 Currently on display in my workshop is my award winning parson's chair slipcover beadazzled with austrian crystals. Soon I will pack it up and head west to Hickory for show-n-tell at the 2012 Slipcover Summit. I'll be teaching a class on displaying slipcovers and will be demonstrating the beading technique I used in my slipcover design. Class participants will leave with their own beaded samples! The class is Friday June 29 8:30-noon and class size is limited to 12. For more information and to register visit slipcoversummit.com . Sometimes life has a way of resetting our priority buttons for us, and I did not make it to the Art to Wear Design Showcase after all. But I am proud to have been able to sponsor this collaboration between talented students of the College of Design and College of Textiles. Check out the talent at ART TO WEAR ROCKS REYNOLDS. More photos at News & Observer. But for some things there is a next time, and when the time comes, I will be ready.     I've always known that slipcovers and dresses were kissing cousins. So I finally decided to give dress making a try, and stitched up an outfit to coordinate with my parson's chair slipcover. What I learned is I have a lot to learn about dressmaking. And it's pretty tricky to pin-fit to your own body. I can see why a dress form would be a good investment, and I now have a new appreciation for my mother, who for a very long time sewed all of her own wardrobe and looked just fabulous on Sunday mornings. I've sparked a new passion for sewing fashion and I have already worn my new dress in High Point, and on Easter Sunday, and I'll wear it to my neice's wedding this Saturday. Although my daughter has banned my teal tights. Next week I will show off my dress and slipcover at the Art to Wear Design Showcase in Reynolds Coliseum at North Carolina State Univeristy. Art to Wear is an educational event put on by the College of Design and College of Textiles students and attracts approximately 4000 attendees. The Design Showcase is an opportunity for students and alumni to showcase their work. For more information visit http://www.ncsu.edu/project/design-projects/art2wear/about/  What better way to kick off March than showcasing slipcovers? Today's trade show was sponsored by Unity in Design, the premier event of the High Point Design Center. www.highpointdesigncenter.com On my travel adventures I always expect to meet great folks, and today was no exception. My trade show neighbor was none other than Todd Zagaroli, master designer and builder of heirloom quality leather furniture. Todd's booth was quite a draw as he was showing luxury products from Edelman Leather. I learned to appreciate the knowledge and skill required to work in leather long ago in my experience building prototypes of wearable computers for product development firms.  Todd's knowledge of leather was impressive and his sign was really cool. The Edelman Leather logo was designed by Andy Warhol. Andy Warhol! Seems Andy worked for the Edelman's in the late 50's and 60's as their graphic designer. The marketing piece shown below is definitely a keeper. And I will need to get my hands on some of that luxury leather in the near future to create my very own luxury leather chair. http://www.edelmanleather.com  I wish I had time to tell you about all the other great folks I met today in High Point but I'll just say my imagination runs wild and this is why designers must come together to share ideas and resources and attend events like Unity in Design.  I am pleased to announce I will be co-hosting Slipcover Summit June 2012 at the Hickory Furniture Mart. The only event of its type in the country totally devoted to the art and profession of making slipcovers for furniture. Organized by Karen Erickson, this event moves around the country each year, and I am excited to be bringing it to NC for the first time.
http://www.slipcoversummit.com/  Pencil Me In hosted the Triangle WCAA August meeting. Together, Jackie Soderling and I presented the program on “Covering it With Slips - What it is Really Like to Run a Slipcover Business”. It was a fun morning of conversation with this great group of Small Business Owners.
 Jackie Von Tobel called for slipcover artisans from across the USA to design slipcovers for her booth at IWCE Vision ’11 in Las Vegas. So I whipped up these yummy cushions and pillows, which were fabricated from the newly launched Jackie Von Tobel Collection of print on demand fine cotton and linen fabrics. These fabrics are so soft and wash and wear beautifully. Check out Jackie’s offerings at www.jackievontobel.com .
 In celebration of Art to Wear’s 10th Anniversary, the first ever Design Showcase was added to make the event especially memorable. Art to Wear is a collaborative show between NC States’s College of Design and College of Textiles Students. The Design Showcase was an opportunity for students and alumni to showcase their products, services and causes. I thought it would be fun to “dress” a chair for this fashion event. Fabric for the slipcover is Kiwi Suzani from the Jackie Von Tobel Collection of print on demand fine cotton and linen fabrics. I shopped etsy and found a beautiful pair of Fownes gloves made in USA in the 1960’s from LenaLucia’s shop. Also from etsy I found a hat from the 1980’s from FruFru4YouYou’s shop. A portion of the sale of the hat goes to the Raymond Hudd Millinery Award for students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A pair of my favorite shoes finished off the look. For more info about Art To Wear, visit www.ncsuarttowear.com .
 Destination: Hickory, NC, furniture capital of the world! After touring furniture factories and shopping at the Hickory Furniture Mart, our crew relaxed at The Inn at Hickory, a 1908 Georgian Colonial Bed & Breakfast which is furnished with the best of the area’s furniture makers.
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