Want to be a Bernina Fashion Show designer?

If you design and make wearable art, we'd love to hear from you!

We are always looking for new talent to introduce at the Bernina Fashion Show, so we encourage all wearable art designers to contact us. Here is information on how to submit a portfolio for consideration for the Bernina Fashion Show, which is a special event associated with the Quilts, Inc. shows—International Quilt Festival in Houston and Chicago, Patchwork and Quilt Expo in Europe, and International Quilt Market in fall and spring. It is coordinated by Quilts, Inc. and sponsored by Bernina. The show is judged at its annual premiere in Houston, where the Bernina Crème de la Crème award is given. (Garments do not have to be judged.)

Every fall the selection committee reviews portfolios and selects designers who are invited to design new garments for the next year's show. For example, the selection process for 2006 was completed in November 2005 to give the artists as much time as possible to create their garments. Selection of 2007 designers will take place in October 2006. Portfolios or updates must arrive in Houston by September 30. (Note: this is a receive by deadline; it is not a postmark deadline.)

A portfolio (file) should include:

* Photos, color copies or slides (dias) of several garments and written descriptions of the techniques used in their creation

(Use of the sewing machine is encouraged, but not required. Garments should feature patchwork, appliqué, quilting, other stitchery techniques, embellishment, surface manipulation, dyeing, etc. Photos and slides do not have to be professional quality, but they must be lighted very well and in sharp focus so that the committee can evaluate stitching details and embellishment. Printouts of digital photographs are also acceptable. Please do not send notebook binders or plastic covers. Place your work in chronological order, with your most recent work on top.

* Your resume in wearable art, including shows where your garments have been seen, awards won, and publications featuring your garments

* Your address, phone number, fax number, and your email address

(Type or print this information so there is no chance we will misread something critical, like your address!)

Please mail your portfolio to the following address, to arrive by September 30:

Bernina Fashion Show

c/o Quilts Inc.

7660 Woodway, Suite 550

Houston, Texas 77063 USA

If you have any further questions, please contact us, and we will be glad to help you.

Marcia Barker, Bernina Fashion Show Coordinator, Quilts, Inc.

Phone: 1-361-485-2826 Fax: 1-361-485-2810 Email: mbarker@ccwip.net

Website: www.quilts.com