I bet that most of you can say that “life just somehow got in the way.”  That has surely happened to me.  Way back when I got my associates degree in marketing and then wanted to go to the Fashion Institute of Technology.  For those ladies who remember the 60’s and 70’s you might remember having the need for an education stop short when life got in the way.  Personally I had to wait another 39 years to get my bachelors degree and have my braces taken off my teeth but I looked at the process as one that let me be 21 years old again.   

Another way to look at life’s detours is that it lets you do things at a time in life that you never thought possible.  Just last week as I tooled around the corner of Little West 12th Street in Manhattan I marveled that here I was in the middle of the very trendy Meatpacking District of the city for a very upscale fashion event.  Never expected to have an opportunity like that to happen back in 1969 and the next day was even more amazing. 

As most of you know, Brother has been very involved with Project Runway and in particular the Season 4 finalist, Jillian Lewis.  This young woman is a delight to know and follow.  Imagine using the Brother PS2300 that her mom gave her for Christmas when she was 16 to make her runway fashions.  It’s true and in fact at her Fall 2009 Fashion preview last Thursday, her assistant Jessica Sheehan proudly carried in that very machine for her last minute sewing before Jillian’s clothes hit the runway.

This trusty little machine is now the back up for the Brother Quattro that was used to plow through a beautiful knitted evening gown and the sheerest fabrics.  Even Jillian’s’ signature trench coat has been created with Brother domestic sewing machines. 

Once the models were made up and dressed for the stage that had been  set up in the terrific event space of the Tela Salon it was show time.

Several of the Project Runway machines were set on a table at the entrance to welcome everyone to the event along with a great poster of Jillian as well.

We were even able to invite a few of local Brother sewing dealers as well.  Here I am with Steve Gruber and fashion writer from FIT.

The following day we headed to NASDAQ in Times Square.  That was where I got to be part of something I truly never imagined either.  Jillian was there to ring the closing bell on February 13, 2009 and she brought along her “people” from Brother as well as her assistants. NASDAQ wanted to honor a young woman as part of the introduction of Fashion Week in NYC.   When it was all over we headed outside to Times Square for more photos and I have to tell you that the excitement was really cool.  I never imagined when we took our grandchildren to see the Lion King right across the street last September that I would be part of a very historic moment for Jillian.

Tomorrow morning we head off to the “tents” at Bryant Park in NYC for the finals of Season 6 of Project Runway.  I know most of you are shaking your head and saying, “but wait Season 6 had never even been on television this year.”  This is true but the season is “in the can” as they say, so we will be there to watch finalists show off their winning creations.  Now don’t go calling me tomorrow night for the inside scoop because it won’t work.  The folks at Project Runway are smart; they actually have 6 finalists at this event and then when you watch the finals on television they have edited out the 3 who did not qualify. 

I don’t want you all to think that I have moved beyond my original calling though.  I still love to sew and in fact I honestly and truly completed 2 UFO’s on Monday.  I made new throw pillow covers and pretty table cover for the kitchen.  Found these projects when I was looking for some accessory feet in my sewing room. 

Off to the office….have a great day! Hope to see many of you in Orlando in March! 

June!