In college I did alterations for friends and continued to sew most of my own clothing, including a business suit I wore to interviews after graduation. I graduated with a BS degree in Electrical Engineering which has served me well with the computerized machines and software that is now available.
In 1987, I saw my very first Baby Lock serger and announced to my husband “I need one of those!” With 2 little girls, I was sewing dresses all the time. The Baby Lock serger was an amazing machine and very intriguing. I loved how it could make the inside of a garment look as good as the outside, how easy it was to sew with knits, and the hems it could do! The serger did not come with classes, just a VHS tape. I had to drum up my courage and unthread the entire machine so I could really learn how to use it. Owning and using one of the first home sergers has really been a blessing. I learned so much about how and why things work or don’t work. I will say though, I do love my Baby Lock Triumph and its air threading!!
During my almost 26 years living in Denver I taught machine usage classes on many machines from 3 different manufactures. I also taught the advanced computerized sewing machine classes. When embroidery machines came out for home use, I started teaching those classes as well as advanced embroidery techniques. My specialty was precise placement, which was much harder on those first machines. I love the newer embroidery machines and their wonderful firmware! When the embroidery and digitizing software came out, I jumped right in, using it as well as teaching it. I especially enjoy designing my own embroidery designs or quilt patterns, digitizing them, and then using them in my projects.