Lifetime Achievement Award Honorees

2026 Recipient: Rae Cumbie

The Association of Sewing and Design Professionals is pleased to announce that Rae Cumbie is the recipient of the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award. The award will be presented during the Opening Celebration on Thursday evening, October 15, at the ASDP Annual Conference in Kansas City. The Opening Celebration is included in the Core Conference package; if you are attending on another registration option, a ticket can be added through conference registration.

Rae Cumbie is an accomplished custom dressmaker, sewing educator, and pattern designer who began her career creating custom garments over 30 years ago. Named Baltimore’s Best Tailor by Baltimore Magazine in 2005, she established herself as a premier designer for custom wedding and special occasion gowns. In 2011, she co-founded Tabula Rasa Patterns LLC and the Fit For Art pattern line, serving as Creative Director and offering modern wardrobe patterns, a weekly blog, retreats, and educational events.

Rae is also a prolific educator and author who has shared her expertise at conferences nationwide, retreats (including sewing trips to Durfort, France), and with numerous guilds. She has written 14 articles for Threads and seven for Classic Sewing Magazine, and has contributed two dozen articles to Sew News since 2005, along with the magazine's Curve Appeal fit column since 2018. She has produced eight instructional videos with Sew Daily and 18+ instructional classes focusing on fitting techniques, garment construction, and creative fabric embellishments.

Beyond pattern design and teaching, Rae is an active leader in the sewing community. She served as president of the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals (ASDP) in 2011-2012 and was a founding member and past president of the ASDP Baltimore Chapter. Rae was a fundamental force behind the creation of the ASDP Charitable Foundation, established to support students, educators, and entrepreneurs in sewing and design. She served as its first president, has remained an active board member throughout, and has recently stepped back in to lead the board. ASDP is proud to honor her with the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award for her profound impact on sewing, fashion, pattern making, writing and education.