8-12-2008 : Apron-iCity™ Offers Design Challenge and Publishing Opportunity
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8-11-2008 : Sew-ers To Put the Give in Thanksgiving on National Tie One On Day™
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Press Release for Apron-iCity™ Apron Challenge - Download PDF

For Immediate Release

Apron-iCity™ Offers Design Challenge and Publishing Opportunity

The Fabric Shop Network, the trade association for quilt and fabric shop and online retailers, is proud to announce its new website, www.apron-icity™ a sew-er’s hot spot and source for “everything aprons on the net and in your city.” Dedicated to promoting the romance of the apron all year long, by encouraging apron sewing and creativity, the site has issued its first design challenge.

Designers and designer “wannabes” are invited to create one or more original aprons to submit to a panel of industry judges. They will select winners in some or all of the following categories, depending on the entries received.

• Best Overall…Most Original/Innovative Design
• Judge’s Choice (one from each judge)
• Best Theme (chef, garden, sewing, kiddy, etc.)
• Best Use of Fabric
• Best Use of Color
• Best Use of Embellishments
• Best Seasonal/Holiday (Christmas, Valentines, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Easter, New Year’s, Mother’s Day, etc.)
• Man-style

Winners will be published and recognized at www.apron-icity.com and in other publications of interest to sew-ers and quilters. “Seeing your work in the media is such a rewarding and exciting experience,” says Harsh, “particularly for new designers who want the world to see what they can create. Exposure on the worldwide web is the perfect way to spotlight their work and encourage more sewing here and around the world.”

With aprons a hot topic on popular blogs and a favorite project for new and veteran sew-ers alike, Harsh expects a wonderful selection of apron designs to land on her desk for this challenge and plans to use them online to promote other Apron-iCity events and challenges in the future. Making an apron is fast, fun, and easy. An apron is a great project for new sew-ers who want to hone their skills on something that is easy to sew and easy to fit to just about any body with close to instant success and sewing satisfaction. “Whether you don an apron to cook, sew, garden, or indulge in artistic endeavors, an apron is the perfect cover-up and can even make a fashion statement,” says Harsh.

Everything you need to know to enter your designs in the Apron-iCity™ Apron Challenge is available online at http://www.apronicity.com. You can check there too, for special Apron-iCity™ clubs, classes, kits, and patterns being offered by quilt and fabric shops across the country.

Press Release for National Tie One On Day : Download PDF

For Immediate Release

Sew-ers To Put the Give in Thanksgiving on National Tie One On Day™

The Fabric Shop Network, the trade association for quilt and fabric shop and online retailers, is proud to announce its sponsorship of National Tie One on Day ™—an apron that is. The celebration, now in its third year, is the brainchild of EllynAnne Geisel, author of The Apron Book. In keeping with Geisel’s vision, on the day before Thanksgiving (November 26th this year), women across the country will be celebrating the day by wrapping a loaf of bread in an apron and tucking a prayer or a note of encouragement in the pocket—and then delivering the bundle to someone in need of physical or spiritual sustenance—or both.

Laurie Harsh, founder of The Fabric Shop Network, has issued an invitation to quilt and fabric retailers across the country to join hands and hearts with their customers to create handmade aprons. She suggests they organize and offer special in-store events prior to Tie One On Day™ and notes that “giving a handmade apron from fabrics chosen in the shop and sewn during a class or sew-in, makes the gift even more special.” Shops will arrange for the aprons, each one with a loaf of bread, plus a note in the pocket, to be delivered to a local women’s shelter or other local agency that assists women in need.

Tie One On Day™ participants will enjoy the camaraderie of sewing together, knowing that their finished aprons will go to someone in need of a “hug.” They’ll leave class with a full heart, realizing they’ve brightened the day of someone in need. Shops offering these special events are encouraged to enlist the partnership of a local bakery for fresh bread to wrap in the aprons before delivering them to their chosen charity on November 26th.

Harsh anticipates that quilt and fabric shops, already well known for their charitable sewing projects that involve their customers, will wholeheartedly embrace this celebration of the giving spirit of Thanksgiving. Participating shops will be listed on www.apron-icity.com, a new consumer website devoted to encouraging apron sewing and creativity all year long with special programs, challenges, and links to other apron events, activities, and resources. For some shops, their Tie One On™ promotion will be the kickoff event to introduce an ongoing apron club or class for next year.

For more information on Tie One On Day™ store events and ongoing Apron-iCity™ clubs and classes, visit www.apronicity.com where you’ll find “everything aprons on the net and in your city.”