About

About Lady Cher and the Stitch Studio

DSC00815From September 2007 until April 2012, I was a Husquvarna Viking and Singer Sewing Machine dealer inside the JoAnn Fabric Store in Colonie, NY. I loved being in this creative environment and the exposure to so many fabric and sewing artists. Every day was an incredible learning experience. I enjoyed taking classes from the consultants I hired as well as teaching young people to sew and showing customers how to use their newly purchased sewing machines.

Spending an average of 10 hour days for 4 ½ years, taking off only the 3 annual holidays that JoAnn’s was closed, it was time to leave “Shangri-La” and enter another phase of my life. I owe great appreciation to the former dealer, Michael Altomari and SVP (Singer Viking Pfaff) for allowing me this opportunity for such tremendous growth.

After selling my dealership, I worked briefly from my studio apartment in Albany, teaching classes and starting down a journey of pattern making with one of my associates from the store. For the sake of economy, I moved my operation back to my home in Ballston Lake, NY. My initial pattern was an update design a 1912 Titanic Era Blouse I had seen in a Modern Priscilla Magazine of the year. This journey took us to Battle Creek, Michigan where we learned to use PW studio3, a CAD pattern making software program. Now instead of grading the pattern by hand into the many different sizes, we could do it with a push of a few computer buttons. Talk about a huge learning curve!

Working with McCall’s Pattern, I finally had the blouse professionally printed and Today’s Priscilla 1912 was ready for sale. I included a very detailed and illustrated sewing instruction manual with the pattern. This heirloom white on white embroidered blouse is feminine and comfortable when made in a fine cotton batiste and lace. It is so versatile, looks great with velvet skirt, spring suit or even blue jeans.

While working at the store, I never had time to learn how to use the 5D Embroidery Software program I sold, to any great degree of proficiency. Now, necessity called and I was able to customize some Martha Pullen Vintage designs to fit the blouse front, sleeves and backs. I wrote up detailed software instruction for the 5D Software user to learn my process for developing the blouse embroideries. I continue to teach Software classes in Hobby Lobby, Latham, NY.

I have studies at the Fashions Institute of Technology, NYC and have a passion for draping, designing and sewing Victorian and Edwardian fashions. I am in awe of the sewing abilities and embellishment techniques of the period garments I own. My patterns will replicate those fine sewing techniques, but utilize the latest technology, engineering, and tools, so it won’t take a lifetime to make them!

Having learned to sew at age 8 on my grandmother’s treadle Singer Sewing Machine, I value the creative excitement, skills and lessons learned in the process of sewing. To satisfy my mission of bringing this sewing expertise to young people, I donated sewing machines to the Boys and Girls Club of Albany, needle felting machines to Albany elementary schools, and to Albany High School’s Abrookin sewing classes, I provided former top of the line embroidery machines that were traded in to my store.

And the journey continues……
Cher