Industry News

New handbag programs for the innovative retailer!
Just for you from Cultured Expressions

Whether or not you’re familiar with such specialty fabrics as mudcloth, kuba appliqué, kente, sadza batik, korhogo and jacquard batik, you and your customers will gain a new perspective on creative quilting and decorating with CE’s unique programs. Global trends are everywhere, both within and outside of the industry. Bring the drama and cultural relevance of African fabrics to your customers as they discover new ideas to spark the imagination!

Lisa Shepard Stewart, owner of Cultured Expressions, Inc. and author of the home dec project books African Accents and Global Expressions, offers both hands-on classes and trunk show/lecture events designed to foster an appreciation for these fabrics, as well as practical ways to apply them to creative projects.

Her newest book, On The Go! Designing Accessories with Cultural Style provides the inspiration for a related trunk show and new workshops, including her popular Kuba Raffia Designer Handbag. Other programs focus on home decorating and quilting, all with African fabrics and other world textile techniques, including “African Accents for the Home” (a general overview), “Getting Creative with Uncommon Textiles” (fabrics from various world cultures) and “Quilting with African Fabrics.”

Distinctive hands-on workshops include “African Mosaic Quilting” (a colorful approach to the watercolor technique, using CE’s pre-cut kit) and “Kuba Appliqué” (based on a raffia textile technique from the Congo region of Central Africa).

Other classes include fashion accessories and gift items designed with these specialty fabrics.

Programs are flexible and can be tailored to a group’s particular needs, interests, and schedule, from a single evening to a full weekend. Informal book signings and merchandising are incorporated into all events.

For more information on wholesale book pricing or arranging an event, call 1-866-MUDCLOTH, e-mail info@CulturedExpressions.com or visit online at www.CulturedExpressions.com.

Reprinted from SQE Professional, March 2008