AEC 2008-Marietta, GA and KIDS in Distress

I have often talked about the AEC aka American Embroidery Conference. The conference this year was in Marietta, Ga at the Marietta Conference and Resort Center. Since first attending the show in 2002, I have been hooked and have never missed it once. This year was to become the first time for me and also the 2007 would now be my last AEC that I would attend. I did recruit dh to represent me and he was thrilled with the idea until a week before the show. That is when it dawned upon him that he has a very slim idea regarding all my design collections. I literally spent the last two days before his departure in typing out all the descriptions and in which catalog they could be found and sticking to the back of all the samples. Pleasant surprises came when several dear friends pitched in and emailed me to let me know that he would be in good hands.

As all shows go, they go by fast and literally are a blur with so much to do and so much information to digest. The AEC has always been a haven for home machine embroidery enthusiasts. There are ofcourse many many other shows but they cater to a variety of talents and mostly to the commercialized industries. The organizer of the AEC deliberately kept the show to the home market and has promoted within exceptionally throughout the years. My involvement started in 2003 and has been strong until now when I can no longer involve myself whole heartedly in any long term events related to ME world. I have created logos and design collections specially for the show. The logo designs for the AEC 2008 will be obsolete going only to the registrants that were there as my farewell appreciation to the Conference and its organizer, Dianne Pomeroy, and will never be sold as designs. The logo challenge which so many partook have always been rewarded by me with gift certificates to encourage them to continue to use their imaginations. Moreover, I personally started a trend of wearing something “RED” to the night event as a token of giving determination and courage to the abused/abandoned children catered for by the Kids in Distress. Little were we to know that the color “RED” would become known as an international color for giving refuge and courage for children and women around the world! Giving every attendee at the show a free raffle ticket from yours truly for their participation of wearing RED was another way to enhance the Kids in Distress project. Creating and maintaining the AEC website, which has now grown to unimaginable proportions has been another contribution of mine.

As in any conference or show that I attend, I promote the organizer, hostess or the dealer to the utmost, thereby promoting the home embroidery market. The same was also extended to the AEC with my full participation throughout. Alas as all good things must come to an end so does my involvement with the AEC. Since my email to the AEC list, I’ve received numerous emails inquiring various details and concerns. To all, I have no problems except there is no way that I can duplicate another of my self, LOL. I have been involved in the ME world now for about ten years (September would be my 10th anniversary) and looking back I have an immense satisfaction over all the achievements that have been made by many in this industry including myself. What started as a hobby became an amazing business and what started as a dabbling became an obsessive hunger to recreate the vintage embroideries and laces via machine embroidery. Speaking of recreating, many friends would be pleased with some of the new laces that I intend to release shortly. Amongst them is the recreation of “needle lace” which is the oldest form of hand made laces. The “Needle Laces” were extremely delicate yet strong and gave an airy look to the lace. I’m almost at the point of starting a whole series of needle lace rather than integrating them with the Vintage Lace collections…time will tell.

To my friends inquiring about the AEC and my affiliation with it and the Kids in Distress quilt project, I have to say please please excuse me. I cannot carry out two full time jobs at the same time, I would love to but reality will not allow. To friends who have never been to the AEC, I would encourage whole heartedly to do attend. It is a one of a kind show that caters completely to the home embroiderer with strong emphasis upon software and hands on learning techniques.  Classes are carefully thought out and planned well in advance to cater to all types of software and the same in hands on learning. As far as Kids in Distress quilt project is concerned, it saddens my heart that I must now bid farewell to something that I started two years ago. As time is so very limited to me (only evenings and weekends) I cannot fully give of my self to yet another project. In the past two years, well over 900 quilts have been donated with every quilt donor receiving a design collection free from me. I step aside for others to carry on a work that I started and I am sure they will. I had made no promises as to the time frame of this project but am glad that it went as far where it is now. As for the AEC, I’m sure the conference will grow (I certainly hope so) and will keep on providing the best there is for the home embroiderer.