We are SEW excited to announce that Baby Lock will be the exclusive machine sponsor of The Sewing Summit for the second consecutive year.  This, of course means more Bag Stalking and meeting new sewing friends and lots of long nights sewing away on Baby Lock machines during Open Sewing. Even better this year, Baby Lock is providing more machines and sergers- these ladies are in for a treat! Although the event is already sold out, we will make every effort to bring the experience back to our fans live through Baby Lock’s SEWcial media sites and here as well so stay tuned!

Here is the official press release from Baby Lock:

“Sewcial” Media on the Rise

Sewing and Blogging Conference Sold Out in One Day

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH—What do bloggers and a weekend sewing retreat have in common? Before last year, the answer would have been “not much,” but as of October 2011, sewing enthusiasts with an interest in social media gather annually at the Sewing Summit. Though only in its second year, Sewing Summit 2012 sold out in a mere 10 hours.  Those who did get tickets will be pleased to learn that Baby Lock is once again sponsoring the event, and this year will provide even more machines, including sergers!

2011 marked the first Sewing Summit and the start of a social media revolution for the sewing community. Sewing enthusiasts actively involved with blogging and connecting with others via social media gathered in Salt Lake City to sew on Baby Lock Grace machines and mingle with one another. It was a weekend filled with networking, learning new techniques, and having fun with friends new and old. Many attendees also took advantage of open sewing until 1 AM throughout the weekend!The event was so popular that this year, Sewing Summit sold 100 tickets in the first minute they were available. After 10 hours the event was sold out, six months in advance!

Erin Singleton, the event coordinator, has started a wait list for others wishing to attend, but has not officially released any additional tickets.

“When Sewing Summit was formed, we always had in mind a smaller, niche, approximately 250 person event where people could genuinely connect and weren’t just cattle-called through big ballrooms and halls,” Singleton said. “I want to provide a place where you can do that, and it’s a delicate balance.”

Throughout the weekend, attendees will take classes taught by seasoned sewing bloggers. Hands-on classes will be taught with Baby Lock machines for the second consecutive year. Last year, Baby Lock partnered with Daines Cotton Shops of Utah to provide 50 machines. This year they have stepped it up and will provide 60 sewing machines and 15 sergers.

“We are so excited for our friends at The Sewing Summit, and all of the attendees that get to go this year,” Baby Lock Assistant Marketing Manager, McKenzie Lehmann said. “We are proud to be a part of an event where the online sewing community comes to life all in one place for nothing but to meet each other and learn from each other—for the love of sewing!”

The 2012 Sewing Summit will take place in Salt Lake City, Utah from October 11 through October 13. Sewing enthusiasts who wish to be added to the wait list should email waitlist@sewingsummit.com with a simple message stating, “I would buy a ticket.”

About Baby Lock:

Baby Lock has been a leader in the sewing industry for nearly 50 years. The company brought the first home serger to the market in 1964, and since then has introduced 14 patented features to the world of serging. Baby Lock also offers a full line of other products that enhance the love of sewing, including easy to use sewing and quilting machines, embroidery products, exclusive software and industry-leading Gold Standard service and support.

Baby Lock is a major underwriter of the popular PBS television shows “Sewing With Nancy^®” starring national sewing authority Nancy Zieman and now celebrating 30 years on the air, “Quilt in a Day^®”, starring national quilting authority Eleanor Burns, and Fons & Porter’s “Love of Quilting^®” starring Marianne Fons and Liz Porter.

Favorite Quilt Challenge:

Favorite lottery wish… good luck! 

Favorite retailer shout out: (Thanks Zede’s!)

Favorite Pinterest Find:

Favorite emboidery design:

Favorite online tutorial:

Remember in the Fall when we went to The Sewing Summit and met the most awesome group of sewing bloggers on the planet and then came back and gave away the Baby Lock Audrey machine to one of the attendees here on Totally Stitchin’? Well, since then our giveaway winner, Shanny-Pants, has been hard at work of her new machine and we wanted to catch up with her on how things have been going since the Summit!  Oh an of course we asked her if she would pretty please make a Valentine’s Day inspired tutorial that we can all enjoy, and she said yes!

Here’s the bloggerview:

TS: How long have you been sewing?

Shanny-Pants: About 2 1/2 years now and I’m more addicted than ever!

TS: Are you a general sewer, quilter, craft sewer, garment? Or all of the above?

Shanny-Pants: I would have to go with general sewer, quilter and craft sewer. I wish I could say I was an amazing seamstress, but in the clothing department, I have only made skirts so far. My favorite thing to sew is quilt tops for sure!

TS: What brought you to The Sewing Summit?

Shanny-Pants: I was following both Amy and Erin’s blogs so when the first announcement came out, I thought it would be so fun to meet like minded women who had a modern style. I knew I had to sign up!

TS: What was your favorite part about The Sewing Summit?

Shanny-Pants: I loved so many things about it, I don’t know if I could pick one favorite thing! I loved the improv piecing class taught by Jessica Berrett (Urban Patchwork) as well as the Machine Quilting taught by Allison Harris. LOVED the Baby Lock Sewing Room and meeting so many wonderful, cool, creative women was the icing on the cake!

 TS: Who do you follow most in the world of sewing/quilting and why?

Shanny-Pants: That is a hard one! I honestly don’t think I have 1 favorite. I love Denyse Schmidt  fabrics and patterns and get inspiration from Pinterest and about a million blogs…There isn’t enough time in the day!!!

TS: You restarted your own blog (for the 3^rd time) after The Sewing Summit, what inspired you to try again and stick to it?

Shanny-Pants: I’ve always love the ” idea” of a blog, but I always got caught up in the actual mechanics of it – posting, thinking of new things to write about, blah, blah, blah, and pretty soon, I just overwhelmed myself with expectations. What I think finally clicked for me was that I want a blog for ME. I want to look back and see what I’ve created, what I’ve done and hopefully what I have learned along the way.

TS: What is your 2012 sewing/quilting goal?

Shanny-Pants: I have a few! I want to improve my quilting skills enough that I actually feel confident in my abilities. So far I have only quilted 2 baby quilts and a few place mats! I also want to make a Chevron quilt and a totally improv quilt as well.

We think it is so inspiring that she was stuck in the expectations phase in starting a blog, but then realized that she had to have a purpose and with that purpose, her blogging made sense!

And now for the tutorial! How cute is this Valentine’s Day inspired improv-pieced pincushion?

Click for the free tutorial!

Click the here to hop over to Shannon’s blog for the full tutorial

Thanks Shanny-Pants!

From shop girl to entrepreneur, Stephanie Struckmann, 25, has continued to instruct sewing classes in her community even after the machine store where she taught classes closed. She bought some machines from the owners and set up The Sewing Corner, a place where sewing newbies and those looking to refresh their skills can come, learn and create!

From making her prom dress in high school to the five wedding gowns she created for her fashion design degree at Lindenwood University, dressmaking seems to be Stephanie’s other passion in the realm of sewing. Other services offered at The Sewing corner are alterations, veil design, quilts and adorable baby tutu diaper covers. You can find some of these items at her Etsy shop, 

We are super excited to have Stephanie join Totally Stitchin as our newest Stitchin’ Woman and can’t wait to see the ideas and projects she shares with us!

Pictures from our visit to The Sewing Corner: