There is a new link to Eva's Petticoats on the Petticoat Page.                                     ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Look in the 'Projects' section for the article on 'Invisible Zippers'. They are much easier to insert than the regular type and look better. Just give them a try.                  Click here to go to Invisible Zippers

   

 

 Hello, my name is Karen Reichardt. I am a sewing teacher and square dancer. Having taught sewing for 4-H and Spokane County Extension Office, I understand the frustrations of the beginning seamstress. Currently employed by a local sewing machine dealer, as a clerk and instructor, I keep up on the latest trends and techniques. Teaching makes me very aware of communication an the need for clear instructions. Writing sewing articles for Footnotes, American Square Dance, Northeast Square Dance and up dating this website keep me busy. Combining square dancing and sewing is my favorite subject.

     As the sewing chairman for Washington's 2006 State Festival I worked my way through a mass of sewing pamphlets from other festivals and other sewing square dancers. There is a lot of information out there, but it is scattered in hundreds of resources. Most of the instructions were written by experienced seamstresses for experienced seamstresses. Many of the beginning steps were left out when the writers assumed that everyone could read between the lines. Some of the instructions had been copied so many times that they were illegible. Consulting all of the previous instructions that I could get, and talking to other dancers about their sewing ideas and experiences resulted in a file drawer of information. Using those sources and an extensive library of over 150 sewing books I tried to develop clear and complete instructions for the festival sewing book.

     When the festival book was completed there was a lot of information left over, so the idea for this web site was born. I hope that it will provide stitchers, new or experienced, with complete instruction and clear information so that they can create their own unique square, round, and folk dance ensembles.

     This web site is an ongoing project that takes a lot of time and my computer learning curve is very steep. Please bear with me. 

This website has the instructions for the 2012 National Square Dance Convention® outfits because I am the Sewing Chairman for that year. The instructions for the other convention outfits are on their web sites.