Twisting Me Softly Vest
Class Materials:
• Sewing machine with decorative stitches. (2-3 people could easily share)
• Serger set up for 3 thread balanced stitch, left needle (wide)
• Assortment of regular sewing thread and serger thread
• Glass headed Pins, Tape measure, marking chalk
• Scissors or rotary cutter/matt General Sewing Supplies

Shawls vary in width, the widest being approximately 56”. This is the maximum hip width we can do with one shawl.

When: November 19, 2011, from 9:00 am to 5:00pm;
Where: Odd Fellows Hall, 4349 Cowell Road, Concord.
Cost: ASG members- none, $25.00 Kit fee paid to Lyla Messinger; Non-ASG members $20.00+$25.00 Kit fee paid to Lyla Messinger. Lunch Provided.

Please contact Kathleen Poole at kpoole2140@comcast.net with any questions about this program.

Livermore Independent

Contra Cost Times – need phone

danville weekly – need phone
The concordian – must post before 15th of previous month

facebook

Penny Saver: www.pennysaverusa.com/

KPFA www.kpfa.org/contact
KFAX www.kfax.com/Forms/communityevents.aspx
KDYA sales@gospel1190.net

Diablo Magazine www.diablomag.com/Diablo-Magazine/Whats-Happening/Community-Calendar/?view=new_event
Alameda Magazine www.alamedamagazine.com/media/Alameda-Magazine/My-Account/index.php?option=calendar

dir.yahoo.com/Regional/U_S__States/California/Metropolitan_Areas/San_Francisco_Bay_Area/Counties_and_Regions/East_Bay/News_and_Media/Magazines

This used to be one of my favorite patterns. I have gained weight since I last made it, but I figured that it would work just as well if I retraced it. Instead of grading up the last version, I retraced a larger size. I’m not happy with it. It doesn’t fit in the shoulders/neck.

The thing is that I knew that would happen. So, oh, well. I’m going to put it aside for now and look at another button front woven shirt pattern. Maybe that new Sandra Betzina one from Vogue.

I still need to do a bit of finish work on the zipper, so pictures of the innards are coming soon.

When: Saturday, June 26, 2010 from 9:30 am – 4:00 PM
Where: Odd Fellows Hall, 4349 Cowell Road, Concord, 94521
What: Mini Sewing Retreat
Cost: $10 members/$20 non-members
Contact: Julianne Bramson
E-mail: walnutcreek@asg.org
URL: http://www.asgwalnutcreek.org/

Mini-Retreat – After the meeting portion is finished, attendees are invited and encouraged to stay for a day of sewing with sewing friends! A Mini-Retreat means you can bring any project you like – Sewing Friends means there are sure to be people to ooh and ahh over your triumphs and offer helpful advice when you get stuck.

patternreview.com
stitcher’s guild
tribe.net
Contra Cost Times
danville weekly
The concordian – waiting on info
craigslist
Craftster- N Calif section
Alameda Sun lyeates@alamedasun.com :
Livermore independent facebook:

Penny Saver: www.pennysaverusa.com/

1190 AM: www.gospel1190.net/members/myevents.aspx
KDIA 1640 AM www.kdia.com/members/myevents.aspx?
KCBS www.kcbs.com/pages/10408.php
KEST www.kestradio.com/contacts.htm – asked if they have a calendar
KFRC kfrc.radio.com/2010/02/16/contact-kfrc/#contact-form-120
KFOG Community Events or Public Service Announcements sfopsa@cumulus.com
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Conference was great. I took 4 really good classes and one not so great, but entertaining, class. I learned how to make a bra, and using the custom fit pattern, I made one! That was so cool. I, of course, bought many kits to make bras. We shall see. That was an 8 hour class, and I was exhausted afterwards, so I drove to my friend’s house , and we drank 2 bottles of wine.

Of course, I was supposed to be at conference the next day at 7 am, but I did get there in time to have breakfast.

My second class was on fitting the upper body for plus sized women, another 8 hour class. Altho much of it was review, I got a lot out of the class, especially specifics for me. And it was tailored for the plus sized women. The third class was fitting the lower body, and that was really good. The teacher was Kathleen Cheetham of Petite Plus Patterns. It would seem that while I have a “tall” inseam of 35 inches, I’m petite from hip to top of head. I bought one pattern from her, the jean jacket. It fits me out of the envelope. I was totally exhausted after this class, so I went shopping. I met up with Veronica and Liane for dinner and margaritas. Then we went to the fashion show which was pretty much a yawn. I didn’t get back to my friend’s house until 11. They weren’t back from driving a nephew up to Taos, but the dogs had decided that I was okay. Bumper even slept with me.

Did you know that Martha Pullen is a wild thing? I had no idea.

I had class with Marla something on Sunday morning on bound buttonholes. That was good, too. It wasn’t about the traditional style, and I may never make another thread buttonhole again.

My last class was on fabric folding, and the speaker was good, but the presentation was very light. For example, when her husband was stationed in Afghanistan, she had power of attorney and bought a new house for them.

The shopping was fun, too. I managed to do pretty good resisting the fabric. Louise Cutting had fabric to die for. I’m a cotton kindagirl. There was a European fabric importer, but since I’m allergic to wool, his stuff didn’t hold much appeal for me. There was another importer but this time from the Americas and Far East. I blew a bunch of money there.

I think Fashion with Motion Sickness did well. Their booth was packed most of the time. When they had a moment, I asked how it had been, and Susan said they were doing great. Julianne has a new dress out that “might even fit” me. Quote from Julianne.

Bruno is STUPID. I love him dearly, and he is cute and sweet, but he was bred to be cute and sweet, but he doesn’t have a brain in his head. I’ve only had working and sporting group dogs, and they tend to be too smart for their own good.

Bruno is still intact. I’m still not sure what I’m going to do.

Something for Everyone – All Skill Levels!
Home Dec, Surface Design, and Garment Sewing!

Everyone is invited to our First Annual Sewing Fair. We have asked 8 talented, industry professional, nationally known members of our chapter to share their knowledge with us. The event shall be located at the Asbury United Methodist Church in Livermore. This site has lots of parking and accessible classrooms.

Two flyers are available; the first is the class schedule which includes cost and location information, class times and descriptions, registration information, and a map, and the second contains the teachers’ biographies.

Registration & Fees:

The fee for ALL DAY is $25.00 for Members and $35.00 for Non-Members. This fee includes lunch!

To register, contact Louise Soles at 925-373-0590 or asg4learning@pacbell.net.

You can register and pay for this event on our website. Go to www.asgwalnutcreek.org and click on the Events tab to find the PayPal buttons which will become active on Monday, Aug. 31st. If you choose to pay for the program via PayPal using a credit card, the fee is $1.00 extra ($26 and $36) to help defray the PayPal processing fee.

Of course, you can mail a check to Louise to hold your place, or pay at the door (note: if you pay at the door we can’t guarantee your chosen classes).

We hope to see you all there!

PS: Here is an ASG member who attended conference and took the No Pattern Bias Skirt Class: Bias Skirt Blogged

© 2009 Walnut Creek American Sewing Guild reprinted with permission.

patternreview.com
stitcher’s guild
tribe.net
Contra Cost Times:
danville weekly
The concordian
craigslist

Alameda Sun lyeates@alamedasun.com :
Livermore independent editmail@compuserve.com
facebook:

Penny Saver: www.pennysaverusa.com/

Contra Costa Times Fundraiser Calendar

My quest for the perfect bag continues. Actually, I need two bags: a small purse to tuck my wallet, keys, and Starbucks card into because I usually leave the pockets off my clothes and a big tote bag to put all my crap in that I seem to need to lug everywhere. So I decided to give the Totes a Lot pattern a try. It’s by Nancy Mirman.

The pattern calls for quilting cottons and batting or fleece or something between the layers. I decided to use bottomweight fabric that was left over from previous projects, so I didn’t need the middle layer/batte. The fabric with the embroidery is a navy flannel that I made pants out of. The plain denim was a jacket that didn’t work out. DH bought the striped denim for temporary shades, and the light colored denim was a pair of pants.

I’m very pleased with how the embroidery came out. I digitized the oak leaf. Beth told me that it is a red oak leaf. Anyway, there are 2 different patterns, the solid leaf and the outline. I randomly placed the outline leaves.

Embroidery Details

I wish I could say I am very pleased with the rest of the bag. I do really like the size and all the pockets. The construction method leaves a lot to be desired. This bag is constructed of rectangles. Each piece is cut out of the “main” fabric, the … um … “lining” fabric, and a piece of batting or fleece. The instructions tell you to layer the 3 pieces like a quilt sandwich and bind the top edge of each piece. Except for the 2 main pieces, there are no instructions to finish any other edges.

Pockets on the ends of the tote

The instructions say to sew the bag right sides together and then to enclose the seams by resewing the edges wrong sides together. This was really hard to do on my sewing machine, and if you look closely at the image on the right, you can see I only encased the seams close to the top of the bag. It was just too many layers to go thru once I got down near the pockets, so I have many unfinished seams, on grain, in the interior of the bag.

Bag Front

The only other issue, that I have is that the length of the key holder is way too long for me. Well, and I refuse to use velcro. I’d much rather put in a snap or a zipper.

Bag Back

Overall, I really like this bag. It’s a good size for me. I like the chance for embellishment on the front pocket. The back pocket is perfect for my purse. The side pockets are great for my cell phone and camera. I can carry my journal inside and some art supplies, plus my makeup (that I almost never wear) and my allergy meds.

I made some other changes in addition to not using the fleece filler. I took tucks in the top of the side pockets. The pattern called for elastic threaded in the binding. I had very securely finished my binding with decorative stitches, so I was unable to thread anything through the binding. One of the interior pockets is supposed to run the length of the bog and be secured with velcro. I hate velcro, so you know I didn’t do that. I split the pocket into 3 pockets and omitted the closure.

I need to use the bag for a while before I can pass final judgement, but as of now, I like it.

Collar

Slow, so slow. I was hoping to have it done to take to group tomorrow. Oh, well, next week.

After looking thru my patterns, I decided that I want to make a jacket. I’d made the Kwik Sew jeans jacket before, so it was cut and somewhat fitted. The arms are too tight, and the short version is too short. I considered the New Look pattern, but it’s hard to get excited about tracing a pattern that is very similar to one you’ve already traced. I really like Lois Ericson’s patterns. They work well for me. But I was thinking that I wanted a light jacket to wear in the office. The jacket that I have made by Design and Sew isn’t like that.

I also really like the style of the other Kwik Sew jacket, but it’s rather formal for me. And I picked out a poly brocade to make the jacket out of. So if I wanted to wear this to work, I figured the jeans jacket was the style.

The bodice is pieced, as are the arms (but not completely topstitched), and the collar is ready to be attached to the bodice.

Things are going well with the jacket. The fabric is pretty easy to work with. However, every fricken’ time that I make a collar, I do it backwards. Do you see the difference in the two collars to the right? Every fricken’ time! And I never notice the problem until I try to attach the collar to the bodice. Ah, well, fortunately, I have plenty of extra fabric.