Formal Member

Therese Pitzulo is a Seamstress with over 20 years of professional sewing.  Alterations is her specialty--bridal and special occasion--for over 35 years. Brides ask for added detailing and custom bustles. Creating keepsake pieces from vintage bridal gowns is super fun for Therese--to get a box of old gloves and hankies, etc. and be asked to put them together into something cool for the bride with no direction--just total trust--happens all the time. Years of costuming has increased her confidence with unusual fabrics, sewing techniques, coloring, and otherwise manipulating clothing for all body shapes.  She worked over 20 years in drapery and window covering fabrication.

Therese’s favorite task to do in her business is “sewing, definitely!”  Her goal is to provide a local/regional seamstress shop where people love to come.  Additional goals include maintaining a loyal customer base, making her own hours and being in demand in a beautiful new shoppe.  In terms of growth, she is always interested to see what others are charging for custom work, because it is always challenging to price work.

Therese has a wide assortment of machines, including embroidery.  She can be found at her brick-and-mortar location, at her home studio, and on her Website at modistecoutureyo.com.

Patron Member

Towanda Denise Foster calls herself a Part-time Alterations Specialist or Sewist.  She considers herself to be a home sewist learning each day about new sewing techniques.  She sees herself doing “just a little stitching 'n sewing”; she enjoys sewing, machine embroidery, crocheting, and most things crafty.

Formal Member

Tammy Moreland is a Custom Fit Designer and has been sewing professionally for over twenty years.  Her company name is Tambrian Designer, and she works from her home studio.  She enjoys custom fit and design of evening wear and handbags, and plans to sew and design full time after retiring from her “secular” job.  

Tammy gets most of her business from referrals by word of mouth.  She reports that she will be “including teacher sewing class this fall; also an online website of custom items.”  A new skill for her is designing custom handbags and custom umbrellas, and she’s always wanted to learn to quilt. 

Tammy also enjoys spending time with her family especially her three grandchildren.

Emily Magli

Formal Member

I am a sewing instructor who specializes in teaching couture techniques at Textile Fabrics in Nashville, TN. I host a weekly Sit and Sew class and help students, with fitting, pattern making, cutting, sewing, and finishing a garment. I also teach specialty classes once a month that are either related to pattern drafting or couture techniques and finishing. 

What is something that you have always wanted to learn?

I would love to be able to study vintage couture clothing up close, such as a Vionnet, Dior or Balenciaga.

What is your favorite task to do in your business?

Pattern drafting and historical fashion research

What goals do you have for your business (or yourself professionally) in the next 5 years?

I would like to travel and teach in more places. I would also like to continue meeting and learning from other professionals. Maybe even write a book on my favorite topics - bias and silk.

What else should we know about you or your business?

I have gained a lot of confidence in my ability to fit others. It's rewarding to me when my clients/students are so happy to have a dress that fits them well. 

Website ~ www.emilymagli.com

Facebook ~ EmilyMagliClothing

Instagram ~ @emilymagli 

Linda Colwell

Emerging Member

ASDP welcomes Sewing Professional and Educator Linda!

What is something that you have always wanted to learn?

Marketing

What is your favorite task to do in your business?

Create and make interesting Jackets

What goals do you have for your business (or yourself professionally) in the next 5 years?

To corporate my background and love of art into my creations

What else should we know about you or your business?

I am also a popular sewing educator at a local sewing machine dealer. I am a skilled embroidery digitizer. I sometimes incorporate embroidery into my work.

LinkedIn ~ Linda Colwell

Instagram ~ @Stitches62

Cynthia Matthews

Formal Member

Welcome to Cynthia! 

What is your favorite task to do in your business?

My favorite jobs are custom apparel requests, and any sentimental projects where clients ask to rework an old wedding dress or repurpose a loved one's special garments.

What is something that you have always wanted to learn?

I am seeking to build my couture techniques, and I would also like to improve my time-management as both an artist and business owner/manger as I balance admin tasks along with the creative and hands-on work.

What goals do you have for your business (or yourself professionally) in the next 5 years?

My business's goal is to become recognized as the go-to standard for NJ's custom and alterations with an emphasis on bridal and special occasion. Personally, it is my goal to become recognized as a respected fashion professional known for my sewing skills and fashion expertise.

What else should we know about you or your business?

During the month of April, I will be offering walk-ins for prom alterations every Saturday during the hours of 10AM-3PM.

LinkedIn ~ Cynthia's Atelier LLC

Instagram ~ @cynthias_atelier

Felicia "Mimi" Goss

Emerging Member

What is something that you have always wanted to learn?

Sewing with leather

What is your favorite task to do in your business?

Draping and Designing

What goals do you have for your business (or yourself professionally) in the next 5 years?

To build my skills as well as my online presence.

What else should we know about you or your business?

Nothing at the moment. I put down sewing for a little while to finish my dissertation and now I am ready to move forward with my designs and sewing.

Melissa Klaassen

Emerging Member

My love for sewing and design started when I was in junior high and I started my own business. I went on to earn degrees in Fashion Design from Purdue University and The Fashion Institute of Technology. I've worked with knitwear designers, specialized in lingerie at FIT and have extensive experience in bridal and formal wear. I got more training and added home décor to my business, but my true joy is working with apparel and teaching. While getting my masters at Miami University in Education, I was the Textiles and Clothing Construction Teaching Assistant. I fell in love with teaching and have since had hundreds of students of all ages in schools, stores, 4-H and home settings. I have a special passion for modifying and designing clothing for individuals who don't fit in ready to wear clothing, especially those with disabilities, which started with my own daughter. I volunteer many hours with all sorts of groups using my sewing knowledge from 4H to Cinderella's Closet altering formal wear for young ladies needing some assistance.

What professional title do you use?

Seamstress, Designer and Teacher. Because I also emphasize teaching it's important to included that title.

How long have you been sewing professionally?

20+ years

What is your favorite task to do in your business?

Design or modify apparel for those with health issues or disabilities that don't allow them to fit into off the rack apparel. I have a daughter who is very medically fragile and I had to sew or modify most of her clothing from birth. I also love working with knits and formal wear and teaching others about textiles and sewing skills.

What goals do you have for your business (or yourself professionally) in the next 5 years?

I'd like to get a grant or somehow get funding to allow me to work with people who need their wardrobe modified due to medical issues or disabilities. That population is often also low income so grants or financial assistance will be needed. I took a significant amount of time off sewing to teach HS full time and am just now coming back into making sewing/design my primary business. I also want to figure out how to make sewing as a business profitable and a living wage. I want to refine my target market and products. I also want to completely renovate my workspace and make it organized and efficient and a space I want to be in to work.

I have volunteered thousands of hours for so many charities sewing everything from full sized dinosaur Halloween costumes (dressing the dinosaurs), to making thousands of masks to altering formalwear for charities to making huge quilts with the children in a congenital heart defect camp. My passion is sewing things that cannot be purchased ready to wear. Making people feel confident and comfortable in their clothing. Preserving textile related memories and teaching others the arts of textiles and sewing.

What else should we know about you or your business?

I want to find grants to help me work with those with special needs for modified apparel. 

Facebook ~ Melissa Klaassen, Seamstress, Designer and Teacher

YouTube ~ Melissa Klaassen

Julie Burnsides Diaz

Formal Member

Julie Burnsides Diaz is a costumer and seamstress residing in Columbus Ohio. She graduated with her degree in Archaeology and went on to earn her Master's in Fashion History and Textile Conservation at FIT in New York. After several years in the museum field and in practice as a textile conservator, she founded her own business in 2015. She creates bridal wear, cosplay and historical costumes for clients on a commission basis and is always open to creative and technical challenges.

What professional title do you use?

Seamstress or Costumer but I'm not picky

What is something that you have always wanted to learn?

Grading and sloper drafting, especially plus sizes

What is your favorite task to do in your business?

Design and sourcing

What goals do you have for your business (or yourself professionally) in the next 5 years?

Get back to full time work after having a child, launch a pattern line

Website ~ Snapdragon Designs www.snapdragondesign.net

Karen Hardie

Student Member

Recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women (WXN 2016), Karen's corporate executive career reached a pivot point during the pandemic crisis of 2020. Overwhelming stress and burnout led her back to her creative roots, to her third-generation-sewist heritage. In the mindful practice of design and construction she forged a new path, one that led to Fashion Design school and a vision for the future supporting sustainability through circular design. Karen looks forward to launching her new business following graduation this Summer.

What professional title do you use?

I like there term "designer" or "re-designer". I also call myself a third generation sewist. My grandmother was called a "tailoress", my mother, a "seamstress". I would be flattered to be referred to by any of these names.

What is something that you have always wanted to learn?

Minimizing waste through design

What is your favorite task to do in your business?

Coming up with new ideas - on either the business, or the sewing side.

What goals do you have for your business (or yourself professionally) in the next 5 years?

I will graduate from Fashion Design school in June. My goal is to start my own independent design business incorporating the principles of circularity #makefashioncircular

What else should we know about you or your business?

I am very focused on the challenge of redirecting consumer desire to garments/objects that support circular design for fashion (as defined by the Ellen Macarthur Foundation) - moving away from take-make-waste to intentional design supporting 3 principles of eliminating waste and pollution, circulate products and materials, and regenerate nature.

Instagram ~ @fashion.re.designed