Sew & So...

Welcome to Sew & So, brought to you by BERNINA, made to create! I’m Meg Goodman, and today, you’re in for an exclusive treat. Join me on a behind-the-scenes tour of a truly extraordinary milestone—the 50th anniversary of the Houston Quilt Festival.    This isn’t just any quilt show; it’s an international celebration of artistry, creativity, and history. We’ll be diving deep with attendees, educato...

Introduction: Lina Owen, a passionate quilter and entrepreneur, shares her journey from Colombia to the United States, her quilting inspirations, and how she’s empowering the Hispanic community through her love of quilting.   Early Beginnings (1:42): Despite only starting four years ago, Lina has made incredible strides. Learn how she transitioned from other creative mediums to quilting, inspired...

Lynn Schmitt’s journey began in Chicago, where she cultivated her love for art. After attending Bradley University as a Fine Arts major, she went on to graduate from the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and Roosevelt University with a BFA in Interior Design. For 30 years, Lynn thrived as a commercial interior designer, contributing to high-profile projects like O’Hare Airport’s Delta Concourse (now Te...

In this episode, we’re thrilled to welcome back Deanna Springer. Deanna was a close collaborator with the legendary Nancy Zieman, co-founding Nancy Zieman Productions in 2007. Together, they launched a blog, social media channels, and over 40 sewing and quilting products, as well as produced 12 seasons of Sewing with Nancy .   Today, Deanna carries Nancy's remarkable legacy forward, sharing their...

Join us for this special episode as we travel to Madison Wisconsin for the Great American Quilt Show which began largely in thanks to the late Nancy Zieman. Nancy hosted  Sewing With Nancy  on PBS Wisconsin for 35 years and inspired hobbyists across the country to sew, quilt and embroider. What started as an instructional program filmed in her home in 1982 became the longest-running sewing and qui...

Welcome back to Part 2 of OMG Fashun – Friends They Never Knew They Needed. In Part one,  Co-Executive Producer Rich Brusa and Producer Marcy Guevara-Prete gave us an exclusive peek into the genesis and workings of this show. Then, several of the contestant/disruptors shared personal stories of their paths to this show and how it changed their lives.   Join us now as we meet more of the participan...

We’re taking you behind the scenes—to give you an exclusive peek into the making of OMG Fashun www.omgfashun.com But that’s not all. We’ll dive deep into intimate conversations with these contestants—scratch that, fashion disruptors—who dared to defy the norm and redefine what it means to create. But before we dive into the world of our extraordinary contestants, we’re sitting down with two of the...

Settle in with us for a back-stage tour of exactly how costumes are designed for tv shows. Learn how a certain look is achieved and how moving to LA during the writer’s strike was a “terrifying” time for our guest who moved there for the first time to find work!   Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Jennifer May Nickel completed her undergrad studies at East Stroudsburg University, did summer studies a...

Grace, who was on America’s 2016 Olympic Team placing 5th in the quadruple sculls. A much-decorated rower, she was on 4 national teams, a 2015 World Rowing Champion and walked on the team at the University of Wisconsin, Madison to eventually help the team win their first Big 10 Championship in Women’s rowing. She will be in a different role this year as one of four Olympians selected for the Paris...

Ann Brauer’s work has been featured in numerous museums, institutions and private collections including the American Museum of Art + Design, the Lodge at Turning Stone in Verona, NY, the Federal District Courthouse in Springfield, MA and Pat Metheny.   When born on a farm in Illinois, her grandmother made a postage stamp quilt made from feed sack cloth which Ann slept under for years and always fo...

BERNINA University is the annual dealer conference hosted by BERNINA…this year in Detroit, MI. Detroit, with its rich history of industry and music, embodies a resilience and creativity that inspires us all. Just as the city has reinvented itself through sheer determination and ingenuity, BERNINA continues to evolve, driven by passion and tenacity From the engineers who craft the cutting-edge mach...

Paris Green – a current BERNINA Ambassador - is one of the principals of the Couture Beauty and Sewing Academy. She also designs for and leads the online site Scarves and More By Paris. Born and raised in Dallas, TX, Paris began sewing at age 4. She became serious about her sewing at age seven and entered her first sewing competition at 9 years old. She won the Kid’s Beginner Sewing division that...

Join us for this amazing episode which takes us into through the life experiences of Amanda Richline their Product Manager & Creative Lead at Unshattered. Amanda shares her deeply personal story of addiction, recovery and building an amazing future for herself, her children and the women she works with at Unshattered. This organization is dedicated to working with women to end the addiction relaps...

We are live and in person today at the American Quilt Society’s Quilt Week in Paducah KY with our very special guest Bonnie Browning – AQS’s Executive Show Director.    Bonnie learned to sew - taught by her mom -at a young age. She made her first quilt top in 1979 in a Welcome Wagon Group in Burlington, IA. She finished her first quilt in college.   Bonnie has won numerous awards with her quilting...

(:44) This show opens with the amazing sounds of the Paducah Tilghman Marching Band who annually opens Quilt Week with their exciting showmanship and award-winning music!   (2:07) Bill Schroeder III President and CEO of AQS opens the awards ceremony and Susan Cleveland www.piecesbewithyou.com announced the Best of Show Winning Quilt. Hear personal experiences direct from those attending the ceremo...

Our guest in this episode is George Kalajian the owner/operator of Tom’s Sons International Pleating which was founded more than 50 years ago by his grandfather. Born in Lebanon and moving to the US when he was 5 years old. After working with his father for a time, he went off on his own and worked in technology, as a teacher and as a bartender. Coming back to the family business…George has worked...

Our guest in this episode is Robyn Cuthbertson. Born in Melbourne Australia and raised in Lower Plenty (about an hour northeast of Melbourne), she learned to sew from her mom. Robyn was always interested in crafting, so sewing was a natural progression for her.    She graduated from Melbourne University with degrees in Engineering and Physics and spent most of her university free time hanging out...

Designer, author, educator, and entrepreneur Jessica Barrera is our guest in this episode of Sew & So. Born and raised in Wisconsin, she learned to sew at an early age. She studied entrepreneurship at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater.   When not running her growing company, she enjoys coffee, being a mom, coffee, home decorating, travelling and black and white movies!   (1:20) How did she...

(2:04) Karen brings us back up to speed on how she learned to sew. Her mom was the influencer on her – one of six children who learned to sew at the age of 6! Hear how this all began for Karen.   (4:03) Were any of her sewing skills applicable for her training and life as an astronaut? Yes, they were…she explains here.   (4:55) How did Karen get into the space program? As a kid she started to proc...

Travel with us to Andalusia, Spain for an amazing conversation with Cristina Arcenegui Bono whole cloth quilter extraordinaire!   (2:27) How did Cristina learn to sew? Well…she never really did!   (3:15)Who is her inspiration? How about her 40 cousins?! And wait…there’s more!   (5:16) Cristina started out her career in the Travel & Tourism industry in London…to help improve her English. She shares...

Handbag Designer 101 – is synonymous with Emily Blumenthal as she has done it all. What makes her different is that she takes her creations one step further in teaching not only HOW to design…but what to do next with your creations. Born and raised as a New Jersey Girl, she now makes her home on the lower East side of New York.   (2:55) It was the entrepreneurial spirit that her parents instilled...

Only coming to quilting 5 years ago, Linda Diak has had a life full of creativity. She’s raised and sheered her own sheep for fibers to spin. She’s crafted knitting needles and crochet hooks, and beautiful bespoke art quilts. Her newfound love for quilting began at a chance opportunity to sit down at a long arm and well…let’s let her tell you more.   (2:00) How did she learn to sew? Her grandmothe...

Owner of Kinship Handwork, Tina VanDenburg has lived life others simply dream of. Ready for chances, and learning from experiences, Tina left no stone unturned in searching for passion, peace, and a fully lit-up life.   Born and raised near Grand Rapids, MI, her sewing journey began when she couldn’t find cloths that fit her body. Before that she lived in Alaska then returned to Michigan and built...

Show Notes: Yvette Todd  Yvette Todd’s creation Stash Hub is only one year old, but it’s already made bold strides in helping sewists organize their fabric, patterns, and plan sewing projects.   Only sewing since 2020, Yvette grew up in Portsmouth England. She attended the University of Bath where she met her husband…a union that proved essential to the creation and success of the Stash Hub App. ...

Show Notes: Susan Khalje    Susan Khalje joins us for this episode of Sew & So to take us into the world of couture sewing. Owner of the eponymous Susan Khalje Couture, she is also the longest contributing author to Threads Magazine. www.threadsmagazine.com Author of Bridal Couture and Linen and Cotton she also hosted Sew Much More on HGTV, teaches internationally, and hosts annual trips for group...