We are pleased to announce our new sewing blogger for our website. Cathy Ellsaesser has over 50 years of sewing experience. Her careers over the years have included working as a research scientist, information technology superintendent, and manager of leadership training and development. Throughout her career, though, she always made time to pursue her favorite pastime — sewing. Now that she’s retired and living in Colorado, her favorite pastime is her daily passion.
With Cathy’s addition to our team, we will expand our blog to make sure that we:
Share what’s going on in our stores, bringing attention to upcoming events and new technology.
Connect with our customers and readers, to find out what your interests are and how we can help you.
Create content that will benefit our readers, educate them, and help solve their sewing problems.
Inspire our customers to try new things, bringing their creative potential to the forefront.
Please join us in welcoming Cathy to the team and read on to find out more about our new blogger in her own words.
A Word from Cathy
I love to sew! How well I remember making my first blouse. I think I was 12 years old. It was yellow gingham. When I hemmed it, I thought I could just cut evenly along the checks and then fold it up to stitch it. Of course, it wasn’t cut and sewn for that, and it was a disaster! That was my first sewing mistake, but certainly not my last!
Since then, I have tried my hand at all types of sewing. I made my maternity clothes, my boys’ rompers and footed sleepers, and even tried my hand at making a sports coat. Although I don’t do much garment construction any more, I do still enjoy making dresses for my granddaughters.
My Projects
These days I enjoy making cornices, shades and pillows and other home decorating items, as well as purses, tote bags and diaper bags.
Some of my favorite activities are machine embroidery and quilting. I love the Anita Goodesign products! Shown here are some of the seasonal wall hangings I’ve made, including Mylar Christmas, On Point Autumn, Confetti Spring and Summer, and the Pledge of Allegiance.
My Equipment
The Brother PR1000 ten-needle embroidery machine and the Brother Quattro sewing machine, all purchased from Rocky Mountain Sewing and Vacuum, are a couple of my favorite tools. In addition, I use the Brother Scan and Cut to cut out appliques. I also just bought the Juki QVP 2200 to try my hand at long arm quilting. That will be a learning experience for me that I hope to share with you.
I would love to hear from you with any thoughts as to what you’d like to see on the blog. Please ask me any sewing questions you have, and I’ll try to find the answers. I’d love to see sewing tips and tricks that you would like to share with others. Please feel free to comment below. In the meantime, come by one of our stores to look at some of the available Anita Goodesign discs. If your local Rocky Mountain Sewing and Vacuum store does not have the Anita Goodesign collection(s) you want, they will be happy to order for you. While you’re there, get a demonstration of the newest machines capable of helping you create a masterpiece.