Chanova Alcala-Mabry
My name is Chanova Alcala-Mabry, aka That’s Sew Nova. I own a little company called Novasknits and post sewing tutorials on my YouTube channel. I am a skilled bag maker and tester of bag patterns. I take pleasure in contributing to the sewing community and my YouTube channel with my abilities. I firmly think that there is no such thing as perfection and that growth comes from practice. As long as you have faith in yourself, I think anyone can sew anything and everything. You’ve got this! I really think that a little self-assurance can help. My abuela (grandmother), who was also a seamstress, taught me nearly everything I know about sewing, so I’ve been sewing since I can remember. I’m in this wonderful sewing community for the love of sewing and creating. I love being around liked minded people.
I love spending time with my family when I’m not sewing. I’m a proud mother of three and a proud wife to a man who is incredibly supportive of my sewing journey, and I have 2 fur babies. I enjoy trying to accomplish do-it-yourself projects; the objective word here is “trying.”. In addition, I enjoy reading any romantic comedy book I can find and cooking. My life’s interest is teaching people new sewing techniques and skills.
Kathy Caudill
I’m the Creator and Chief Stitch Wrangler behind K.dill Handmade, where the magic of sewing comes to life in every stitch! My mission? To design sewing patterns that are as fun to make as they are to use. Because let’s be real—sewing is my happy place, and I want to share that joy with you. Every pattern I create is built to spark excitement, with just enough “wiggle room” to make sure you get the perfect fit, no matter your style or technique. After all, we all measure 1/4″ a little differently, but I’m here to help us all end up with a beautiful, handmade result.
Sewing has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up, my grandma and mom were my sewing heroes, so I guess you could say it’s in my blood. But it wasn’t until almost 20 years ago, when my husband’s Granny introduced me to the world of quilt making, that I got seriously hooked. Fast forward to 2016, when I wandered into a bag-making class and made my first tote. Instant addiction! From there, I dove headfirst into bag making learning everything I could, and in 2021, I released my very first sewing pattern. Since then, I’ve been teaching others to sew and watching this creative journey unfold in the best way possible.
The journey’s been wild, and I’m thrilled to see where it takes me next. So grab your sewing machine, and let’s make something amazing together!
Chris Murphy
Chris Murphy is a pattern designer, bag making educator and founder of Simply Classic. During her 30 years as a partner in her CPA firm, Chris discovered her passion for creating functional, sophisticated handbags at a fraction of designer prices. This love for design and teaching led her to launch Simply Classic in 2020, providing sewists with the patterns, materials and education needed to craft high-end bags.
Chris believes that everyone is capable of creating high-quality handbags — they just need the right resources. She teaches bag makers of all experience levels through tutorials on the Simply Classic YouTube channel, online classes and in-person workshops around the U.S. Chris enjoys working with a variety of materials but is especially passionate about leather bag making by machine.
When she’s not sewing, Chris enjoys playing tennis, listening to audiobooks and spending time with her husband.
Lucy Castillo
Hi! My name is Lucy. I am a mom of two children, a 5 year old daughter and a 1 year old son. I am a labor and delivery nurse; my passion for women’s health helped me land my dream job as a new grad 7 years ago.
I have been sewing on and off since high school (almost 20 years) but didn’t really take sewing seriously as a hobby until I was pregnant with my daughter in 2019. I had aspirations of sewing cloth diapers for her and all the cute little baby clothes. Little did I know that the pandemic would give me the time that I needed to fall in love with sewing, including projector sewing. I have been gaining as much knowledge as I can ever since, watching countless YouTube videos and joining private learning communities. I started with garment sewing which led to learning about fitting and pattern making, but this past year I discovered that I love bag making.
I may not be known very well in the sewing community but I love sharing my knowledge in social media by answering questions and giving tips/tricks when I can. I offered to teach a projector sewing class because I have seen many people comment on how they wish they understood the process and I want to help my fellow sewists learn the basics of projector sewing by sharing the knowledge I have gained over the past 4.5 years. As a nurse, I educate my patients every day and I love teaching; I think in another life I might have been an educator.
This Expo has inspired me to make connections in the sewing community both locally and virtually by starting my own Facebook group “The Crafty Parents Sewcial Group.” I look forward to sharing my knowledge at this Expo and meeting new friends in the sewing community.
Tara Sinclair
After dabbling in quilting, I discovered a new love—creating quick, everyday projects like purses and bags. It all started with simple designs, and soon I was adding custom features and flair, turning ordinary patterns into extraordinary creations. My passion only grew as I helped pattern designers test and refine their masterpieces. It wasn’t long before I was crafting my own unique patterns.
Teaching and sharing my knowledge became a newfound joy, guiding others in understanding patterns and conquering the bag-making universe. As the driving force behind UhOh Creations, my work can be found internationally even on the main characters on HBO’s TV series The Last of Us!
As a proud BERNINA Canada ambassador alum, I inspire fellow bag-makers through engaging classes and events, and connect with bagineers worldwide through the Great Alberta Bagineer Getaways and online communities. Whether I’m at a sewing event as an educator, brand ambassador, or participant, I’m always ready to share my passion and expertise, spreading the joy of making far and wide.
Barrett Hale
During the pandemic I rediscovered sewing. I started with quilts and a year later I stumbled across 3 dimensional projects. Beginning with simple baskets and small purses that didn’t need any hardware or zippers, I quickly realized I loved the challenge of bag making and added them to my list of makes with my company, Barrett’s Balms & Bobbins.
Making as many different styles of bags with different hardware/zippers/materials was the name of the game. I began teaching at my local quilt shop in 2023 and have taught private lessons and group classes for beginners, intermediate, and advanced students. Locals know me for creating a lively, fun, and supportive classroom environment that encourages creativity and boosts students’ confidence. I’m excited to teach at this event and share my expertise with all of you.
Amanda Gerard
I'm Amanda Gerard, the proud owner of Sew Bestie LLC. Sewing has always been my passion and turning that passion into a thriving business has been a dream come true. With over a decade of experience in the world of fabrics, patterns, and creative design, I have honed my skills to create top-quality, custom-made garments and accessories that bring my visions to life. In 2018, I began to share that passion with others by opening our first sewing classroom. We earned Small Business of the Year awards from our local Oceanside Chamber of Commerce in 2019, and the State Of California in 2020. We also expanded into expo events, retreats and more. When I'm not busy sewing, you can find me exploring new patterns, attending workshops to further my skills, or spending quality time with my family and beloved pets. I am always excited to take on new challenges and collaborate with others to create a truly special experience for the community.
Tayva Singer
Tayva Singer from CaliQuiltCo.com teaches her Tips & Tricks for high-end bag making specializing in ByAnnie bags as well as bag customization. With a background in quilting, Tayva shifted to bag making after she traveled with her first ByAnnie bag. The number of pockets and the variety of drop in and zippered pockets made travel easy and organized as well as beautiful.
In addition to bag making and quilting, Tayva is the Cuddle® Fabric Queen stocking the largest number of Cuddle® and minky skus in her retail and online stores in the US and world-wide. Tayva’s minky Tips & Tricks will have you successfully sewing minky on any sewing machine in no time at all.
Joyce Gunder
Joyce served 36 Years with the Department of Defense. Five of those years as Chief over Aircraft & Engine Training. During that time she taught many classes and attended Military Train the Trainer training. In her off time from her stressful positions she always sewed. Having started sewing in Junior High School (Middle School) making garments and after high school & college graduation making quilts and handbags. Upon her retirement in Dec 2021 she started teaching Beginning Quilt Classes, Intermediate Quilt Classes, Jelly Roll Rug Classes, Beachcomber Jacket Class & multiple ByAnnie Bag & Sallie Tomato classes. She has taught all over the state of Oklahoma to include: Ponca City, Guthrie, Kingfisher, El Reno, Yukon, Moore, Norman and Oklahoma City. She has been a small business owner of Seams Creations, LLC since 2015 where she makes quilts, table toppers, table runners, placemats, makeup bags & Purses that she sells in a local boutique and at craft shows throughout the state of Oklahoma. She also presents programs for Quilt Guilds and workshops throughout the state.
Katie Clark
Katie is a mom, former elementary school teacher, and the founder of My Little
Shindig, a custom fabric business focused on creativity and community.
In 2021, Katie started Wingo (fabric bingo) as a way to connect people during the
pandemic. It quickly gained popularity and is now hosted twice a year online, as
well as at vendor and retreat events.
Katie combines her love of teaching and crafting by offering sewing classes in her
local community and at sewing events. Through custom fabrics and interactive
activities, she helps others explore their creativity and build their skills.