Laura Nash

Laura has been sewing since the age of 10 and working in fashion since 1988. She has designed special occasion clothing for family and clients across the country for several years. She also works and volunteers in theater designing costumes for many productions including Magdalena, Dreams from a Summer House,Calisto 5, and Pygmalion.

Awards

Laura has received design awards for fashion design excellence from Fashion Group International, Oregon Consumer Science Business Professionals, and the editors of Threads Magazine, where her work has been featured. She has also received numerous awards for her "recycled" fashions.

Shows

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Several of Laura's designs were created specifically for professional juried design shows where fashion is judged as an art form. For three years running, Laura's designs were accepted to the International Textile and Apparel Association. These include “Serenata” and “Victorian Vionnet” shown in New York City, August 2002, “Fifth Avenue” shown in Savanna, GA, November 2003, and "Ariel" shown in Portland, OR, November 2004. "Fifth Avenue in Gold" was accepted to the Sew with Doupioni Contest sponsored by Sew News Magazine, and "Noel" was admitted to the Inspired by Threads design challenge sponsored by Thread's Magazine. Both Designs were shown at the 2004 American Sewing Expo in Novi, MI. "Sahara" was the eveningwear design winner at this same show in 2005. In addition to these, Laura has been a regular participant in the Mom's weekend fashion show sponsored by her alma mater, Oregon State University. She also participated in the fall 2006 line up of Ready-to-Wear designers at Portland Fashion Week.

Other Interesting Facts

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Laura's young growing up years were spent moving and traveling around the country. Twice she's been to Mexico where her family camped out at popular destinations like Puerto Vallarta. As a result, she dislikes hot food, but loves the Mexican fruit bars! As a child, school was hit and miss, but did manage to graduate from high school, where all of her elective credits were spent in sewing classes. Her mother's divorce lead to a return to church activity, and something akin to the traditional trappings of life which was a welcome respite during those late teen years. After marriage and 4 wonderful children, she decided to enroll in college, filling many educational gaps. After 10 years in school, the goal was completed. Laura learned calligraphy and how to teach card workshops from her wonderful mother-in-law before cardmaking was a popular trend. She collects vintage clothing, and has a personal collection of both modern and vintage hats numbering close to 50. She often wears hats, and adds them as an accessory to her clothing designs. She also loves jewelry, shoes, her husband, their family together, and especially her baby grandson, Jonas. (Photograph copyright 2008 by Missy Cochran)

Now What?

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Ready to wear clothing cannot meet the needs of every woman, so Laura has turned to patternmaking for the home sewer, and teaching about fit and style as a way of sharing her design ideas. The new company is called Nostalgic Pattern Company. Laura also continues to design for fun, looking for innovative ways to turn cloth into 3-D. She has a special interest in shape and form, and creating the "illusion" of an hour glass figure for women that was very apparent in the first half of the 20th century. This era is a definite influence in her design aesthetics. A commitment to modesty has become intrinsic to her designs. It is her desire that women will once again return to respectfully covering their body. “On matters of style, swim with the current, on matters of principle, stand like a rock.” ~Thomas Jefferson