Student Member

Mary Reynolds is a Designer.  She is starting a career in fashion. She is currently in school working on her bachelor’s degree and will hopefully get an internship soon to help with learning the fashion industry. 

Mary started sewing 3 years ago and likes to design what she makes.  In fact, her favorite task to do in her business is to design clothing.  She has always wanted to learn to do draping, and her goal is to create her designs by draping.

Mary can be found on Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat:
Instagram: Mary.beth.Reynolds
Facebook: Mary Reynolds
Snapchat: marysugarpie

Emerging Member

Tricia Herzetty is the founder of Mendy, a website and online marketplace that helps people connect with sewists to repair, resize, or remake anything in their wardrobe instead of buying something new made by fast fashion companies.

Tricia been making good things for the internet since 2011 and has focused primarily on building tools for small businesses to help them thrive.  She is really motivated to create digital tools to help others thrive with their businesses. She has over a decade of experience doing this and enjoys making difficult tasks easier.

Tricia founded Mendy as a benefit corporation and our purpose is to reduce people’s dependence on buying mass-produced items made in unsustainable ways and to use human-centered business models to boldly challenge economic systems of inequity. Specifically, she wants to help people get clothes that fit their body, their style, and their values. She is really eager to learn from and support successful sewists.

Mendy is very new and Tricia is a first-time founder in a landscape dominated by men (tech startups). She has worked in product design in tech for over a decade, and wants to use her experience building digital tools for small businesses and marketplaces to make alternatives to fast fashion more accessible to more people. She wants to build a business that prioritizes the well-being of creatives and employees, and would love to have built a company that helps hundreds if not thousands of sewists within the next 5 years.

Tricia learned to sew in elementary school from her Nana (She still has the kit her Nana gave her!), and she is rekindling her love for the skill despite a fear of the math.  Tricia has been sewing professionally for less than 5 years and would love to learn how to add pockets to existing garments!  She prefers the term "sewist" as a more gender-neutral, flexible term.

Outside of work, Tricia is obsessed with her 3 dogs, loves rowing crew at ungodly hours, and buying more books than I can feasibly read in my lifetime.

Tricia can be found at her website, and on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter:

Website: www.getmendy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getmendyco/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/getmendy

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/triciarosetty/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/getmendy

Formal Member

Donna Whitaker is a CEO / Founder in the sewing industry.  Donna has a full website of fabrics and notions. She also sells other handmade items like door signs, key chains, earrings, etc.

Donna is a Sewing Professional with over 42 years of experience. She is an influencer for Cricut, Oliso, and other brands. Donna is a maker of handmade jewelry, clutch bags, and purses; she also does large vending events during the holidays. Currently she owns Sew Chic Fabrics and Crafts located in Mount Rainier, MD where beginner through intermediate classes occur.  Sew Chic also provide advanced classes in Bra fit, design, and construction as well as jean fit, design, and construction.

Donna’s favorite thing to do in business is "to sew, of course (lol)."  She has learned but wants to brush up on her Chanel and couture making skills!  Her goal is to build out to a large learning space with more fabrics and crafts.

Donna can be found at her Brick-and-mortar location, Website, Blog, Instagram, Facebook:

Web: http://www.sewsewchic.com

Blog: curvygirlsarechic.com

IG: curvygirlsarechic

IG: sewchicfabricsandcrafts

FB: https://www.facebook.com/SewChicFabricsandCrafts

Formal Member

Carol Huls is the President & CEO - Owner of a manufacturing company – DittoForm, where she has employees, contractors, or coworkers.  She has been sewing professionally for less than five years.  She likes to talk about what a DittoForm can do to change how you see yourself.  Carol believes that surrounding yourself with interesting people, cultivating creativity and innovation, and having a strong but flexible plan are the keys to happiness in life and success in business. She has a quirky sense of humor and a personal goal to find something that makes her laugh every day.

Carol helps individuals who make clothing and costumes reach their full potential by providing a valuable tool – a custom dress form of their own body. Carol believes that each and every person is different -- no one is standard -- and that fact makes the world a more beautiful place. She credits her current success to the ability to acknowledge what she doesn’t know and then find someone who does through her strong professional network.  She draws on her experience in outwardly unrelated positions: supporting Fortune 500 corporate executives, connecting non-profit members with experience to those who need assistance, and entertaining and enlightening 8th graders and their teachers visiting Washington DC as a tour guide. 

DittoForm has been around since 2015 and has made improvements every year. The pandemic shutdowns gave them a chance to focus on their intentions and strengthen their process.  Her goal is to expand to have scanning sites available nationwide, and triple the business volume

Carol can be found at her Website (dittoform.com), Instagram (IG@dittoform), Facebook (FB@dittoforms), YouTube(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtSdueN22pM7JViMzfyhLWQ), and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/dittoform).

Formal Member

Linnca Stevens is the Co-Founder, Program and Curriculum Developer, and Operation/Program Manager for The Sewing Labs (TSL). In addition, she has extensive background in both Retail Creative marketplace and Industrial Quilting. Her business includes employees, contractors, or coworkers. 

Linnca tells us "Sewing is the Religion that sustains me."  She has been Involved in the fabric and sewing industries for over 45 years and brings hands on knowledge and skill of the industry.  She enjoys sharing the joy of sewing and seeing others become inspired and empowered by learning to sew.  One thing she would like to learn is pattern drafting.  Her goal is to establish a well-respected Industrial Sewing training program that is a highly recommended and key to support individual to gain emotional and financial dignity and independent through sewing.

Linnca’s business, TSL, is a Registered Apprenticeship program host and Related Training Institute with the US and Missouri Departments of Labor (DOL).  Linnca has been named an Apprenticeship Ambassador from DOL.  TSL is creating a pipeline where they connect at-risk individuals where there are to Training and then to partnering businesses needing sewists.

TSL is currently focused to build a sustainable pipeline of new sewists to support and expand the American marketplace.  Linnca’s experience in fabric retail ranges from mom & pop and corporate operations, merchandising and the customer experience including the development of classroom curriculum for a nationwide sewing program. In addition, she has been a designer in the ""Indie"" garment & quilt arena.  She has done designing for companies such as Need L' Love & Peppermint Pig. Linnca's love for anything fabric & mixed methods drive her to share the legacy of sewing and to allow others to understand the self-enrichment that it brings. The tradition of sewing has been passed down thru her family for multiple generations and is what drives her.

Linnca can be found at her brick-and-mortar location, home studio, Website (https://thesewinglabs.community), Facebook (@ thesewinglabs), Instagram (@ thesewinglabs), Linked In (@ thesewinglabs), Pinterest (@ thesewinglabs), Twitter (@ thesewinglabs), and Tik Tok (@ thesewinglabs)

Formal Member

Lezlie Riley is a dressmaker and alterations specialist.  She has been sewing professionally for 15-20 years.   She loves to see the happy faces of her clients when they pick up their garments.  Her goals are to grow her business and learn bridal alterations

Lezlie can be found at her home studio and at her website, Lezlierileydesign.com, which she has recently launched.

Formal Member

Tracy Kreiling is a seamstress and a teacher and has been sewing professionally for over twenty years.  Her favorite part of the business is the sewing side; she hates the business side.  She loves teaching people how to use their sewing machines.  Tracy has been selling sewing machines for over 25 years and has worked with most brands and ages of machines.

Tracy has always loved sewing and working with all crafty things.  She started sewing professionally so she could stay home with her children.  She is the workroom for a couple of interior designers, and she sews for her own clients.  Trace sews all things home dec, does custom quilt making and quilting, and embroidery. 

One thing she has always wanted to learn is how to do a blog.  Her goal is to have a blog and the website all doing everything they are supposed to do

Tracy can be found at her home studio, Website, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.  She can be reached at Www.tracyksewing.Com, Tracyksewing@gmail.Com, and TracyKSewing.

Emerging Member

Vivian Ilkenhans Owen is a Seamstress who enjoys designing new creations and seeing the finished projects.  She loves sewing, creating things, and encouraging those younger than her to learn about sewing and teaching them all the little tips and tricks she has learned.

Her business, By Vivienne Alterations, is a new business venture in the wonderful bridal sewing world. Vivian has been sewing for about 10 years in clothing and costume making, and the past 3 years she has been working in the bridal sewing industry, having worked in a couple different bridal shops.  Now is her first time starting out on her own. She wants to start simple design online through her website until she can bring in more business.  She is currently working on a veil and draped tulle dress with pearls.  She has just moved to a new area, so she is still learning the area and small-town culture.  She is still trying to cultivate what she can offer to better serve herself and her community’s needs.

Patron Member

Claire Dennis-Marinelli is a seamstress, alterations specialist, and designer.  She has sewn clothing since she was a little girl. After getting an Associate's degree in designing and merchandising, she began sewing for family and friends; she has sewn professionally for 15-20 years.  Her business provides detailed alterations and custom clothing; her expert sewing and tailoring skills enable her to craft any piece of clothing to fit the client perfectly.  Claire’s favorite task to do in business is alterations; she’s always wanted to learn different sewing techniques. 

Claire’s mission is to create a studio to provide expert tailoring and design services to those who want a more personal experience from a certified fashion designer. Whether you want to simply repair a much-needed item in your wardrobe or give it a new look all together, she is there to help. If your desire is to create something original, Claire is confident that her more than 20 years of experience will result in something beyond your imagination.

While Claire specializes in alterations, she also creates clothing and provides services for curtains and other types of fabrics.  If the client has a special occasion or an idea for a garment, she can create the perfect look. Rather than following fashion trends, she will help to create them; her work caters to fashion conscious individuals in the area.  Claire’s Alterations Studio offer discounts to all Proms Dresses.

Claire’s business, Claire’s Alterations Studio, is in Oakdale, New York, and she can be found at her home studio, Website, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.  Her goal is to own her own shop in a strip or mall.

Patron Member

Julie Brown is a Co-owner/Fabric Buyer for Fabric Mart Fabrics, which is an online fabric retailer selling deadstock fashion fabric.  Julie enjoys buying fabric, and she is excited to be able to offer deadstock fabric to the sewing community. It's sort of a trend to buy deadstock these days, but she’s been doing it for over 45 years!  

Her business also hosts live virtual sewing classes.  Julie enjoys creating videos to share info about fabric or sewing.  In the last two years her group began hosting virtual sewing classes and it has been a lot of fun hosting those as well as getting to know her customers on a different level.  Her goal is to expand their video media.

Julie has been sewing professionally for less than five years.  She wants to continue to learn sewing techniques that will create more professional looking garments, and to continue learning fit.

Her brick-and-mortar store is in Sinking Spring, PA.  The business can be found on the web at www.fabricmartfabrics.com and at blog.fabricmartfabrics.com.  She’s also on Facebook: @fabricmartfabrics, Instagram: @fabricmart, and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCB31JTEjIXOqo62ONSDfZw