A SUMMER SEW FESTIVAL
with free contest
PRESENTERS' BIOS
Our esteemed panel of experts
Jane Clauss
Jane Monzures Clauss is a two-time EMMY winning television personality. Currently the host of Creative Living on the COX Media Yurview Network, and host of Living Healthy Chicago on WGN TV. She contributes her UpCrafting tips as a Brother Sews Ambassador and she contributes to the monthly ENJOY Magazine, and the popular DIY site FaveCrafts.
Angela Wolf
Angela Wolf entrepreneur and fashion designer, is the host of the PBS series It’s Sew Easy and host of Behind the Scenes and At Your Side Virtually weekly Facebook and YouTube live show. Founder of Angela Wolf Patterns and Angela Wolf Academy featuring online classes and the Fashion Sewing Club. Along with the many online classes on Angela Wolf Academy, Angela also teaches on Craftsy (formerly Bluprint) and Patternreview.com with over 190,000 students from all over the world.
Angela is the Author of How to Start a Home-based Fashion Design Business, blogger, vlogger, and contributor to various sewing magazines including Threads and Sew News.
Cindy Hogan
Cindy resides in Georgia with her husband. She has a BS and MS from the University of TN in Special Education and was a full time Special Education teacher until 2003 when she decided to change career paths and use her knowledge of PE-DESIGN® and Education to be a freelance National Product Training Specialist for the for all Brother Software Programs. Cindy is an internationally recognized Brother Software expert. She began working with the PE-DESIGN® software when it was first introduced and began teaching all Brother Software thereafter. She is also national recognized as an expert on the Brother Scan-N-Cut and machine embroidery.
She teaches classes on the Craftsy Platform and has been a guest instructor on the Hit TV Show “It’s Sew Easy”.
April Yang (YT: Coolripa)
Sewing, DIY, and upcycle fashion content creator since 2011. I teach and inspire people to turn old clothes into something new whether it's everyday fashion or cosplays. With over 440 videos on Youtube, April has garnered 2.25 million subscribers and counting. Teaching millions of people how to DIY their clothing.
You can also find April on Tik Tok, having fun with her family and friends.
Joanne Banko
A graduate of Progressive Fashion School formerly located in Cleveland Ohio, Joanne Banko is an author, freelance sewing educator, and self-proclaimed sewing cheerleader!
As a Brother Ambassador Joanne contributes regularly to the official Brother blog, Stitching Sewcial. Guest instructor on the popular PBS It’s Sew Easy TV show, and author of the book Wrapped in Embroidery, Joanne enjoys designing projects to help sewing and embroidery enthusiasts make the most of their machines.
Visit Joanne at her sewing and embroidery website, www.letsgosew.com, where you’ll find inspiration and information to keep you happily creating in your own sewing space.
Chris Tock
Out of curiosity, Chris Tock got into sewing by chance when he participated in a Cosplay event. He then moved on to sew custom cosplay costumes for friends. Combining both his passion for sewing and education, he founded Tock Custom, a Dallas-based design studio that specializes in men’s clothing, customer messenger bags and cosplay costumes.
He also runs a successful YouTube channel sharing sewing tutorials to inspire others who may have been just like him - looking to get into sewing their own clothing or costumes.
Jennifer Gleich
Jennifer learned how to sew by making Barbie clothes and for 35+ years she kept the lover for sewing all the way into a career. Her favorite place to sew is at a quilt retreat with her best sewing friends on the Oregon coast. Her favorite machine to use is a Luminaire XP3.
Anna Avery Vaughn
Anna fell in love with quilting several years ago and has never looked back! She is especially drawn to designing modern quilts with a vintage twist and shares that love with everyone she meets as she travels to shops around the country and in her local area in Tallahassee, Florida. Not only does she like to embellish her quilts with machine embroidery, one of her favorite features to tap into in the IQ™ Designer functionality of some of her favorite Baby Lock machines. Anna believes that there is no such thing as a perfect quilt, just the perfect love that goes into making one.
Anna’s favorite machines include the Solaris, Altair and Meridian and you can find her teaching using these machines and her favorite techniques in shops around the country and online on the Baby Lock Facebook pages and machine specific groups.
Mary Nesnay
Born & raised in New Jersey, my background is in computer animation, graphic design, & American history. I began embroidering in 2019 when Disney’s D23 held a design contest for the 50th Anniversary of the Haunted Mansion.
Since then, I have learned the art of digitizing and tested a myriad of patch-making methods before finally perfecting my craft. While there are many techniques that can be applied to creating a patch, I believe my method creates the sharpest and cleanest results.
Kelly Latreille
Kelly is a National Account Trainer at Juki America Inc. An accomplished and performance-driven territory manager with a strong background in operational management, budgeting, staffing, inventory control, training and development, and customer service. Possesses a proven track record in ensuring efficient business operations and facilitating customer retention and growth through a keen attention-to-detail and dynamic forward-thinking. Contributes to success by utilizing exemplary leadership, organizational, and communication skills to resolve complex problems while perpetually redefining expectations.
Kate Toney
Kate Toney is the Embroidery Education Specialist for BERNINA of America. In addition to being an expert contributor on We All Sew for many years, Kate has also written several articles for Creative Embroidery Magazine and has been a frequent contributor to Aurifil’s Auribuzz blog.
Kate loves getting to work with bernette, traveling to many Conventions with the brand and spreading the love of bernette machines to the cosplay community.
Richard Tharp
Learn more about Richard! Richard’s passion for sewing began at a very young age, learning early on how to cut out quilt pieces for his family of quilters. It seemed only natural that he would end up becoming a quilter as well with a keen eye for design in quilts that fall into the art quilt category.
As a Hoffman Challenge winner in 2017, Richard’s quilt, “The Sisters” was part of a travelling trunk show. His “Learn, Inspire, Create” concept is evident in his teaching style and one that he loves to pass along to his students. Richard had taught all over the US and Canada and looks forward to each opportunity to connect with his students.
Shauna Westergard
Shauna Westergard is a mother of four with her tech husband. She is a Colorado transplant that loves living in the mountains and Mountain Dew. She grew up in a family of quilters and remembers playing under the quilting frames while the aunts stitched on quilts for bridal showers.
She considers herself to be an “accidental longarm quilter”, because she inherited her longarm before she had ever finished piecing a quilt top. Once she got the longarm set up she jumped in with both feet and quilted over 60 projects in the first year she had the longarm.
Linda Bratten
Linda has been a quilting/sewing teacher, in the Columbia, MO area since 2008. Linda has recently self-published a series of workbooks to enhance her Free-Motion Machine Quilting classes and has created several patterns and machine embroidery designs. Linda’s quilts are “Not like your grandmother’s”, she loves to mix different mediums and techniques to create unique one of a kind fiber art. Best of all she loves to share her knowledge and discoveries with others!
Linda has had work published in Quilting Arts and Designs in Machine Embroidery Magazines. She blogs about her sewing adventures at http://lindabcreative.blogspot.com/ which can be found on her website at www.LindaBrattenCreations.com.
Anthony Widerburg
Anthony Widerburg has been with The Grace Company for a year starting as a customer service representative and quickly took on wholesale accounts. He comes to us with a strong retail background, primarily focused on sales and customer service.
He was drawn to join our company because he aligned with our values. He is willing to do whatever is asked of him and will go the extra mile to make sure your needs are met.
In his time off, Anthony enjoys traveling, concerts, watching movies and live theatre. His dream travel destinations are Japan and New York City. Every year, he looks forward to a week-long family camping trip to unplug and enjoy the outdoors.
Julie Slesser
Julie Slesser has been with The Grace Company for almost 2 years as an Account Executive. She comes to us with over 15 years of client/retail management experience and is committed to keeping her dealers informed.
Julie is always smiling and cracking jokes. She has one of the best personalities and is able to lighten any situation.
When she is not working, Julie spends most of her time with her husband of 31 years and her three adult sons. She enjoys reading while cuddled up with her German Shorthaired Pointer (Captain), crafting, cooking, traveling to exotic places, and camping….er glamping in Utah’s amazing National Parks.
Mark Martin
Mark Martin is the Sales and Customer Relations Manager for the Grace Company. With a team of 9 wonder Account Executives, he manages the day-to-day Sales operations with both customers and dealers. Mark has been with Grace Company for over 10 years and started as an Account Executive.
He is committed in taking care of customers and dealers. He is dedicated in helping Grace Company grow. Each external interaction will be engaging and enthusiastic. Everyone he speaks with will have a high-quality experience. Outside of work Mark enjoys the outdoors, sports, and spending time with his beautiful wife and 4 wonderful kids.
Kristina Whitney
Kristina was selected to be a member of the Handi Quilter Quilt Your Desire Inspiration Squad in 2017 and has been featured in magazines, show programs, and on the Handi Quilter truck. Kristina is also a member of many local quilt guilds and enjoys continually learning and improving her skills.
Laurel Daniels
Laurel Erznoznik is an Account Executive for the Grace Company and has been with the company for around 1.5 years. Laurel has had the opportunity more recently to start building out the Ambassadors and Influencers program. She is excited for the opportunity to continue to grow the company and herself.
She loves learning and growing her knowledge of the quilting world. She has done this by attending several quilting shows and working with the education team on different projects. As an Account Executive she also has the opportunity to work with dealers all throughout the world. She is excited and looking forward to helping you have a creative and fun journey as you dive further into the quilting world.
Jarek Erznoznik
Jarek Erznoznik is an Account Executive for the Grace Company. They work closely with customers and dealers regarding the fantastic products of the Grace Company. Jarek has been with the company for over three years and originally worked in the quality check and repair department for Grace Companies Q’nique sewing machine line.
There Jarek learned invaluable experience about the inner and outer workings of the machines, and now uses that knowledge to help customers find the best Q’nique machine to suit their needs. Outside of work Jarek enjoys spending time painting, being creative, and loves spending time with their Labrador retriever Eva. Jarek hopes to make your experience and interactions with the Grace Company a fantastic experience.
Katherine Burrell
Katherine Burrell has been with Grace Company for a little over 8 months as a customer service representative. She is excited to become your Account Executive. She comes to us with over 20 years of customer service and account management experience.
Katherine is passionate about gardening. She spends as much time as she is able outside cultivating her plants and flowers. In the evenings you will find her and her husband sitting outside on their porch reading a good book, sipping on a diet Pepsi, and enjoying the beauty of her yard. Katherine and her husband are empty nesters with two children, a son and a daughter and one new granddaughter.
Janna Mathews
Janna Mathews is the Assistant Sales Manager with the Grace Company. She joined the company a little over a year ago as an Account Executive and since being promoted she has had the opportunity to work with both customers and dealers across the country. She has a great client and retail background and is committed to taking care of each person she is working with.
Although not a dedicated quilter herself, she comes from a long line of quilters and has several ufo's she would love to get finished. When she is not at work Janna is an avid baker and loves bringing in tasty treats to share. Janna can’t wait to talk to you more about all the great ways The Grace Company can help your quilting experience.
Lori Larsen
My husband and I have run an HVAC company for over 20 years and decided to retire. After 3 months we were bored and needed something to do. I started working for our CPA and was assigned to the Grace Company account. After working with them for about a year I had the privilege of joining their accounting team full time. I was having so much fun.
Another year went by, and the company found out that I knew how to quilt. There was a position open for an Education Manager and my boss told me that I needed to apply. I did and now I am able to use my passion for quilting everyday both at home and now at work.
Melinda Romero
Melinda works as an account executive at Grace. Grace believes in innovation and always providing world class customer service. They are part of the Account Management team within the Sales Department and their management level is Non-Manager. Melinda graduated from Salt Lake Community College and is currently based in West Valley City, United States.
Sara Vetser
Sara Vetser is a Brother ambassador and educator. She also creates content for various social media outlets in order to create an online brand awareness and presence. Sara also specializes in incorporating sustainable sewing and quilting by using recycled material.
Alba Fekete
Alba is a Juki Educator and machine specialist. Alba has been published in many magazines such as Sew News, Designs in Machine Embroidery, Creative Machine Embroidery, Vogue Pattern Magazine and trade magazines.
Harley Thomas
Harley Thomas has been in eCommerce as long as it has been around and has worked with all types of firms from the smallest all the way up to the Fortune 50 firms. Most people will tell you that problem solving in this industry can be a real drag, but Harley is energized by it. In fact, once he solved an online search problem that led to an increase in revenue of 40% in the first twelve weeks! He champions solutions, develops strategies, and plans all areas of eCommerce.
Stacy Lewey
Stacy Lewey is a Marketing and Product Manager as well as one of the owners of Sew Steady and Westalee Design. She has become an expert in all things Sew Steady for the last 10 yrs and Westalee Design in the last 5 yrs. She coordinates over 20 educators worldwide on sharing Westalee Design with the world.
Joanne Nielsen
Joanne Nielsen has a passion for working with customers. Since starting at Brewer in 2008, Joanne has been listening to the needs of our quilt shops, solving problems for our retailers and implementing many of the programs and processes that make Brewer their distributor of choice.
She leads Brewer’s friendly, helpful and knowledgeable team of customer service and sales representatives. Joanne loves connecting with our Brewer customers every day and introducing new fun and exciting items they can bring into to offer the best of the best selection to their customers.
Marisa Marquez
I have been quilting for the past 22 years, but it was not until 2014 that I made my first art quilt. After living in the United States for 7 years, my husband and I moved back to Spain to help my parents with their sewing machine business. To modernize the business, my sister and I introduced quilting. Although my base is self-taught, traditional quilting, I always use a machine.
As the Product Manager and Notion Buyer, my role is selecting products that align with industry trends and cater to our target audience's needs and preferences.
Karlie Belle
I’m Karlie Belle (Belle is my middle name BTW), and I’m a full time working mom by day and a craftaholic by night 😂. I live in the New Orleans area with my husband and 2 girls, Abigail and Elise.
I first became obsessed with machine embroidery when I was pregnant with Abigail in 2012 and set out to learn how to do it myself. I learned after a lot of trial and error and it took a long time to figure out what worked and what didn’t. So when I started KarlieBelle.com, I wanted to make the process of learning machine embroidery easier for others!
Linda Pacini
National Training Manager, Sewing Divisions Linda has worked in the sewing industry for over 22 years, including 10 years at Tacony Corporation. Her experience of working on the retail level for over 10 years has provided her with an insight into what creates an exceptional customer experience and how to convey product training in a clear and concise format.
Linda manages a team of highly motivated, professional trainers who offer exceptional training for consumers and retailers in person or through our Sew at Home educational classes.
Cathy Gandy
When I saw my first sewing pattern, I was so excited knowing I could start making my own clothes. I have been sewing for 49 years. My favorite place to sew is in my sewing room with my Luminair XP3 machine.
Lisa Knight
Lisa started sewing at age six, or, as she puts it, "a long, long time." Over the course of those years, she fell in love with the endless creative possibilities sewing provides. When it comes to teaching, Lisa said she loves interacting with her students and seeing their reactions.
She also adds that teaching is a two-way street, where she learns from her students in turn. It's a lesson she's retained throughout her career, and it's helped her keep a fresh approach to teaching.
Nicholas Turcan
Nicholas Turcan is a multitalented and very creative individual. His journey into quilting began in 2012 with one quilt that quickly turned into several, which made him realize that he needed a better way to finish these quilt tops than a small, domestic-sized machine.
In addition to long-arm quilting for customers, he has started to teach free-motion quilting workshops, where students can learn the confidence and skills required to further their own quilting abilities.
Allison Spence
Allison Spence has a long association with crafting in the form of knitting, sewing and quilting. Her introduction to quilting was a tied quilt given to her newborn daughter by her sister-in-law over 30 years ago. Allison enjoys all areas of quilting but prefers simple piecing designs, so she can get to the quilting part!
Allison has an education degree from the University of Manitoba and many years experience teaching aquatics. She began teaching sewing and quilting while working at a sewing machine dealer in Calgary, Alberta. She owned her own fabric store and sewing school. She now has a studio and classroom in her home and does customer quilts as well as longarm machine rentals and offers a variety of sewing and quilting classes.
Alexis Galloway
Embroidery Coach, Brother Educator & creator of My Pretty Perfect (Embroidery) Planner, Alexis Galloway has cleverly combined her passion for crafting and embroidery with a natural talent for instructing. Always finding a unique way of sharing her gift and getting others to love this craft as much as she does.
In the fall of 2019, she opened Sew Sweet Academy, a machine embroidery membership community where she goes step by step, stitch by stitch guiding her members through their projects from start to finish. When she is not at home with her outgoing daughter she is out traveling the world experiencing new foods and cultures.
Aubrey Hartman
Aubrey Hartman is an Area Sales Manager with Butler Robotics. Aubrey has a long history with thread, fabric, and a sewing needle. She has been sewing since she was 5 years old when she took a kid’s quilting class and has never looked back. She has a degree in Theatrical Costume Design and enjoys making her own clothes and especially her yearly Halloween costume.
Aubrey learned about quilt making when she took a job at a local quilt shop and quickly found herself a new hobby. Now, she is learning all about long arm quilting and long arm automation with her new position with Bulter Robotics and is loving every minute of it.
Kennedy Cook
Kennedy is our social media content creator, host of Takeover Tuesday and works behind the scenes on all our live shows. She is an avid Taylor Swift fan as well of other types of music, tv show binger and dog mom of one. You can catch her cheery persona anywhere around the office or at the car wash.
Melinda Bigley
After making her first quilt in 1995, Melinda found her passion and joy in the creative process of quilting. It was after purchasing her first Baby Lock machine that she fell in love with machine embroidery. Through instructing other sewing and embroidery enthusiasts, she realized that true joy comes from sharing her knowledge and helping others create beautiful projects they never thought were possible.
Kathy Stipe
Kathy started sewing for others as a teen because I would rather sew than babysit to make spending money. She has 45+ years of sewing experience and loves to sew in her sewing room. Her favorite machines are the Luminaire XP3 and PR1055X.
Kim Sandberg
Kim helped on the development team for PS Designer and PS Catalog, and enjoys designing, editing and teaching all about this great software for quilters. Kim loves the process of choosing or creating designs to complement and highlight her piecing.
Denise Dowdrick
Denise has been sewing everything from baby booties to wedding gowns for over 35 years. While she loves sewing in general, her real passion is quilting. Designing, piecing, and longarm quilting bring her as much joy as snuggling up with a finished quilt!
Denise’s quilting studio space includes an HQ Amara and Infinity with Pro-Stitcher.
Timm Bond
Timm Bond is a certified Juki expert and educator. He has been in the business for several years and he enjoys showing and educating other people about the many possibilities that they can do with their machines to incite more creativity with all of your projects.
Anne Hein
Anne’s passion for sewing started with the required Home Economics class. Sewing, creating unique clothes, and crafting were her things – even using her grandmother’s trundle machine.
Today you'll find Anne on the Artistic Digitizer facebook page, sharing her extensive knowledge of embroidery digitizing and editing; and helping everyone with troubleshooting their projects.