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Linda Carswell Is the founder and president of The Smocking Shop Inc. She started The Smocking Shop in November 1981 just prior to the birth of her fourth child Katie who will soon turn twenty-six! (She now has 9 grandchildren.) Besides taking care of the management duties associated with running a small business, Linda also teaches beginning smocking, fine children's sewing and heirloom sewing. In addition, Linda is a licensed Martha Pullen instructor for Husqvarna Viking and teaches special heirloom classes developed by Martha Pullen Co. She is shown here with Sue Hausmann, vice president of Viking Sewing Machines Inc and host of PBS' "America Sews with Sue Hausmann" and Martha Pullen, president of Martha Pullen Co, editor of "Sew Beautiful" magazine and host of PBS' "Martha's Sewing Room".

Fay Brown likes to call herself "jack of all trades and master of none". She does wear a lot of hats at The Smocking Shop but we think she wears them all well! Fay is our factory trained service technician, software expert, and educational coordinator. This busy mother of three, grandmother of 2 also finds time to teach a few classes (quilting, home dec, serger, advanced software) and help Linda with various administrative tasks while commuting five days a week from Bardstown no less!	Kathy Burr is our most longstanding employee having worked for The Smocking Shop almost as long as Linda Carswell! Kathy, mother of a grown daughter, is a former art teacher with a wonderful eye for color and design. She is an avid needle worker and quilter and has found she really enjoys working on the computer, too. She has been instrumental in getting our inventory barcoded so we can check you out faster!

Linda Cull The "Other Linda" as she is called came to us from our Quilting Shop. She has been a wonderful asset in building up our quilting business and has also become an avid smocker. Linda has graciously taken it upon herself to learn to use the pleating machine and now does the majority of the pleating. Linda is the mother of three grown children and grandmother to 2 precious grandchildren!	Susie Cheaney loves to work with the customers and also likes to keep The Smocking Shop neat, tidy and organized. If the shop has been rearranged since you were last in, Susie is probably responsible! Susie is building up her "Grandmother's Hope Chest" for her sons two precious children and her daughters two twin daughters.

Nonnie Chism loves sewing of all types and has learned so much since she bought her Designer 1 in 2000. She especially loves to sew for her granddaughters Emily and Kate. She is also mother to three grown children. Nonnie is our substitute staff member so you never know when you might catch a glimpse of her at The Smocking Shop!	Karen Fox is a longtime customer of ours. A couple of years ago, having been most impressed with her quilting savvy, we asked her to teach a couple of classes. Now she teaches lots of classes which include a myriad of quilting and accessory classes. Lately, she has joined Nonnie Chism as a substitute staff member so you’ll be seeing her even more often! Karen is mother to two grown sons and grandmother to Brandon, Kassidy and one on the way.
In addition to our fine staff, many of whom are also our teachers, we have several talented ladies who round out our excellent schedule of classes.

Diane Ciolek mother of a high schooler and a college coed, may be five foot nothing but she is a ball of energy with more talent in her little finger than most of us have in our whole bodies! She is no longer working on the sales floor so that she can spend more time teaching her wonderful classes which include Designer I training, beginning machine embroidery, creative machine embroidery, digitizing, and many others.

Emily Johnson teaches our kids' classes and summer camps. As the mother of three young children, she has that extra measure of patience so important to young and beginning sewers!