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JUKI Designer Ambassador: Will Riddle

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Today we’re introducing Will Riddle, our new JUKI Designer Ambassador! Known for his bold risks and designs, Will’s journey in sewing has taken him everywhere, and we are so excited it has brought him to JUKI! Coming up in the fashion industry Will has been a contestant on Amazon Prime’s Season 1 “Making the Cut,” presented a collection at NYFW, and styled celebrities such as Obama’s, Camila Cabello, Megan Markle, and more! Follow along as we get to know Will Riddle and introduce him to the JUKI team.

Will’s story starts not in fashion but painting! While always attracted to the arts, Will’s first medium was oil and acrylic painting. Taking 15 years’ worth of lessons, he decided it was time for something new and broke away from the medium to find a new one, branching out to the fashion world. Graduating from the Fashion School at Kent State University, he received his CFDA+ certification for his work in evening wear and achieved one of his most significant accomplishments.

“A few weeks after I graduated college, I had the opportunity to create a capsule collection that walked the runway at Lincoln Center during New York Fashion Week. To be that age and entering the industry with such an accomplishment under my belt was an amazing feeling.”

Diving into the world of sewing, Will turned to it as a form of comfort. Seeing it as his time to relax and unwind, he placed sole focus on his projects and creating. Will views designing and sewing as a therapeutic activity and finds sewing like a puzzle. He engineers the pattern pieces and designs to come together in a certain way for the perfect finish.

Finding inspiration for his work is exciting as he pulls from his own life experiences. Viewing life experiences as unique to each person and non-replicable, he draws from his past to create beautiful futures. In addition, he finds motivation behind the fact that creating is all he knows how to do. From an early on exposure to art, he’s been able to ensure that he’s constantly surrounded by creativity in his life, from fashion and music to performance and more.

Will’s present finds him most excited about developing custom prints and artwork featured in future collections! Using his favorite tool, a JUKI industrial sewing machine, he’s able to create fashion pieces he’s proud of. “I was spoiled in college by learning how to professionally sew on a fleet of new JUKI machines, and as soon as I started building my atelier, made the investment to have one of my own!” His work is bold and different, and his current favorite trend is domestic embroidery machines! Using his JUKI quilting machine DX-3000QVP and MO-2000QVP, he’s able to create personalized artworks with embellishments and accessories. This tool comes in handy when he designs his second favorite kind of outfit, campy Halloween costumes! His first favorite is the evening gowns he’s known for. 

Will’s experience in sewing has been exciting! Still coming up in the fashion industry Will has had a whole career he feels, “from managing the atelier at 3.1 Phillip Lim and Oscar de la Renta, to managing NYC factory relationships for sample creation, working with overseas factories, teaching newcomers how to sew and everything in between!” One word he would use for his projects? “Complex.” Created with the idea of bringing out bold styles and looks, it’s no wonder he’s gotten this far!

Will’s future in sewing is exciting and filled with opportunities, JUKI Lovers! His advice to new sewers joining is to complete projects at your skill level. We know how fun it can be to start large, but like

Will states, “feeling of accomplishment you get from successfully completing a project that you find slightly challenging, but not impossible, is incredibly rewarding and helps to encourage more difficult projects as you sharpen your skills.”

We hope you loved learning about Will as much as we did! So follow along as we continue introducing new JUKI Designers these coming weekends! Which Will Riddle design did you love best? Let us know down below!

JUKI Posts, JUKI Spotlight

JUKI Designer Ambassador: Samantha Rei

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Joining us in our JUKI Designer Ambassador Program is Samantha Rei! Samantha is the owner and founder of the clothing line “Samantha Rei,” a style that embodies sweetness, femininity, and attention to detail that Samantha is known for. You can see her inspiration in her work; she finds designs in everyday life and turns to music and stories when creating. Her recent collections have embodied themes from Vanitas painting and celestial-themed prints. Creating comes as second nature to Samantha, stating that creating is in her.

“It’s a primal thing. I don’t know why, but I’m driven to create. Even when it’s hard, I try to make myself because I know I’ll be happier on the other side, having made something beautiful.”

Samantha’s journey started not in sewing but comic book art! After pursuing her degree in illustrating and painting, she moved her art into a new medium and attended Minneapolis Community and Technical College for Apparel Technologies. After graduating, she created her first fashion label, “Blasphemina’s Closet” one of the first Lolita lines in the US, in 2000. Since starting her new brand, “Samantha Rei,” in 2013, she’s been featured in  Huffington Post, Shojo Beat, the American Gothic and Lolita Bible, Gothic Beauty, Glamour UK, and Vogue UK. Samantha’s love for sewing over her 20+ years as a professional designer has come from the challenges and new skills she’s continued to gain. As she states, “I am constantly trying to learn new techniques. I love gaining new knowledge.”

In 2015, Samantha authored and illustrated a how-to-book on style for Steampunk and Cosplay fashion! Her favorite projects to create are those where she can fully be dramatic. It’s no secret why cosplay would be a fun hobby in fashion to her! Recently, while creating fashion designs for weddings, she’s found herself placing dramatic capes on the gowns, creating a look that is eye-catching and special on its own. Her most tremendous recent success has been designing and creating fashion looks for Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan for her inauguration and wedding.

Samantha’s experience in sewing has been one of growth. Her drive to learn has led Samantha to where she is now, and she continues to acknowledge that she doesn’t know everything and neither do others. Because of this, she strives to do better with each project and enjoys sharing her knowledge with others. What once felt like a world of gatekeeping trade fashion secrets has turned into a world where knowledge is more openly shared. Social media has allowed newcomers to feel invited. Her best advice for new sewers, and one she shares with her interns, “Ask as many questions as possible and watch tutorials. And a weirdly specific tip, the Readers Digest Guide to Sewing, is the book I recommend to everyone from new sewers to my interns. Easy to follow with tons of info.”

Samantha’s next venture is exciting JUKI Lovers! You’ll be able to join Samantha soon, and in her favorite hobby, on her new YouTube series where she critiques costumes in science fiction media.

“I’m a huge geek, always have been, and I love analyzing story and world-building through what the people in the stories are wearing. I started the channel at the beginning of the pandemic, and it’s been so much fun!”

We’re so excited to have Samantha on board and can’t wait for the next project! Follow along with her sewing journey and more on our JUKI Ambassador site today here!

JUKI Posts, JUKI Spotlight

Spotlight: Meet Sherry Miller!

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This month we are introducing our newest National JUKI educator, Sherry Miller, to the JUKI team!

With over 40 years of experience, Sherry began sewing around seven years old with her mother. Moving on to junior high and high school, Sherry began constructing outfits, a hobby she loved and continues to work on today. After turning 16, Sherry worked in a quilting shop and loved the experience! So much so that she would continue to stay on for the next 30 years, becoming one of their very own educators.

When asked about her favorite sewing memory, Sherry fondly looks back at when she made quilts with a Girl Scout troop for a homeless shelter. Seeing the excitement on the girl scouts’ faces as they put the squares together using a sewing machine, and tying them with yarn, was a heartwarming experience. When it came time to donate, the Girl Scouts group invited Sherry when presenting the quilt at the shelter.

While Sherry was working in the quilting shop, she began practicing her quilting techniques. Creating quilts and home decor samples at home for the store gave her confidence to write patterns and eventually teaching classes. It was here Sherry found her passion for teaching others!

“The most very favorite thing about being an educator is the joy on people’s faces when they accomplish something they thought they could never do! I like meeting new people and learning about their styles of sewing. With every person I help, I always learn something new!”

Since joining JUKI, Sherry finds the J-350 Longarm machine to be her favorite! As someone who loves working on free motion quilting and quilting with rulers, these machines have fit her needs each time. We are so excited to have Sherry Miller on board as she continues to teach our JUKI lovers new tips and tricks on their favorite machines.

Keep up to date with JUKI on https://jukiquilting.com/our-events/ and meet Sherry and our other educators at our next class!

JUKI Posts, JUKI Spotlight

JUKI Designer Ambassador: Kentaro Kameyama

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Today we’re introducing a new member to the JUKI family, Kentaro Kameyama, a fashion designer. Japanese-born, Kentaro is based in Los Angeles, California, whose fashion focuses on minimalism and style. His concept is “keep your life simple and stylish.”

We are so excited to bring him on board as a JUKI Designer Ambassador and wanted to share more about him so our JUKI Lovers can get to know him!

NYFW – 2018

Kentaro’s inspiration can be found anywhere and everywhere. He enjoys finding those special moments in life and creating his art from within. With a background in classical music, Kentaro’s style brings elegance to a manner that is still minimalist but stylish. His motivation is simple, “I don’t feel right when I’m not creating things.”

His favorite projects to work on are runway collections. No stranger to the runway, Kantaro has been featured in New York Fashion Week for his winning collection in “Project Runway” in 2018, NYFW Spring 2020, and NYFW Winter 2020. However, Kentaro states his most tremendous success in his career has been winning “Project Runway” season 16, as this was his entrance into the “in” crowd of the fashion world.

His Project Runway collection was true to himself. Embodying his style of minimalism, he created 10 looks that were presented to the judges. Every day, he saw a new way to find inspiration and built the project with his plans in mind. He would go on to win the season with his winning looks and would go on to present his collection at his first NYFW.

NYFW -2019

Kentaro moved on from NYFW to a new project, composing and designing an opera show on Alexander McQueen. Recounting the final hour of the designers’ life, the opera was hosted in Boston in 2019. Kentaro, besides composing and designing, also joined in as the piano player for the show. Stating this as his favorite project to have worked on, he showcased outfits from the show in NYFW later on.

As Kentaro continues his journey, we ask him what his favorite part about sewing is, and we bet you JUKI Lovers would agree; it’s the sound of the machines. Kentaro has loved everything about his sewing experience and is excited for the future of his work. He also has a few words of advice for those new to sewing, “make lots of mistakes.”

We hope you enjoyed getting to know Kentaro, our new JUKI Designer Ambassador, and we can’t wait to share more of his work in the future! Follow along here for more news on our ambassadors!

Which outfit was your favorite? Let us know below!

JUKI Posts, JUKI Spotlight

JUKI Designer Ambassador: Kenya Freeman

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Meet our new JUKI Designer Ambassador, Kenya Freeman, CEO and Senior Lead Designer of Sylvia Mollie Collections – an American lifestyle brand that embodies bold femininity. Her garments are meant to instill power and confidence to fearless woman! And its’ because of this that Kenya’s motivation to create is simple: this is her purpose.

“It is my calling and my assignment beyond the passion. Knowing what I do is going to change the lives of many after me.”

We are very excited to have Kenya join the JUKI family as a JUKI Designer Ambassador and want to share a tidbit of her story with our JUKI Lovers! So follow along as we share a part of Kenya’s sewing journey.

Inspired by life, Kenya stumbles upon inspiration in her day-to-day activities. From dreams to the seasons, she’s always observing life outside of her home and the people she passes. Situations in life have continued to bring her inspiration, leading to her beautiful bold fashion pieces.

Kenya’s favorite pieces to work on are dresses. From the challenging cuts to the techniques she’s picked up, she looks forward to the pieces that will shine. Using Frixon pens, her favorite sewing trend, she drapes and uses her tool to mark those seams and lines. Her favorite part is heating it and seeing all the marks disappear from her work.

Kenya acclaims her season on Project Runway to be her most significant achievement in her sewing journey. Setting the tone for her future in fashion, Kenya’s life changed. As one of the top 5 finalists, Kenya’s work is loved by viewers. Her popularity quickly rose, and she inspired so many others to work on their skills.

Her love for sewing comes in full form when she sees the final product. It amazes her to see the process from concept to creation. As she continues to grow her brand Kenya’s primary goal is to relaunch her fashion line to sizes 10-20, creating an inclusive atmosphere for all fashion lovers.

Currently, in the process of the product development stage, Kenya is nothing but excited! With a roller coaster of an adventure since she joined the fashion industry, she’s experienced crazy, insane, exciting, devastating, and unforgettable moments. Her advice to sewers is simple, “Keep practicing. Keep practicing.  Keep practicing.  Never give up. It only gets better with time.”

We hope you enjoyed getting to learn about Kenya as much as we did, JUKI lovers! So join us on our socials and visit us here to keep up with our new friend Kenya and her journey in fashion.

Which of Kenya’s pieces did you love the most? Let us know below!