I had the privilege of presenting the PiPN program to students at Dominican University, just west of downtown Chicago, last Thursday. (The University has about 4000 students in total.) Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Susan Strawn, associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, I had an audience of eager young students interested in knowing more about the needlearts and the opportunities available in this industry.

As it turns out, Dr. Strawn . . . or Susan . . . as she likes to be addressed, began her career in the arts years ago . . . but as an illustrator first, then author, doing work with Interweave Press when it was just starting out. Later she went back to school to earn her PhD, and has been with Dominican University for the past 4 or 5 years (I believe . . . ).

After my presentation, Susan and I had a chance to chat. She currently teaches a fabulous survey class during the fall semester that includes a number of fiber techniques, including shibori, surface embroidery and embellishment . . . and more. (There were lots of others but know I don’t have all the terminology accurate . . . the number of techniques, both traditional and evolving, is absolutely mind boggling.), Susan showed me some of the pieces her students have created. Totally amazing. According to Susan, there was a waiting list for the class this year. Susan commented that “The appeal has been both a little surprising as well as exciting.” It just goes to show the interest in the fiber arts.

Several of the students showed interested in learning more about the PiPN program. We also are hoping to work more closely with the University in supporting their needlearts educational efforts.

The list of PiPN 2010 opportunities keeps growing. We’re still in the process of publishing the details but wanted to let everyone know about the hosts already on board. Many of these companies have mentored interns in the past. They’re all committed to making sure their interns always have an amazing experience . . . something they can take with them to any career in any industry. Many of the interns have reported “life changing” experiences, in fact.

As of 11/11/09, our hosts include:
Barbara Bergsten Needlepoint, Chagrin Falls OH
CNS Yarns, Montreal Canada
Coats & Clark, Charlotte NC
Fine Points, Cleveland OH
Kreinik Manufacturing, Parkersburg WV
Tanglewood Fibers, St. Helens OR
The Needlepoint Boutique, Collingswood NJ

More companies are signing up daily, so check back again. If you are looking for an internship in a specific type of company or in a particular location, please let me know. Email me at bdirect @ columbus.rr.com (remove spaces before emailing).

ITAA . . . That stands for International Textile and Apparel Association, an amazing organization comprised of college educators who focus on everything fiber, fashion and design related. These are professors and graduate students who have a passion for texture, weave and drape, history and more . . . and are committed to sharing their knowledge with others. Nearly 400 of ITAA members convened in Seattle . . . and PiPN was there.

We chose to set up our table in the Career & Recruitment area, which turned out to be the perfect spot. By the end of the session, we had talked with educators from schools such as University of Alabama, Stephens College, Wayne State University, SUNY, Savannah College of Art & Design, the Art Institute of San Francisco, the Art Institute of Denver at Colorado State University, Seattle Pacific University, Kansas State University, Lasell College, Oklahoma State University, Kent State University and Ohio University. Everyone wanted to know how their students could get involved.

Because of the changes in the PiPN format this year . . . the addition of the two new routes (internship only and apprenticeship only), more schools are getting involved, enabling more students to access the opportunities.

In the meantime, we’re still adding new hosts to our list and will be posting a more complete list soon. Check back, or contact me at bdirect@columbus.rr.com.

This year, with the new format for PiPN, we’re taking a little longer to identify our new PiPN host companies.

We’ve had a great response from our TNNA membership so far and can report the following three confirmed opportunities:

• CNS Yarns in Montreal Canada are manufacturers and exclusive distributors of Mission Falls yarn and pattern books.

• Tanglewood Fiber Creations in Saint Helens, Oregon is a provider of luxury hand-spun, hand-dyed yarns for the discriminating yarn salon.

• Barbara Bergsten of Chagrin Falls, Ohio is a needlepoint artist providing expertly stitch-painted needlepoint canvases for retailers across the country.

More information about these opportunities, as well as many others will be available soon.

For information about the PiPN program, contact Sherry Mulne, PiPN Coordinator at bdirect@columbus.rr.com.

New Blog!!
I’m excited to be a part of the TNNA website with the addition of my own blog, called PiPN Lane.  I have never had my own blog before… so I’m thinking it won’t be perfect, but I’m going to try to keep it as interesting as possible for everyone who reads it.  I’m happy that this addition was possible and for me to continue to have an acting hand with PiPN.

I’m now an alumni of the PiPN program and also graduate from The University of Akron. During the summer of 2008 I was enrolled in the fiber arts class and also completed my internship this past summer with SoHo Publishing in New York City.  I had a great experience with PiPN.  The fiber arts class was awesome; I felt it was the perfect test on the limits and creativity for the students all in different ways.  When I first saw the schedule for the class, I held my breath for a second.  I thought the days would be so long, but once we jumped into the needle arts the days flew by and before I knew it the class was finished. We spent time working on our projects, helping one another, and also getting to know the professors and other students.  I don’t want to spill too much info about the class, for those who have not taken it yet, but at times I thought there is no way I could have finished everything, but I managed to and it felt both relieving and rewarding.  It was great to see the differences in each student’s ideas and creativity.  The personality of the students came through in all of the projects.  The opportunity to attend the trade show was also amazing and I definitely recommend it to upcoming students.  My experience with the internship was really one of a kind! I loved living in New York City for the summer and had a blast interning with SoHo Publishing. 

I graduated in August from Akron and this last month has been least to say, quite crazy.  I have recently received a promotion and I have moved to Columbus to be a manager at a Victoria’s Secret store.  This has been exciting and rewarding, but I feel like I have left my heart in NYC.  My goal for the next couple months would be to move back to New York City.  I’m in the process of saving money and looking for apartments for myself and a new roommate, who is also a graduate from Akron.   There is so much opportunity in the city and I feel like the world would be at my fingertips.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed about a marketing assistant position with SoHo Publishing.  For the meantime I’m continuing to do what most other recent college graduates do and I’m searching, applying for jobs, and hoping for an interview.   I’m also enjoying spending time with my family and friends, a promotion, and my new activities with PiPN. 

I’m  looking forward to getting in contact with other PiPN alumnae to see where everyone is at and what they have been up to since graduation or completing their internship experiences with PiPN.  I’ve have put together a list of topics to blog about, and one that will be in the near future will be all about PiPN alumni.  I’m hoping that some of the other alumnae will be interested in the blog and want to throw in some topics and blogs of their own. 
‘Til next time,
Kristi Schwechheimer