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Two Brother Machines Earn “Best Buy” Status from Consumers Digest
Brother International just announced that two of their machines have been rated as “Best Buys” by Consumers Digest.
Following a comparison of all machines in the marketplace, the ‘Project Runway’ Limited Edition CE-5000PRW was rated a ‘Best Buy’ in the economy category of computerized sewing machines, and the Quattro™ 6000D (an innovative 4-in-1 sewing, embroidery, quilting and crafting machine), was rated a ‘Best Buy’ in the premium category of embroidery and sewing combination machines. The magazine awards its Consumers Digest ‘Best Buy’ seal to products which its staff judge to offer the most value for a given amount of money.
Read the entire press release (PDF) here.
Two Brother Machines Earn “Best Buy” Status from Consumers Digest -
The 2010 Independent Handbag Designer Awards To Be Co-Sponsored By SINGER® Sewing Company and COATS & CLARK
Singer and Coats & Clark are the sponsors of the Best Handmade Bag category for the 2010 Independent Handbag designer Awards. The following is the press release on this new program.
Handbag Designer 101, the world’s handbag designer resource, announced today that SINGER® Sewing Company and COATS & CLARK will cosponsor the “Best Handmade Handbag Category” for the 2010 Independent Handbag Designer Awards (IHDA). This unique partnership will recognize the world’s finest handmade handbags and inspire handbag designers to incorporate new techniques under the auspice of two of the best known brands in the world of sewing.
“The ‘Best Handmade Handbag’ is one of the most competitive categories to our prestigious competition that spans the globe,” said Emily Blumenthal, founder of Handbag Designer 101 and IHDA. “In 2009, we had more than 300 entries in this category with the winner, Alexis Campagna of Antibellum, designing a one-of-a-kind downloadable bag with ‘how-to’ instructions for the enthusiast to make at home. We are pleased that SINGER and COATS & CLARK see the value of our competition in terms of inspiring the modern sewist.”
The SINGER name has been synonymous with sewing, reliability and innovation for the past 159 years. For nearly two centuries, generations of needle-crafters around the world have looked to COATS & CLARK for its signature quality and inspiration. The partnership of these two well-respected and loved brands allows IHDA to continue to provide the best in sewing education to more than 2,000 handbag designers and our 300,000 on-line visitors, continuing its mission as the resource for handbag designers.
Exclusively for Handbag Designer 101, SINGER and COATS & CLARK will continue to provide “Sewing Tip of the Month,” including techniques for the beginner and advanced designer as well as accessory information to make sewing easier. The monthly SINGER/COATS & CLARK Sewing Tip will be featured on Handbag Designer 101 and the Handbag Designer 101 Weekly Round-Up which reaches the handbag designer community at large and handbag aficionados throughout the world.
“We are once again pleased to be a part of this impressive competition. The 2009 Best Handmade Handbag winner’s free downloadable design was extremely popular with more than 143,000 visitors to Alexis Campagna’s handbag project page” said Gary Jones, President, Mass Sales, SINGER Sewing Company. “We are pleased to partner with Coats & Clark for the 2010 IHDA and look forward to working closely with the 2010 Best Handmade Handbag winner.
“We see this as an opportunity to develop the COATS & CLARK brand with up and coming designers from a domestic and industrial view point,” said Dale Sutherland, commercial vice president sales and marketing, sewing products. “Sharing the spotlight with SINGER makes it that much better given the longevity of our brands and the natural connection between sewing machine and thread.”
The winner of the 2010 Best Handmade Handbag will receive a SINGER CURVY™ sewing machine which boasts the world’s first SwiftSmart™ Threading System and Drop & Sew™ Bobbin System for easy machine set up, a key factor to successful sewing. The winner will also receive from COATS & CLARK a collection of various types of thread, including its new Dual Duty XP® general purpose thread, a unique poly core, poly-wrapped thread offering precise and pleasurable stitching. In addition, the winning handbag will be featured on the SINGER and the COATS & CLARK website where the winning designer will also share a downloadable handbag pattern from his/her collection for the sewing enthusiast.
Applications for the 2010 Independent Handbag Designer Awards are now available at handbagdesigner101.com. The pinnacle of the international competition will culminate with the annual awards ceremony on June 16, 2010 at Parsons The New School for Design.
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About Handbag Designer 101
Handbag Designer 101, the handbag designer resource, was inspired by the needs for the handbag designer, aficionado and fan in all of us, as one knows we can never have too many bags. Handbag Designer 101 and Independent Handbag Designer Awards trademarks are owned by handbagdesigner101.com, a privately held company based in New York City.
Today’s HB101: http://www.handbagdesigner101.com/designer
Bag Trends: http://www.handbagdesigner101.com/trends
Celebrity Bag Watch: http://www.handbagdesigner101.com/celebrity
Jobs and Services: http://www.handbagdesigner101.com/jobs
2009 Independent Handbag Designer Awards Winners: http://www.handbagdesigner101.com/awards/winners_2009
SINGER Sewing Tip of the Month: http://www.handbagdesigner101.com/handbags?m=tips
Handbag Designer 101: http://www.handbagdesigner101.com or http://www.hbd101.comAbout SINGER®:
Founded in 1851, SINGER® is one of the world’s leading sellers of consumer and artisan sewing machines. To date, Singer maintains a strong international presence, with manufacturing facilities in Brazil and China, 10 overseas marketing operations and a network of third-party distributors selling product in more than 190 countries. The company has a long history of innovation in the sewing machine industry, having produced, among other breakthroughs, the world’s first portable machine in 1921 and its first computer-controlled machine in 1978
About COATS & CLARK:
The 2010 Independent Handbag Designer Awards To Be Co-Sponsored By SINGER® Sewing Company and COATS & CLARK
Coats & Clark is the world’s largest textile/thread manufacturing company with products sold in over 150 countries for industrial and home use. Coats continues to innovate with ongoing research leading to revolutionary new products such as Dual Duty XP® “X-tra” Performance thread, the culmination of over 200 years of thread manufacturing experience. -
Member News: Jean Wells Keenan to be inducted into The Quilter’s Hall of Fame
C & T Publishing just sent out a press releasing announcing that Jean Wells Keenan will be the 2010 inductee into the Quilter’s Hall of Fame. Here’s the full text of the release:C&T Publishing is pleased to announce that the 2010 inductee to The Quilter’s Hall of Fame is our own longtime author, Jean Wells Keenan.
The Quilter’s Hall of Fame website states: “Our mission is to celebrate quilting as an art form by honoring the lives and accomplishments of those people who have made outstanding contributions to the world of quilting.”
CEO of C&T Publishing, Todd Hensley reflects on working as Jean’s publisher for more that 20 years. “During this time I have seen her positive influence within the quilt world through her publications, videos, classes, lectures, advocacy, and goodwill. Jean was one of C&T Publishing’s first and most prolific authors; her contributions have been instrumental to our growth and success. As an author, she has continuously re-invented herself and brought innovative ideas to quilters for more than 20 years. As a shop owner, she has helped other shop owners improve their business, which is vital to the health of the quilt industry. As a teacher and lecturer, she has inspired and brought the love for quilting to countless individuals.”
Jean Wells Keenan has shared her skills and passion with thousands of people over the last three decades. From authoring almost a dozen books with C&T Publishing, to running one of the most successful quilt shops in the country, to creating the world-renowned Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show—there is no question that Jean has made an outstanding contribution to the world of quilting. “I was blown away by the nomination and the honor that it entails,” she says. “It is just what I do, along with making quilts any time I have a minute. I am looking forward to traveling to Indiana for all of the ceremonies.”
The induction ceremony takes place July 15-17, 2010 in Marion, IN. Visit www.quiltershalloffame.net for all the details.
Member News: Jean Wells Keenan to be inducted into The Quilter’s Hall of Fame