Teachers

Bobbe Adkins

My sewing experience began at an early age in the days of yore when I was about 5 or 6. My mother had an old Singer and I was often her shadow watching and admiring her wonderful handiwork. She was "the" seamstress in our small town and taught her 3 daughters how to sew the "right" way. Home Ec in junior high was mandatory. Our instructor was Mrs. Reed, and I'm pretty sure that it wasn't THE Mrs. Donna Reed, that loveable American pie mom from "Donna Reed Show". MY Mrs. Reed was grumpy, sarcastic in her instruction, and most importantly excelled in criticism for all! Her mode of operation was the Guess and Go method, and in the sewing biz does not work! I was FORCED to sew HER way in class, and when coming home from class with my finished project (which for some reason was a grade of D or F) my mother AGHAST made me disassemble the ENTIRE| project and redo it! It's a miracle to this day ant I love to sew and actually complete my project too! The reason that I have UFP (unfinished projects) is because I've got too many going at once!) My first sewing thrill and conquest was entering a purple gingham apron that I entered in the county fair when I was 9, and by golly ended up getting a red ribbon and and my picture in the paper! WOW! And the rest is history! I've had my fanny slapped in my sewing chair ever since! My passion is sewing EVERYTHING! Okay, let me clarify that - I meant sewing everything but garments! I do enjoy sewing quilts, table runners, ornaments, baby and children's clothing-whatevery flops my mop. I also enjoy machine embroidery. I'm just crazy about it! You'll notice that my teaching method includes alot of fun and laughter. Perfection may not be achieved (that comes with lots of time), but we'll certainly be laughing between the stitches on your project and the wrinkles in your fabric will transfer to a smile on your face! At the end of the class we'll be professional "sew and sews". Please come to have a good time with me. NOTE: I have a quirky thing - touching every bolt of fabric I walk by in the fabric/quilt store! Am I the only one? Philosophy: I may not know everything, but at least I know something!

Jim Curtis

I learned to sew from my sister-in-law, Sue. This was back in the early 70’s. I learned to draft, read and sew garments, in particular men’s wear. I actually paid most of my way through college sewing for other students and others. Mostly men’s wear: Pendleton shirts, leather jackets, vests and pants and other men’s clothes.
My first introduction to quilts was to paper piece my Bird of Paradise in 1995. Since I did not have an appreciation of difficulty I happily pieced my way through the pattern. I continued learning more and more about quilting and in 2005 I started my teaching career in paper piecing. I have taught ever since.
My teaching has included:
Strip piece quilting
Paper Piecing
Quilting techniques
Men’s shirts
Fabric Bowls
Fabric Folding Boxes
Color Theory

I have taught at Story Quilts and Sharon’s Attic Quilt Shop.
I continue to build my skills in particular towards more and more technically challenging paper piecing patterns.
I look forward to many years of teaching at Montavilla!

Sharon Hawkins

OK, I admit it, I'm addicted to cloth. This all really started when I was very young (about 4 years old) when my mom and grandmother taught me to hand embroidery. Once I had that silver needle and colorful thread in my hands, I was hooked. Made my first doll quilt and doll clothes around the age of six. Over 50 years have passed since then and I still spend all my time (except for family and friends) with fabrics. The machine embroidery bug bit me several years ago and boy do I have fun with that. The high school I attended in Spokane, Washington had a dress code and so sewing was centered around lined suits. Later, while in college, I made slacks and bell bottom pants, they where all the rage then. Soon friends were marrying and having children and so sewing was now everything for babies including quilts. Altogether I have made 250 quilts, machine and hand quilted, tied and a few whole cloth. Married in 1980 to my wonderful husband, Mel, (he threatens to bring home a dumpster if any more fabric comes home with me) and had two beautiful daughters, Melissa and Andrea. Little girl's dresses were now all I seemed to have time for. Some time later, upon hearing the need for layettes at the hospital, I started a program at my church called Baby Needs. Donations of time, money and supplies started rolling in and before I realized it, over many years, several hundred sets had been made. My girls and I would take them down to the maternity ward at Memorial Hospital when you could still go in and see the new babies. In 1985, Ribbon and Ruffle Review opened in Vancouver and so now I owned my own shop doing alterations for thousands of garments and designing and fitting over 800 gowns. Retired in 1997. That only lasted a few years and was I bored, so started doing in-store displays and model garments and working for Handcock Fabrics for five years. During all the in-between years I did manage to get a college degree, work for J.C. Penneys fabrics, Safeway Bakery, be a girl scout leader, an active member in a DECA business program with Spokane Falls Community college and Eastern for three years, winning several state and national first, second and third place business awards. Hold over 70 awards between Spokane and Vancouver's County Fairs (fabric related of course, no baking). The Hot off the Press company CEO also asked me to be a guest designer in their craft book "Ribbon, Ruffles and Roses". The 1990-1991 National Easter Seal poster adult representative, Cyndee Pearson, then asked me to make her wardrobe for her TV appearances. That really was great fun. I love to make historical costumes and several of the local elementary schools purchased them to use with their classroom programs. Columbia River High School in Vancouver then commissioned me to do all of the female costumes for the play "Tom Jones". All in all, my fingers have been wrapped around needles, fabrics and fibers all my life, hope that trend continues for quite some time. My job now, which I love, is to continue to teach my five year old granddaughter, Emma, to sew. She uses a 3128 Janome and made her first quilt top last month. Even her twelve year old brother, Andrew, has made his first pillowcase. (Guys do like power tools). I do love to read and do research. My hobbies are in Science, Sacred Geometry and Physics, but my passion is still really cloth. Looks like fabric truly is in our family gene pool after all. Happy Sewing!

Lynda Lutz

Hi, I'm Lynda I've been with Montavilla Sewing Center for 18 years and enjoy my jobs of teaching and selling because it's a happy place to be with other ladies who love to sew. My sewing career began by hand sewing doll clothes at age 7. My mother began teaching my sister and I to sew on her Singer machine . By high school I was sewing some of my own clothes. My worst sewing nightmare was when I tried to make a pair of knit pants for my daughter without knowing how. I used a straight stitch on the machine-mistake! The seams popped open much to my daughter's horror, and she refused to allow me to sew for her anymore! I took a stretch and sew class and learned how to do it the correct way. But because of that, I have compassion for new sewers because I've been there!

Billie Martin

As a child, I remember watching my mother spend many hours at a treadle sewing machine sewing clothes for our family. Our choices for fabrics were colorful flower sacks. The great find at that time was finding fabrics that would actually match for that perfect dress. My love for sewing did not surface until I was married and stumbled around trying to buy cloths that fit, and economically, I could get more for my money. Then I started a home business making the cheer leader clothing for our local high school. From there my business went to alterations and weddings. After my retirement I purchased my dream machine, Viking #1+complete with embroidery. After learning the software, I felt that this completed what I had started many years ago, and had a great desire to learn more. My dealer could not teach me at that time, but sent me for training. I had no desire to teach, but was given the opportunity to share my knowledge with a few customers and fell in love with sharing my passion. I came on board with Montavilla as an instructor in 1999. I felt so lucky to be a part of watching the home embroidery boom explode. Brett has been a great fried and encourager through this process and I do enjoy teaching others my passion. I am a 'wannabe' quilter and this will be my next challenge.