The Maker's Series at Original Sewing & Quilt Expo in New Orleans, LA

New Orleans, LA

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The Maker's Series

The Maker’s Series offers in-depth presentations and trunk shows from professional instructors who share their hard-earned knowledge and experience. See how to use your sewing and embroidery machine, digital cutter, laser, 3-D printer and other technologies in fast and innovative ways. Learn about costuming and other critical fitting and sewing techniques as designers and award-winning Cosplayers share their trade-secrets.

If you sew, quilt or craft, The Maker’s Series has something for everyone!

FREE with your General Admission ticket. Attend one or all – no registration required.

Friday in The Spot

10:30	Sew You Want to Make a Ball Gown \| Casey Renee for Casey Renee Cosplay
11:15	Sewing Tools That You Will Love! \| Kathy Ruddy for kathyruddy.com
12:00	For the Love of Applique \| Dianne Springer for Dianne Springer Designs
12:45	Problems with Getting Your Patterns to Fit? \| Lorraine Henry for Conselle
1:30	Changing Silhouettes, Bustles, Bodices, and Hoops \| Casey Renee for Casey Renee Cosplay
2:15	Machine Embroidery and Digitizing for Costuming \| Casey Renee for Casey Renee Cosplay
3:00	The Art of Embellishment \| Casey Renee for Casey Renee Cosplay
3:45	The Best Tool for the Job - Choosing Needles for Your Handwork \| Richard Kennair for Global Artisans

Saturday in The Spot

10:30	Sew You Want to Make a Ballgown \| Casey Renee for Casey Renee Cosplay
11:15	Why Didn't I Think of That! \| Kathy Ruddy for kathyruddy.com
12:00	Machine Embroidery and Digitizing for Costuming \| Casey Renee for Casey Renee Cosplay
12:45	How To Make and Use A Sloper \| Lorraine Henry for Conselle
1:30	The Best Tool for the Job - Choosing Needles for Your Handwork \| Richard Kennair for Global Artisans
2:15	Cutting Up on the ScanNCut \| Courtney Douthat for Allbrands.com
3:00	How to Use Zippers By-the-Yard \| Renee Kapitanski for Sallie Tomato
3:45	Coming Off the Edge Creatively With Your Serger \| Pam Mahshie for Allbrands.com

Casey Renee

Casey Renee Cosplay | facebook | instagram | YouTube

Casey Renee is an award-winning cosplayer focused on craftsmanship and sewing. Casey is incredibly passionate about cosplay craftsmanship, Disney, historical costuming, and creating educational content. In 2022, her first book, “Cosplay Foundations: Your Guide to Constructing Bodysuits, Corsets, Hoop skirts, Petticoats, and more” was published. Casey loves sharing her experience with others and helping the cosplay community learn new things and celebrate craftsmanship.

Sew You Want to Make a Ball Gown
Ballgown guru, Casey Renee is here to share her tips and tricks for making your very first ballgown. Everything from what patterns to use, how to pick out materials to adding embellishments. Casey will share some of her time saving tricks and her favorite tips!

Changing Silhouettes, Bustles, Bodices, and Hoops
Let’s take a deep dive into the garments that make up the foundation of your ballgown or historical costume. Hoop skirts, petticoats and corsets OH my! There’s so much that goes into the silhouette of a gown and I am here to dish the tea. This panel focus’ on undergarments for cosplay but the panelist has knowledge on historical underwear as well and can answer your questions at the end of the panel.

Machine Embroidery and Digitizing for Costuming
Unlock how machine embroidery can help you level up your costume-making game with Casey Renee Cosplay. Casey will cover the process of digitizing from primary sources to the order of operations when it comes to stitching out your design. Casey will offer examples from replicating costumes from popular fandoms to replicating lace and trim details from historical extant garments.

The Art of Embellishment
Learn how to level up your wares by adding rhinestones, sequins, and beads to your garments! In this presentation, sparkle expert, Casey Renee, will share her favorite embellishment techniques, how to get started, and her favorite places to shop for everything that glitters

Kathy Ruddy

kathyruddy.com | facebook | instagram
Kathy is an international sewing celebrity, educator, pattern designer, serger and fitting expert. Active in the sewing industry since 1962, she is the star of 10 Serger and sewing videos and author of 12 Serger and sewing booklets and her enhanced books on CD called Three ways to Learn CDs. Her specialty is to show how to sew and serge fast and easy without sacrificing quality, fit or fashion details.

Sewing Tools That You Will Love!
Learn how to use sewing notions and techniques to make your creative process fun and successful! Watch Kathy Ruddy as she models her wardrobe and shows how she uses her favorite sewing tools to create them.

Why Didn't I Think of That!
Join Kathy as she shares random techniques to perform sewing skills, faster and easier with better results than the traditional approach.

Courtney Douthat

Courtney Douthat is the host of the show "AllBrands After Hours". She has years of product knowledge, a decorating, crafting, and creative background, and is a fantastic educator. Let Courtney show you what you can do with equipment easily that you haven't thought of yet.

Cutting Up on the ScanNCut

In this presentation we will discuss all the things that the Brother Scan N Cut has to offer. It is a very versatile machine. Scandalous – Scan Designs – Cut Vinyl, Fabric and More…. Precise Cutting – Even Fussy Cut – Great for Applique, Embroidery and combining the two.

Lorraine Henry

conselle.com | facebook

Lorraine is a specialist in sewing, fitting and pattern alteration for Conselle Institute of Image Management. With a degree in Clothing and Textiles, teaching pattern alteration and fit is her favorite thing to do. Her Two Easy Measuring tape set has been an aid for achieving good fit for fashion sewers throughout the world. With 40+ years experience as a custom dressmaker/tailor/teacher, she has a wealth of knowledge to share with you about sewing and fit.

Problems with Getting Your Patterns to Fit?
Struggle no more...altering patterns can be easy! With the newest method of pattern alteration it is quick and easy to alter whatever part of the pattern that need to be changed. Come and ask questions, tell Lorraine what your problem with fit is, and see how to alter the pattern to correct it. Learn about the order to do alterations in and how that makes a huge difference in the out come of the fit. Amazing!

How To Make and Use A Sloper
Sloper? What's a sloper? It is the best tool one can use to find out where a pattern needs to be changed to fit you body. Making one is easy! Then see how to use it on a new pattern you haven't made up before to see how your needs are different from what is given in the pattern.

Richard Kennair

globalartisans.shop | facebook | instagram | #AWorldofHandcrafts

Richard has spent over 20 years working with handcrafters across Africa. Global Artisans is the largest North American importer and distributor of House of Embroidery products from South Africa, including gorgeous hand dyed yarns and threads. His personal crafting passion is needlepoint. He has expert level knowledge in all aspects of hand crafting.

The Best Tool for the Job - Choosing Needles for Your Handwork
Handwork is more and more popular. But how do you choose the most appropriate needle for your task. Richard will go through the process of making needles and what the different types of needles are best for different hand crafts.

Dianne Springer

diannespringerdesigns.com

Dianne loves every aspect of craft and art she has attempted, inluding sewing, painting, glass blowing, sculpture and knitting. She acquired a Master's of Fine Arts degree in 1998 and after teaching in the Talented Visual Arts program for 25 years in the public school system, she began a new phase of art...quilting. In addition to teaching various aspects of quilting, Dianne designs fabrics and products, vends at quilting events and is the author of "Scrap-O-Later Quilts and More"

For the Love of Appliqué
Say goodbye to frayed raw edge applique! Dianne will share her best practices for applique that will have your master pieces last a lifetime, even after hundreds of washings.

Renee Kapitanski

How To Use Zippers By-The-Yard

Have you always wanted to use zippers by the yard, but don't know how to use them? Come see how easy and versatile it is as well as money saving when you make your own to the length that you need.

Pam Mahshie

Bernina

Pam Mahshie is the Business Manager for Overlocker Machines with BERNINA of America. In this role, Pam leads product development directly with BERNINA factories, position and train BERNINA Dealers and work with the Education Department to create stimulating consumer events. Prior to joining BERNINA of America, Mahshie spent over 30 years at Baby Lock where she held many roles including Regional and District Sales Manager, Educational Director and Ambassador of Education. Throughout the years, she has also appeared on numerous PBS programs including Sewing with Nancy, Martha’s Sewing Room and Quilting with Marianne and Mary Fons. Mahshie graduated from Madison Area Technical College with a degree in clothing and textiles with a specific focus on sales. Bio Courtesy of BERNINA of America

Coming Off the Edge Creatively With Your Serger

Sergers are more creative than you realize and Pam Mahshie will share her knowledge and expertise with you. Learn how to effectively use decorative thread and what threads work best for different techniques. There is more to edge finishes so come and be amazed, you will be blown away in so many ways