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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

ASG Conference 2015

Resort grounds


     This year's ASG (American Sewing Guild) Conference was in San Diego.  It was held at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center.  I flew out on Thursday evening.  My flight was delayed due to rain in Chicago.  I got to the hotel around 9PM after easily finding my shuttle.  Even though there were only a few people in line, it took 30 min before I finally got checked in.

Resort grounds


     I was very disappointed when I got to my room.  I had a first floor room right by the parking lot and my drapes would not close all the way.  I had to pin them shut in order to have light control and privacy.  The wallpaper was peeling off the walls in the bathroom and the decor looked like it hadn't been changed in 20 years.  I don't mind it much when I am paying less but for almost $200 a night, by the time you add in all the extra fees and taxes, I expect a lot better.

Resort grounds


     The grounds when I saw them the next day in the sunlight were beautiful.  Flowers blooming everywhere and pretty winding walks and lots of benches and tables set outside.  I picked up my packet Friday morning and then enjoyed a nice breakfast.  The meals were good but when they had the buffet set up outside the room it made it difficult to juggle your belongings and a plate of food.  At least when the buffet was inside the dining room, you could put your stuff down and then get your food.

Resort grounds


     My first class was Sew Clever with Linda McGehee.  She showed us different embellishment techniques and tricks to use on clothing or purses.  I got some great ideas to use on things.  Next up was Fun Photo Projects for Your Smartphone or Tablet.  After lunch I had Combining Commercial Patterns to Create Unique Garments.  It was very interesting to see what elements were used from different patterns to create a totally different look.  We practiced with half scale patterns.  Really sparked my imagination as to what I could possibly do.

     That evening while walking over to the mall to have dinner, I ran into some of my fellow Chicago Chapter members and we enjoyed a nice meal in the food court.

Sue Hausman

     Saturday morning I woke up to rain.  Yes I said rain in San Diego.  It rained most of the day which made it hard to get to classes since they were in different buildings spread out throughout the grounds.  By afternoon there were many flooded walkways which made things even worse.  My first class was More Quick Gifts to Make with Sue Hausman.  Saw all kinds of fun things to do and the best part is she has most of the instructions on her website.  I will be checking it out for sure.

Panties with ruffles, I think I will do this for Maggie when she is older 

Jean purse with sparkles

Jean purse with ruffles


     Next up was Style Q & A with Louise Cutting.  Got some great tips for altering patterns and taking proper measurements.


Louise Cutting

     
     After lunch it was another class with Linda McGehee, Addicted to Bags.  Again more great tips on how to do things easier and better.  After shopping the vendor hall again I had a 6 mile run to do which I wound up doing on the treadmill because of the rain.  After cleaning up I headed to the mall for dinner as the rain had finally stopped.

     Sunday my first class was Let's Teach Sewing with Connie Crawford.  I know she is one of the best in her field but it was my least favorite class.  She knows her stuff and makes sure you know she does.  I just didn't click with her.  Next up was another class with Louise Cutting, Searching for a Pant.  More great tips on altering the pattern to fit you.  I love her One Seam Pants pattern.  

     After lunch I had my last class, Flippy Gored Skirt with Marsha McClintock of SAF-T-POCKETS patterns.  I was able to cut out and almost finish sewing one skirt in the two hour class.  The only reason I didn't finish was because you needed a sewing machine and not a serger for the last parts.  We got to sew on the newest Babylock 8 thread serger.  Oh I was so tempted to get one.  I was also able to cut out another skirt that I will sew up at home.  It was nice to have different sizes to try on since I wound up going down a size from what I thought I should make.

     It started raining again during our afternoon classes so I just headed to the sports bar on the resort grounds for dinner.  My, was it noisy in there.  

Resort grounds at 4AM when I was leaving


     Up early the next morning to catch a 4:20 shuttle back to the airport.  At least the checkout went more quickly than the check-in.  We left San Diego on time and landed in Chicago half an hour early :-)  I was able to catch an earlier train home and not wait two hours for the next one.  Then it was just a warm walk home pulling my suitcase which weighed in at exactly 50 pounds.

     All in all I enjoyed the conference, though I was disappointed in the number of vendors.  It seemed really light compared to other years.  Of course I still bought lots of fabric, patterns, purse stuff and a new cutting mat.  And a few pieces of jewelry.  The classes were good except for the one and the walking wasn't too bad except for the rain.  I know some of the older attendees were having difficulty getting around and I felt sorry for them.  Next year it is in Indianapolis and the following year near Disney in Florida.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Beginning Sewing Camp July 2015

Ebun and her bag and belt



     Last week was the last Beginning Sewing Camp for the summer.  I had Makayla and Hailey, sisters, and Ebun.  Another three girls so excited to learn how to sew.


Makayla and her bag and belt


     They spent the first day sewing on paper without thread and then moved on to sewing on fabric with thread after learning how to thread their machines.


Hailey and her bag and belt


     By the end of the first day they had all earned their sewing machine 'driver's license'.  By the end of day two they had finished their sewing bag and a simple belt.


Ebun and her shorts


     Days three and four were spent working on their chosen project.  Ebun made a pair of lounge shorts from the teen book.  She chose a denim fabric.  In fact all three girls chose the same denim fabric for their projects.  Ebun shortened both the rise of the shorts and the length on them.  They fit her great.


Makayla and her skirt, front

Makayla and her skirt, back


     Makayla chose to make the back slit denim skirt.  She chose some cute daisy buttons for her tab.  She opted to sew her hem with gold thread, just like hemmed jeans.  We talked about the need for accuracy when sewing with contrast thread versus stitches that virtually disappear when using matching thread.  She really took her time while sewing that hem and it looked great.


Hailey and her skirt, front

Hailey and her skirt, back


     Hailey also made the back slit denim skirt.  She chose some sparkly buttons for her back tab.  We opted to do a larger hem in her skirt and not do the contrast thread.  Since both girls chose buttons with shanks, they practiced their hand sewing techniques.

     We had some good discussions about the tab on the skirt, that it is both functional and decorative.  They also found out they still need to use their math skills during the summer and that fractions really are important.

     In a could of weeks I will have my last camp for the summer and soon after school classes will be starting up.  Wow, where did the summer go?


Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Beginning Sewing Camp June 2015 Afternoon

Learning to sew on paper


     The week of June 22nd I had so many girls that wanted to learn to sew that week that I added an afternoon camp.  We met from 1-4PM.

Allison with her bag and belt

Maria with her bag and belt


     I had Maria and her sister Rosa along with their cousin Emily.  Then Allison also joined us.  The girls did their practice papers and fabric sewing and were all cutting out their bags by the end of the first day.

Emily with her bag and belt

Rosa with her bag and belt


     By the end of the second day, they had finished their sewing bags and belts.  They all chose to make the denim skirt as their first project.


Allison and her skirt


     Allison chose a white denim and had silver buttons for the back tab and then smaller ones for the front to give it more of a sailor look.


Maria and her skirt


     Maria chose a lightweight denim in the traditional blue.  She opted to use the reverse side of her fabric for the tab.  She also added patch pockets in the back and stitched lines on the front to mimc the front pockets of a pair of jeans.  She opted to leave off the buttons.


Emily and her skirt


     Emily also chose a lightweight light blue denim for her skirt.  She chose some flat wooden buttons for her tab.


Rosa and her skirt


     Rosa chose a purple fabric with silver polkadots.  She added black sparkly buttons to her tab.  She said she felt like a lady going to work in an office.

Rosa, Allison, Maria and Emily modeling their back slit denim skirt


     Four very different looks from the same pattern, each reflecting their personality.  It was such a joy to spend time with four girls so eager to learn how to sew.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Beginning Sewing Camp June 2015 AM

Sewing on paper



     Last week was a very busy week for me.  I had planned on teaching Beginning Sewing from 9AM until noon.  I had so many requests for the camp I decided to add a second camp from 1 until 4PM.  Even then I had a few girls on a waiting list.

  For the morning session I had Sienna, Isabel, Mallory and Grace.  Some had a little sewing experience but not much.

Sienna with her bag and belt

Isabel with her bag and belt


     They started by practicing sewing using no thread and printed papers.  They quickly moved to sewing with thread and by the end of the morning they had all earned their 'Sewing Machine Drivers' Licenses'.

Mallory with her bag and belt

Grace with her bag and belt


     They then chose their fabric to start their first project, a drawstring bag.  They received instructions on how to pin properly and cut out a pattern.  By the end of the second morning only Sienna hadn't finished her belt and belt.  She finished first thing the next morning.  The girls all then started on their next projects.

Sienna and her colorful nightshirt

Isabel and her owl nightshirt


     Sienna and Isabel chose to make nightshirts while Mallory and Grace chose to make the round neck blouse.  It was fun to see what fabrics they had chosen for themselves.
Mallory and her 'delicious' round neck blouse

Grace and her whale round neck blouse

     By the end of camp on Thursday morning they had all finished their projects and were proud to model them.  

The girls and their finished projects


     We had a great time.  I was amazed at Sienna's ability to solve a Rubik's cube.  She brought several and during our break time the girls all played with them.  I so enjoy watching the kids master the sewing machine and learn how much fun it is to design and sew for ones self.