Karen Reichardt is a sewing teacher and square dancer. She has been using a sewing machine since the age of six and square dancing since the age of twelve.  Karen has taught sewing for 4-H and the Spokane County Extension Office. At this time she is the president of a new chapter of the American Sewing Guild that is starting in the Inland Northwest.

As the sewing chairman for Washington's 2006 State Festival she worked her way through a mass of sewing pamphlets from other festivals and other square dance sewers. She discovered that there is a lot of information out there, but it is scattered in hundreds of resources. Many of the beginning steps were left out when the writers assumed that everyone could read between the lines. Most of the instructions were written by experienced sewers to experienced sewers. Some of the instructions had been copied so many times that they were illegible. Karen consulted all of the previous instructions that she could get and talked to other dancers about their sewing ideas and experiences. She also utilized her extensive library of over 150 sewing books to develop clear and complete instructions for the festival pamphlet.

When this task was completed she found that there was a lot of information left over that would not fit in the pamphlet, so the idea for this website and future sewing book was born. She hopes that it will provide sewers, new or experienced, with complete instruction and clear information so that they can create their own unique square and round dance creations.  

If you have any questions, suggestions, ideas or comments, please e-mail them to Karen at K.M.Reichardt@q.com