ASG Conference 2022

 

San Antonio RiverWalk

     The ASG (American Sewing Guild) conference was held in San Antonio from June 29 through July 3 with the main three days being July 1-3.  After being cancelled for the last two years because of Covid it was nice to have it back.  The last time I attended the conference was in 2016 when it was in Indianapolis. Other things just kept getting in my way it seemed like.

Shrug, seam in front

Shrug, seams on shoulders

     The first class I took was Serge a Stunning Silk Shrug with Katrina Walker.  We supplied our own fabric and thread but the conference supplied the sergers.  This was a fun project that made a nice shoulder cover for chilly venues on hot days.  You could wear it with either the seam front and back, making it longer or with the seams on the shoulders, providing more arm coverage.  Needs only one yard of fabric.

     After that class I had a lecture class, Faux Leather and Cork Embroidery with Ellen March.  We learned tips and tricks for embroidering on those fabrics plus where to source good quality fabrics.

     Lunch featured the keynote speaker, Linda MacPhee and her 'Confessions of a Sewaholic'.  

Yoga pants front view

Yoga pants side view

     After lunch, I did a little shopping and then did Easy Fit & Sew Yoga Pants with Jennifer Stern- Hasemann.  We tried on her samples and then she gave us instructions of what to alter to make them fit us.  We did the pattern alterations and then sewed up a pair of yoga pants.  I did have to do the hems at home.  They fit great, a couple of tweaks I might do for the next pair is to add a little in the back crotch height and make the waistband slightly smaller.  This should make them more comfortable for sitting.  I have fabric that I bought and will make another pair, this time longer, ankle length.

Pattern

 

Finished tee, close up

Finished tee as part of on outfit

Sleeve cap fit

     The next day I took another class with Jennifer Stern-Hasemann, this time her Tee Fit Workshop.  Using her The Tee pattern we once again tried on her samples and then one by one we went through what alterations were needed.  She supplied a great sheet to keep track of what needed to be done to the pattern.  After we had all been fitted, we spent the rest of the class going over how to make those alterations.  When I got home, I found some fabric in my stash and made up a tee.  It fit okay but I felt the neckline in the front was too high for me, felt like I was choking.  Also the sleeve cap seemed a little high.  I sent off some photos to Jennifer and she gave me suggestions on altering the pattern a bit more.  I will do that soon  and then make up a new t-shirt with fabric I bought at conference.

Bias scarf doubled

Bias cut cowl scarf

     After lunch which featured a fashion show, I took Bias Cut Cowl Scarf with Julianne Bramson.  She supplied the fabric and all.  She then demonstrated two different ways to make the scarf.  It turns out really cool with a twist in the tube when you make it.  The size of the scarf will depend on the size of fabric you start with.  Mine in long enough that I can wear it doubled up to provide more warmth if I want.

     That evening was a fun River Walk cruise that lasted a good hour and even went through one of the locks.  Fun and informative.

My attempt at free motion sewing

My egg

Eric's eggs

     The last day my first class was Thread Sketching & Fabric Painting with Eric Drexler.  I knew I wasn't good at free motion work and this class just reinforced that.  I had a hard time keeping an even stitch length and an even harder time following the lines.  I don't think the machine helped either as it was an older mechanical machine and the bobbin thread kept coming to the top even after adjusting the tension.  I may try this at home, as I do have three more eggs printed on the wash away stabilizer to practice with.

     After lunch which featured ASG Awards & Recognitions I had one last class, Know Your Shape-Sew Your Shape with Nancy Nix-Rice.  I have taken several of her classes and really enjoyed them.

     All in all I really enjoyed the conference, it re-inspired my love of sewing garments.  I was disappointed though in the vendor floor.  There were way fewer vendors than usual and very few fabric vendors.  I like to buy fabric and patterns from the independent designers at these conferences because the selection at JoAnn Fabrics leaves a lot to be desired.  Next year the conference will be in New York City.  I have never been there so this might be a good excuse to go.

Big Blossom Quilt, Blue and Yellow

 

Big Blossom Quilt

     I bought this kit from Keepsake Quilting catalog back in November of 2004.  I really liked the hydrangeas and raspberry print, I used the same one in a different color way for another quilt I made.

Blocks

     I cut everything at home and then at retreat in October 2021 I put it together.  I then put on the borders at home.

Border

     I found a cute blue and yellow print in my stash that I used for the backing.

Backing

     I then had my friend Joni quilt it for me with a pretty floral design.

Quilting

    Finally I found some time to do the label and put on the binding.  Now it resides in my living room where it looks so nice on the back of a mauve chair.

Label

     It only took me 18 years to get this kit made :-)

Beginning Sewing August 2022 plus Travel Time

 

Hard at work

     The first week of August was my last camp for the summer.  I had three beginning students and one returning student.  The returning student, Norah, was signed up to do the Travel Time camp the previous week but at the last minute, the other girl dropped out.  I offered to let Norah come to Beginning Camp week as I had an opening.  She was able to come and so I taught two different camps at the same time.

Leilah and her pillow

Kylee and her pillow

Lia and her pillow

     The girls learned how to use a sewing machine, sew straight lines and pivot corners and then made their patchwork pillows.  Leilah was having a hard time choosing her squares for her pillow, so the others helped her choose a pleasing design.

Leilah and her drawstring bag

Kylee and her drawstring bag

Lia and her drawstring bag

     Next up was learning the zigzag stitch and about edge finishes.  Then they made their drawstring bags. They all quickly mastered the threading of the ribbon through the casing.

Lia and her book bag

Leilah and her book bag

Kylee and her book bag

     Last up was learning about sewing curves and turning a tube of fabric.  Leilah had a little trouble with that but Lia was able to help her figure it out.

Norah and her organizer

     Meanwhile, Norah was hard at work on her projects.  First up was an organizer that had zippers and vinyl pockets.  It also had bias binding around the edges.  She mastered all of those techniques.  Sewing with vinyl is not easy.

Cord taco and luggage tag

     Next up were a cord taco where she used fusible web and a zigzag edge finish.  She also was able to pound in a snap.  Then a luggage tag with more vinyl and a buttonhole.

Norah and her vinyl pouch

     The last project was a zippered vinyl bag, more vinyl sewing and another zipper.

Card wallet

     Norah worked so quickly she was able to also make a card wallet with fusible interfacing and a velcro closure.

Leilah's projects

Kylee's projects

Lia's projects

Norah's projects

     Look at all the projects the girls finished in just four days.  I was so proud of how they worked together including the times they had to wait while I was helping someone else.  I will have a few weeks off before starting with the after school sewing.  I will spend that time cleaning up my sewing room from all the craziness of the summer plus spend a few days with the two oldest grandkids and take a little vacation with my husband.

Color Me Crazy Sewing Camp

 

Same dye vat but different results

     Color Me Crazy Sewing Camp was part messy fun and part sewing.  The girls did several different techniques with color, some on ready made items and some on fabric that we then made into projects.

Anna Catherine and her tie-dyed t-shirt

Autumn and her tie-dyed t-shirt

     The first thing they did was with a white t-shirt.  They used multiple colored Sharpies and placed a design on the t-shirt as it was rubber banded over a cup.  They then dropped alcohol with a dropper and watched the colors spread.  They experimented with swirls and dots and dropping the alcohol in just the center or dropping it all over.  

Anna Catherine and her pillow

Autumn and her pillow

      They then drew with glue gel onto their white fabric which we had cut to be slightly larger than we needed to make their pillows.  After the glue dried (we placed it in the sun) we mixed up a batch of dye.  They dyed their fabrics and then rinsed them.  It was shocking to see how different in color they turned out to be.  Not knowing the fiber content of either one, I would have to say they were different fabrics even though they looked the same.  I washed and dried the pieces to get rid of the glue and they had some really cool fabric to make their pillows.  Unfortunately Autumn's fabric was a bit too small so we had to improvise and add a piece of white in the center to make it large enough.  Not a mistake, but a design opportunity that she really liked.

Anna Catherine and her backpack

Autumn and her backpack

     We also used the glue gel to draw on a heavier canvas like fabric which we then painted with watered down acrylic paints.  After getting rid of the glue again, the girls added some details with the Sharpies and then sewed a backpack  Instead of grommets for the corners, they sewed buttonholes.  

Marbled fabrics

Autumn's coin purse

Kate's coin purse

     Then they used shaving cream and dyes and made some marbled fabric.  The first fabric had brighter more distinct colors while the second was a bit more mottled.  On the fourth day, Anna Catherine couldn't be there so Kate, Autumn's friend, came in her place.  Kate made her marbled fabric using the rest of Anna Catherine's shaving foam after adding a little more dye.  Then they made their coin purses.

Autumn's bleach stencil

Kate's bleach stencil

     The last thing they did was using a black t-shirt.  They placed a fabric stencil on the shirt and then with a bleach pen, filled in the areas they wanted to bleach.  Neither girl used all of the stencil which was fun to see.  We also tried spraying the scrunched up bottom of the t-shirt with bleach but nothing really happened, I think it was too dilute.  

     They had some extra time so they experimented with fabric and Sharpies and the alcohol to make more designs.  One of the fabrics was a print, so it was fun to see what happened with that.

     If I do this camp again, I would have them do all the glue painting the first day so it would have time to dry overnight instead of trying to force dry it in the sun or with a hairdryer.  I think the girls had fun doing something more than just sewing.