Patty S has sewn with me for many years, and is an accomplished Needlewoman. The frequency of her visits to my studio depends on her work schedule. She often makes costumes for the hula group she dances with. In fact, Patty is very interested in costumes and historical garments. She tells me she is going on a vacation where everyone will be wearing costumes of a certain era.

Patty loves attention to detail and loves hand work. Enjoy the slideshow of her creations through the years.

Cathy has been coming to my Saturday sew labs for many years now. She works full time, and so she sews when she can. She has made some beautiful clothes over the years, and always buy the best quality fabrics. Please take a look at some of her creations. Enjoy her slideshow.

I first met Diana and her sister at a class in Stone Mountain and Daughter Fabrics in Berkeley. She has been a loyal member of the Wednesday evening gals ever since. She recently retired, and now has more time to sew. Diana’s sewing is very fine, and I have always loved how she places her tools while she is sewing. It's a true sign of an organized brain. Please enjoy looking at her garments and celebrations with fellow sewers. Enjoy her slideshow.

Thea

Thea and I met many years ago when I used to teach for Acalanes adult education. She knew how to sew, and just needed garment fitting. Thea has a busy life with 3 teenagers and all that kids bring to your life. I love that she comes to my sewing retreats to Auburn and San Juan Bautista. Thea joins us every Wednesday evening for sew labs, and has created some lovely garments. It is my pleasure to share this slideshow of Thea's work with you. Enjoy her slideshow!

Joy D

  It has given me such pleasure to teach Joy to sew. She is so very talented and is naturally creative. She enjoys being in the studio on Wednesday mornings and has made some beautiful garments. Not only is Joy a full time doctor but she is a brilliant wet felter and scrapbooker. Oh and she makes hats and  jewelry. Enjoy her slideshow!

JoAnn F

I would like you to meet JoAnn, another talented Needlewoman. JoAnn has been sewing with me for many years along with her sister Diana. We enjoy many Wednesday evenings sew labs together, and she has frequently attended my sewing retreats. JoAnn enjoys making garments, quilts, and bags, and going to the American Sewing Guild Convention's. She is currently excited about designing a new wardrobe to fit her smaller dress size, and we are all happy to see her make this happen.

View JoAnn's slideshow

Kathleen M

Kathleen is a regular member of my Monday morning sew labs, and we have spent several years together. We’ve shared weddings and becoming  grandparents. Since Kathleen is also a weaver, she could weave her grandson a blanket. She also wove the fabric for one of her jackets.

Many of our sewing students have enjoyed tours by Kathleen at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco where she is a docent.

I am happy to share with you the wonderful range of garments that Kathleen created for herself and her family throughout the years. Enjoy!

View Kathleen M's slideshow.

Diana T

I first met Diana at an ASG sewing retreat in Auburn, California, and since then she has been a regular visitor to my studio. Her slideshow will show you creations she has sewn at home and in my studio. Diana was already an accomplished Needlewoman when we met, and she is continually improving her skills. She has a  wonderful sense of style, and has the confidence to try lots of new things where others would be fearful. 
I love her positive attitude, and she brings sunshine to the studio when she comes on Friday mornings.

View Diana's slideshow

Susie Birden Brown

Our Susie is a wonderfully colorful character! She is very talented in many walks of her life. I spend most Wednesday evenings in my studio with Susie, and I am always impressed by her energy and capacity for production!
She is always ready to try something new. She has become a very accomplished instructor, teaching how to make tuffets and the use of Palmer Pletsch patterns.
Susie retired from a full nursing career and is now a school nurse and works at Stanford hospital. She owns a quilting business and is a past president for a local A.S.G. Chapter.
I am sure she needs very little sleep. It is with much pleasure that I share with you just some of the garments Susie has made.

View Susie's slideshow.

Jeanne O'Brien

I'd like to introduce you to Jeanne who is tall and slim and
looks good in all she wears, and is the envy of many of us! She came to my sew labs originally for help with marrying her fabric to patterns, and she has way passed that goal.
Jeanne takes an active roll in weekly sew labs, challenges, and sewing retreats. Enjoy!

View Jeanne's slideshow

Janice Crawford

What can I tell you about Janice? She loves to sew and loves fabrics, and by all accounts has a nice collection. It can be frustrating to find time to sew when you are a Doctor in charge of an active ER, and also have a huge garden to cultivate! She still schedules her time to come to a weekly sew lab, and I am delighted now that her daughter is away to college she is coming to my Spring Sewing Retreat at Asilomar. Take a look at some of her creations.

View Janice's slideshow

Santina Handling

I first met Santina when she brought her niece to the studio for sewing lessons. After that she decided sewing was something she would enjoy too........so now she spends all day on Monday twice a month in the studio. She is such a pleasure to be with and has made some lovely garments. She is a whiz at making bags and purses. Sometimes, when her Mom Sylvia comes to visit, she brings her along to sew too. Please take a look at what Santina has created.

View Santina's slideshow.

Maria Tracy

Please meet Maria, a true artist in many aspects of her life. She is a regular Friday morning student and I have watched her grow and improve her sewing year by year. What I love about Maria is that she always adds that little extra something to make her garments unique. She is SO creative with leather, and her linings are often screened with designs. She has a flair for interior design and generously entertains us in her Pacific Grove home when we go on our Asilomar Sewing Retreats.

View Maria's slideshow.

Laura Wilson

I have known Laura for many, many years. In the early days she came to my Monday night sew labs and sewed beautiful dresses for her daughter Ellen who was a toddler then and is now off to college. I was in designer heaven because Laura brought so many lovely fabric choices for me to suggest ideas for each dress.

In later years, Ellen started to ice skate and that started a whole new type of sewing for Laura as she created the most amazing skating dresses for Ellen's competitions.

Laura also has a love of quilting and has made amazing quilts for family and friends. Her attention to detail and incredible tenacity for high standards shows in all of her work today.

It is such a pleasure to show you some of Laura’s garments and quilts...Jane.

View Laura's Slideshow

Betty Parker

Betty P. is the dearest friend. I have known her for many years and I hope many more! She can sew anything and does so much good in the world for other people. My dog Sadie adores her, and she house sits with her when I go away. I think quilting is her first love and knitting comes a close second.

Let me share some of Betty's work with you. Enjoy...Jane.

View Betty's Slideshow

Ellen Severson

I have had the pleasure of knowing Ellen S. for many years. We met when I was teaching adult education for the local school district. She then started a weekly trip to my studio.

Ellen has an amazing sense of her own style. She LOVES clothes and jewelry and I always look forward to seeing what she has creatively put together! She is an accomplished Needlewoman and friend and I am happy to share some of her work with you .Enjoy...Jane.

View Ellen S's Slideshow

Katherine W

I am so happy to introduce you to Katherine W., my "Needlewoman of the Month" for September. She is a very talented artist, musician, teacher, and quilter who  has been coming to my sew labs for about 18 years! When Katherine and I first met, she was hand smocking dresses for her one year old daughter and needed help sewing them together. Yes her daughter is now in college! Katherine's bright positive personality means she a pleasure to have in the studio. She has been a prolific needlewoman of clothes for herself and her family, and of many many quilts to keep as family heirlooms. Katherine recently returned to teaching Kindergarten classes and her energies have poured into her classroom. I miss our weekly labs and now look forward to occasional Saturday mornings  when she comes to sew. ....Jane

View Katherine's Slideshow

Vicki Wingo Grant

I am happy to share Vicki with you. Vicki is a trooper! With all the health and life challenges Vicki copes with, she is still always an amazing "glass half full" gal. She has so much knowledge about sewing blogs and sewing online chats, and can regularly share with us some new link for information. Vicki is a regular Friday morning sew lab person and has made some wonderful garments, including a "swap" collection. She is always ready to try something new, and I love working out sewing challenges with her. Enjoy her slideshow.....Jane.

View Vicki's Slideshow

Ruth C

Ruth C. is an accomplished Needlewoman. Her creations are skillfully made and well finished. She is adventurous and uses snaps and unusual fabrics where others fear to tread! You can tell this gal loves brown which is a great neutral on her. She has recently had a rough road healthwise but I am so happy that she is sewing again. You will see that nothing looks "homemade". Enjoy....Jane.

View Ruth's Slideshow.

Helen F

Elegant and casual chic are terms that come to mind when I think of Helen F. She looks beautiful in all the clothes she creates. Always ready to learn and try something new, Helen is a pleasure to have in Monday sew lab sessions.

Here are a few of the garments that she has created. Enjoy....Jane.

View Helen's slideshow.

Sally Baker

Sally B. sews with me on Friday mornings. She leads an active life and so likes to make clothes to go with that sporty casual style. Her skill level improves with every garment she makes. You will see that Sally adds an artistic and unique flair to her work, especially with her knit tee shirts. She uses paint and discharge paste to screen designs onto her fabric after she has cut out the pieces and before sewing them together. I am proud to share Sally's creativity with you. Enjoy.....Jane.

View Sally's Slideshow

Jasna J

Jasna J. was born in Slovenia and lived in Canada for many years. I, for one, am glad she is now in California and that I have her company all day on Mondays. She has a unique style and her skill level has progressed in leaps and bounds. She has gathered many quality sewing tools and she has a hunger for more knowledge in this craft of design and construction. Everyone loves Jasna's quiet but determined personality, so take a look at her slideshow of garments and enjoy....Jane.

View Jasna's slideshow.

Barbara B

Barbara B. is a fine Needlewoman. She was a very accomplished quilter before she came to the studio. Her quilts are beautiful and show her amazing sense of color. She especially loves Japanese fabrics. Her goal has been to create clothing that she looks and feels good in, and she has certainly arrived there. It is with great pleasure I share with you Barbara's slide show....Jane.

View Barbara's slideshow.

Jackie L

Jackie L. was born in Hong Kong and watched her mother sew. She is an exceptional tailoress as you will see. She has been working with me for many years and is well prepared with her sewing. She has mastered pressing and accuracy especially with tailoring. Jackie fits her paper patterns to her dress form before she comes to lab and then I check them over. She has enjoyed sewing for her daughter and her friends. Jackie comes to Saturday morning sew labs and I am proud to share her work with you...........Jane

View Jackie's slideshow

Vicki M

Vicki M. has been sewing with me for over 10 years. She started sewing in junior high school in the Bay area. As you can see she makes most of her clothes and loves to shop at Britex. She works full time and so comes to the Wednesday evening lab every week. After I told her how good she looks in  beautiful Fall colors, her fabric choice reflected this palette and her garments look wonderful. Even her dog “Eddie” is in her colors! Enjoy....Jane.

View Vicki's Slideshow

Zelda B

Zelda B. is a loyal Monday afternoon visitor to my studio. As you will see she  creates beautiful garments with quality fabric. Her mother gifted  her with a Bernina sewing machine for her 50th birthday and that motivated her to take a class with me at Stone Mountain and Daughter fabrics in Berkeley. She is a writer, an active contributor to local politics and has lectured in American literature at  the University of California, Santa Barbara I am honored to share her talent with you......Jane.

View Zelda's slideshow

Barbara M

Barbara M. was born in England, and started to sew in school when she was 10. She loved it and soon realized she had been gifted with this skill. She is a loyal member of Monday morning sew labs and is a very resourceful gal. Barbara is a bargain hunter and has created many wonderful garments with fabric from the "freebie" corner in the studio. She came to the States with her husband and daughter in the late 90's and so it is a pleasure to share her designs with you.....Jane.

View Barbara's slideshow.