths, the show will offer classes on topics such as creative projects for embellishing sweatshirts to the latest in fibers for machine embroidery.

Quilting and computerized embroidery "is really big right now," said Chris Butler, 41, a co-owner of the show's organizer, Rusty Barn Promotion Group of Salt Lake City. Butler's group is expanding the number of shows it holds each year. This year's festival at the event center is the second Rusty Barn has hosted in this area.

Butler attributes the show's growth to two trends. As baby boomers are retiring, they've got more time for hobbies and are gravitating to sewing and needlecrafts in part because the machines available vastly speed up the process of completing projects. There's also been a resurgence of interest in sewing among younger people, who want to learn to customize their clothing into one-of-a-kind fashion items, and have been given some exposure to sewing at school or through community college classes.

That has proven to be true in Battle Ground, where DeeAnn Altree manages the House of Sewing Machines & Vacuums store.

Altree, 48, said teenagers often come into the store after they've learned about sewing in one of Battle Ground High School's consumer science courses.

But Altree also credits do-it-yourself TV shows that demonstrate how sewing skills contribute to affordable room makeovers.

People want to know how to make their own pillows, curtains and slipcovers, Altree said. "It's more of a creative outlet than it used to be."

On the Web
DeeAnn Altree, who runs the educational programs at House of Sewing Machines & Vacuums in Battle Ground, recommends a few useful resources on the Web for sewing enthusiasts.

They are:
-- ThreadBanger, at threadbanger.com, caters to sewing enthusiasts who want to deconstruct items such as clothing and turn them into one-of-a-kind creations. The site offers videos, forums, a newsletter, a blog and contests.

-- For those who like variety or who have a specialty interest there are thousands of online quilting, needlecraft and sewing discussion groups at Yahoo.com, where hobbyists share tips and experiences.

-- Sewing machine maker Janome provides a learning center at its Web site, janome.com. The learning center offers instructional materials on a variety of techniques as well as tips and trend information. Pfaff, another manufacturer, also offers help at its site, pfaffusa.com, and free downloadable designs.

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