american sewing expo: a smashing success!

Posted on 05. Oct, 2009 by admin in business, travel

A few weeks ago, my mom and I drove from Omaha to Novi, Michigan (just outside of Detroit) for the American Sewing Expo. It was a five-day trip–four of them spent driving–and I think my first true road trip. I was excited to spend it with my awesome mom. By the way, this is going to be a freaking long and picture-heavy post.

We left on Thursday morning…the drive itself was just as interesting as the time we spent at the expo.

Adorable Iowa cities!

Fried breakfasts!

Windmills!

Healthier than homemade!

Nonstop peeing!

Lumpy beds!

We stopped at Ikea in Schaumburg, IL. For those of us who don’t live near an Ikea, this is like a sacred pilgrimage…I found so much stuff that we are getting for our new house.

…And we looked out our hotel window to this beautiful vista.

When we arrived at the Expo on Saturday morning, the first thing we did is find Joi Mahon, our friend who brought my vision of a pink polka dotted wedding dress to life, and who I am working with now for my upcoming line of wedding and party dresses.

Joi was one of 12 designers chosen to compete in a Project Runway-like contest to design a garment in a day and have them judged on a runway for fabulous prizes (like a trip to New York and a top-of-the-line sewing machine!). I expected to leave her alone to work all day, but when I got there, she was already finished with her dress!!

Each designer had $100 and had to use only materials sold at the Expo that weekend–so all of the fabric and notions were purchased from Expo vendors which presented an intriguing challenge. I can’t believe she put all of this together for under $100!

While we waited for the fashion show and judging to begin, we walked around and looked at all of the booths…

…Sandra Betzina was there…

…The Threadbangers were holding down the re-construction zone where they hosted workshops…

Okay, now for the fashion show.
All of the designers were introduced as their garments were modeled up and down the runway for ticketholders and esteemed judges. Joi’s model was absolutely perfect for the aesthetic of the dress.

After all of the designs were shown, the designers lined up and answered questions about their creations.

And Joi won first place!!

She was whisked away to talk to media and get photos taken, and this April she will travel to New York to meet other designers and I believe tour a few fashion houses.

This is great for Joi. And it makes me even more excited for the upcoming dress line she is helping me with.

I do have a few criticisms of the American Sewing Expo. It was very “old-school expo” and I think it would serve them well to bring the event into the 21st century with a more informational, functional website, maybe a Twitter feed, wireless internet at the event, and even some younger board members. I got the impression from the website and literature that the ASE would be very design-heavy, but when I got there it felt like yet another quilt show. Quilting is a traditional, classic form of sewing and design that takes a lot of talent and I have tons of respect for it, but even quilting and needlework can be made modern–just look at the inspiring work of so many prominent sewing bloggers like Alicia Paulson and Katie of Katie Did.

I also feel like for a creativity-centered event, the design and copy on the event literature was very poorly executed. I understand more than anybody that when volunteers plan an event, their resources are limited, but I feel like there could have been so much more of a “wow” factor in the branding, signage, and workshop programming and they didn’t get much bang for their buck. Their target demographic–old-school crafters–may have been impressed, but I think to remain sustainable, the ASE needs to appeal to younger generations by thinking creatively about branding their events.

I probably won’t attend the American Sewing Expo again–it just didn’t appeal to my interests or aesthetic as a new-generation designer and handmade artist. I would love to see future ASE events make an attempt to recruit younger sewers and crafters, but I did have a good time watching all of the designers work and hustle throughout the day. And I congratulate Joi again on taking home the grand prize! I am so proud of her.

xo