When I'm not sewing...

Again, I wrote this last year but never published it!  I thought I'd share it with you because it's been a LOT of fun, and a very interesting experience.

You know, I actually work really hard at sewing although you'd never realize it based on my blog posts.  As I busily lined up another American Sewing Guild program recently, I realized that I've never talked about hobnobbing with the famous in the sewing world.  I've gotten to do that this year (2012), largely due to LUCK.  The right call at the right time.  (yes, me!  I was really suffering on what to do for programs there for awhile so this was a HUGE blessing.  Rejection becomes very discouraging rather quickly.)

My local sewing guild has monthly meetings (except December) and has a program at EACH AND EVERY monthly meeting.  Guess who is in charge of lining up programs????  Yeah....

And, I'm well into my 3rd year of doing this (and agreed to a 4th and final year next year....which is now so I am almost DONE!!!).  I think I've done okay with it.  We are really blessed to have some *terrific* local talent.  But, you do feel guilty hitting people up within the guild.  After awhile you begin to feel that they see you coming, and that they want to go run and hide because they know that you are going to ask them to do a program presentation. 

We have several local quilt stores and a few far-flung general fabric stores, and I think all the store owners would like to go hide behind the counter when they see me coming....just in case I ask them to do a program.  I have tried to be thoughtful, and only ask our newsletter advertisers (aka the store owners) to do a program about every 2 years or so.  And that does seem like a lot--I really, really understand that by the end of the day they probably would much, much rather go home rather than go out to do a presentation.  It's a long day.  I appreciate that.  We suffer from the same things here at The Sewing Spot.  The flip side to this is that our guild is generally very supportive of our advertisers.  However, you can never really predict (and I'm too much of a lady to ask) how supportive (dollars!!!) the guild is.  I *think* that our store owners have benefited through sales either at their store and/or at our meetings because of the programs they've given.

See?  There's a trend here.  I am either the most loved member of our sewing guild (because of the GREAT programs I bring in) or the most feared (because I will ask YOU to do one!).  Really, I am laughing at myself here although it is true, I do believe!

So, the point is, you ask?  This year (2012!!!) has been an ultra busy year for me with sewing largely because of the sewing programs I've arranged this year.  We've had presentations about:

• sewing blogs (I wonder where that idea came from???)
• PaintStiks (compliments of one of our wonderful advertisers!)
• Velomuffs (by one of our ASG members with the coolest business!)
• Fabric Origami (a nifty accessory for home dec :)
• The Lifecycle of a Custom Gown (the gown samples were a big WOW! and the topic super interesting--thanks to another ASG member)

See?  Don't we have some terrific local talents??!

Plus, this year (actually in 2012) I was so blessed to be hooked up with Rae Cumbie, Sarah Veblen, Mary Ray, Pamela Ptak, and Linda Stewart!!!!   If your brain needs a nudge, they've all been in Threads magazine, written books, published patterns and/or teach.  They also taught classes here via Artisan Sewing Classes.  I couldn't take them all, but did enjoy Sarah's class.  More on that in another post!  Time to play catch up on the blog...Anyway--

And next year Susan Khalje will be one of our program speakers! How cool is that?????  She was here earlier this year in April.  I didn't get to take her French jacket class, but did enjoy her one day handsewing class!

It has been so wonderful to have had talent from outside our area come here and speak to the guild.  I'm sure it's been a relief to our members and advertisers, too.  (Because I didn't have to ask many of them to give a program at a meeting this year....but NEXT year is a different story!)  Now you know where all my sewing time goes--lining up sewing speakers for our guild programs! hahaha  I wonder what excuse I'll have to offer in the future since my time is up serving as programs chair???

Shop Hop

I did my first ever Shop Hop over the weekend!  Some very hard working ASG members put it together with 8 local shops ranging from home dec to sewing machines to quilting stores.  It was fun to go to each store to see what they'd put together for the Hop.  It was also fun to run into guild members at the stores.  I know I really enjoyed all of it! 

I bought 2 sets of fabrics for a placemat sew-in later this month, which are being processed in the washer :)  One set is for Halloween, including some solid black to make napkins using glow in the dark thread on the edges!  I bought a few patterns which I might either give away as gifts or sew up as gifts. I liked the tie pattern, shown on the left.  It looked quick and easy.  The middle Kwik Sew pattern looked like a good basic pattern.  And the organizer on the right is something we can all use!

Here are some freebies given out by a couple of shops.  The pattern on the left is for a Christmas tree skirt and the pumpkin fabric is a fat quarter.

I also bought yarn for the older kids to knit while we're reading aloud.  I got a brown slightly fuzzy yarn for ds and a lavender silky soft bamboo blend for dd.

The youngest dd chose some Beatrix Potter flannel to make herself some pj bottoms.  I think this will be a great project for her if I do the cutting out and pressing for her.  This stuff shrank a LOT in the wash so I'm running it through again and hoping that we'll still have enough :(

Only one store had a make it and take it project.  Who knew that a project could be sewn to completion in less than what? 3 minutes?  Of course, the fabric was pre-cut, but still.  It's a card holder made using the serger...and the strap across the front is elastic covered in heavy rayon thread using the serger (this was already done for us).  I haven't pushed the corners out all the way yet!

Outside.

Inside.

What's Up

Despite the lack of sewing blogging, I have been doing some sewing! I made the new Irby pattern by Sara Norris:

I know it's too big, but I like to aim for the future just in case time runs out and I don't finish in time for the current season.  You can find the pattern here:  Sara Norris Ltd.

I also made a big effort to clean up the ol' sewing room.  It still needs more, but more projects call!  Plus I added this new little addition:

Okay, it's really a shared machine for youngest dd and dh...and myself so I can tote something lighter to the occasional class.  Can you believe dh can sew?  It's been awhile for him, but the cord and accelerator (I know it isn't called that, but who doesn't think of it that way?) needed a bag so he whipped this up today:

Isn't it cute?  Polar fleece on sale at Joann's, just bought today! 

And, finally, the Leaning Tower:

I'm in charge of a charitable sewing project for our local chapter of ASG.  We're going to make baby/children blankets for patients at the hospital.  This is just some of the fabric we've had donated.  Our goal is 500 blankets!  Can we do it?  Yes, we can!  We've already had 35 completed blankets donated.  The project runs through the end of the year.  I think we've got a good shot at meeting (or exceeding!) the goal.  People are very generous--and it's amazing what you can do with small pieces of flannel or fleece.