Get to know the Sew-n-Such staff who are here to be “Your Creative Sewing Community!!!”

As owner of Sew-n-Such I, Joanne, would love to be included in the staff list but as most of you know, I work full time for AT&T and look forward to persuading them to bridge my 30 years of service so that I may retire. 
As this is an on-going process, getting my retirement,  I present to you the outstanding staff and talented teachers that make Sew-n-Such the “Happiest Place on Earth.  OK, maybe that one’s taken, but we do have a good time here.  Read ahead about the talent within our castle and sign up for a class today.

Rosalie Pelham
I have been it the sewing field for as long as I can remember and began free motion machine embroidery in 1981 by taking a class at Napa Community College taught by Bambi Stalder.  After a year I completed  a certification class presented by Creative Stitches of Salt Lake City,  Utah and was accepted into the National Machine Embroidery and Instructors Association (NAME).  In 1985 I joined the California Association of Machine Embroidery, where I served on the board of directors of CAME for 10 years in the positions of Past President, Past Vice President and Seminar Director 2 times.
Following my sons to Reno 12 years ago I have enjoyed the sewing community ever since.
I am a free-lance sewing and machine embroidery instructor having taught in various locations while traveling with my husband and have taught for CAME and NAME numerous times. I stay  current in this  chosen field by attending yearly advanced and instructor seminars and teaching free lance for Truce Meadows Community College.
After retiring I found I missed the hubbub.  I am now enjoying several days a week at Sew-n-Such and have started an monthly “Explore Your Embroidery Club”.   I enjoy most areas of sewing, except the ripping, but my all time favorite remains free motion embroidery, a close second is Hoop system embroidery.

Janet Inda
I have loved to sew all my life. I started when I was 7-8 years old and taught myself the basics. As I got older I took several classes to help me further my ability to do more specialized sewing. I became an elementary school teacher and taught in the Washoe County schools several years before owning several Nursery Schools while my daughter was small. After that I had an Alterations business for many years. I finally gave that up and starting teaching serger classes at Sew & Such 8-9 years ago. I wanted to combine my love for teaching and sewing, so now I teach beginning sewing to adults as well as children. You can also find me working at the store now and then and willing to assist with your sewing questions.

Diane Boone
I am  a recently retired high school teacher who enjoys teaching adults new, creative ways of using their sewing skills.  As a finalist in the 2001 Hoffman Fabric Challenge, I have attended Bernina University 5 times and have been a teacher for the Creative Sew Festival. As a co-hosted of the Sew-n-Such Sew Club for 11 years we hold monthly meeting to share new ideas and creative inspiration.  Recently, I have worked closely with designer Lois Ericson in developing her Creative Embroidery CD’s and several patterns. 
My passions include machine embroidery, felting, garment construction and working with  unusual fabrics. You can find me working part time at Sew-n-Such, running my custom sewing and embroidery business and teaching a variety of classes for the store.

Kathleen Dziurda
I love to sew and it doesn’t matter what it is, everything from garments to home dec. to heirloom, as long as it has cats or embroidery on it!!  I haven’t done any full size quilts but have done several small ones and lots of wall hangings.  The highlight of 2008 for me was attending the Martha Pullen sewing event in Arlington, Texas.  I entered their contest and won First Place in Machine Embroidery and Best in Show with a wool jacket that I made and embroidered.
I am a 5th generation native of Nevada.  I began learning to sew about age 4 when my Grandma Fern gave me a hoop with a stamped design and some floss.  Mom and 4-H furthered my interest in the subject.  Holding degrees from the University of Nevada, Reno, in Home Economics Education and Science I was a certified teacher since 1972 when I retired in 2000 after more than 20 years of teaching high school.  Further training since retirement has included classes at OESD, 5 years of Bernina University, more than 40 hours of embroidery software training, and many seminars at a variety of sewing and embroidery events.  Currently I co-host Sew Club at Sew-n-Such and provide regular classes in computerized embroidery designs.  Currently my business ventures are digitizing for private clients and a number of businesses in the Northern California and Nevada area.

Jackie Joy
Hi, my name is Jackie and I am a quilter. I’ve been quilting for over thirty years, and I began by doing everything the hard way: marking around templates, cutting each piece out with scissors, and sewing with needle and thread. I quilted by hand also.
Time passed, and I learned how to use a rotary cutter with an Omnigrid ruler; and I bought a new sewing machine with a quarter inch foot. I found it was faster to use a machine, and because of osteoarthritis, it was also easier.
To further my quilt education, I try to take classes annually with the Empty Spools Seminars in California.  I have taken hand appliqué with Becky Goldsmith (of Pieces of Cake) and Elly Sienkiewicz, and machine appliqué with Sue Nickels.  Color theory with Joen Wolfrom, fabric collage with Rosemary Eichorn, and an exploration of creativity with David Walker.  I first learned machine quilting with Elizabeth Spangler and refined those skills with Diane Gaudynski last year.  Jan Krentz taught me a better way to make a Lone Star.  Now I am teaching classes here at Sew-n-Such and look forward to sharing my passion with others. 

Nancy Stevens
My name is Nancy Stevens and I started working at Sew-n-Such in late July, working one day a week. I normally work on Tuesdays and fill in when one of the other ladies has a prior commitment. After the first of the new year, I will probably be changing my days to Wednesday. My passion is sewing and I love to do garment sewing. I sew for myself as well as for my grandsons, and other family members. I also enjoy doing crafts and craft sewing. I have two wedding dresses to my credit, one for my daughter's wedding - 19 years ago and the other was for a friend here in Reno. I also enjoy doing repairs on items for friends and occasionally for customers who come into the store and need help with a sewing project. I started sewing when I was in about 7th grade. I did not have any
training until I entered my freshman year of high school when I took Home Economics. My grandmother was a sewer, but I do not remember her teaching me anything special. My mom did some sewing and purchased my very first electric sewing machine. From then on I have made many of my own clothes. When I lived in Oregon, I took many classes from ladies at a local sewing store similar to Sew-n-Such. I used to make all of my mothers polyester slacks. I believe I gave away over 60 pair after she passed away. I have also made a man's sport coat and slacks to match. That was years ago. It is a pleasure as well as fun working at Sew-n-Such. I enjoy meeting all the customers that come into the store and love to see their completed projects. I am a member of Sew Club at Sew-n-Such as well as American Sewing Guild. The Guild holds a sit-n-sew called Koffee Klatch at the store on the 3rd Friday morning of each month. I look forward to meeting you at the store if I have not already had the pleasure.