Kingstowne Clothiers December Meeting TIme Changed (This Month Only)

 Because of difficulty with getting a meeting reservation at the Pohick Regional Library for December, we had to shift our meeting time to 8am (yes, I know this is early!). We will still hold a hybrid meeting for those unable to attend in person, and I know a lot of people will already be traveling and unable to attend in person anyway.

Our goals for this meeting are to:

1. Show off our fall projects. Hopefully you were able to make coats, jackets, shackets, outerwear, OR practiced some of the elements that we have presented over the past few months (e.g., a personal primer of welt pockets or bound buttonholes, interfacing experiments, or tailoring techniques, such as pad stitching or catch-stitching). 
2. Develop a sewing program for 2023. Not only do we need to know what our members would like to learn in 2023, we also need to know what our members know that they are willing to share with others (because to TEACH is to LEARN TWICE). Also, everyone has a sewing skill that that can be shared or learned, no matter how novice or experienced. 

This format works beautifully for both in-person and virtual attendance! Please take photos of your lovely garments and put them into some sort of presentation software such as PowerPoint so we can better appreciate the details of your projects AND so we can upload to web site and our social media channels. This can help with another technique---learning to use virtual technology better (e.g., Share Screen). 

Please take some time in the next week or two to review your personal sewing resolutions for 2023 so we can have a fantastic discussion on Saturday, December 19, 2022, from 8:00am to 10:30am, whether you attend in person at Pohick or dial in via Zoom!

New Woodbridge Neighborhood Group to Start Meeting!

If you've been waiting for a Neighborhood Group to meet near Woodbridge, then you are in luck! This initial meeting will take place on Saturday, December 10, 2022, from 10:00am to 12:30pm in the cafeteria of the Prince William County Government - A.J. Ferlazzo Building located at 15941 Donald Curtis Dr · Woodbridge, VA

The first agenda item is to decide what to call this Woodbridge Neighborhood Group. Several names have been suggested. To get your creative juices flowing, here are a few:

• Saturday Sewcial Club
• Woodbridge Bumble Bunch (A bumble bunch is the tangled mess of threads that sometimes happens with sewing.)
• Woodbridge Spool Spinners
• ______________ (Your suggestion here)

Next, the group will need a secretary to take notes during the meeting. Discussion about meeting locations, dates and times will also be decided at this meeting. 

Then the group will need to do program planning and outreach for 2023. Attendees are encouraged to bring a list of ideas for projects, challenges, or community outreach ideas to discuss. Think about what you want to learn over the next year and any special skills, techniques, or projects you've completed that you could share with others on their sewing journey. 

Of course, the group will learn about Northern Virginia chapter events and happenings.

Finally, the group will do Show and Tell, so bring or wear your makes! Let everyone know what you've been working on or ask for advice to get past a tricky spot in fitting or finesse. 

This will be a hybrid event with Zoom available for those unable to attend in person.

If you are not already a member of the American Sewing Guild, you will be able to attend up to two meetings before being requested to join. To receive the Zoom link, please RSVP on our Meetup site here: Woodbridge Neighborhood Group Monthly Meeting, Sat, Dec 10, 2022, 10:00 AM | Meetup

Annual Meeting was a HUGE success!

We're so sorry if you were unable to attend this year's Annual Meeting. We do hope you were able to exercise your right to vote, and we're happy to say that a peaceful transition of power in the Chapter Advisory Board (CAB) occurred, even though the race for Secretary was a tight one! 

We had nearly 100 dresses sewn and donated by ASG NOVA members in support of our charity for 2022, "Dress a Girl Around the World." This was the last day to collect dresses and we will be sending them to Mari for distribution to a missionary for the phase. We also discussed several options for our charity focus for 2023.

Judith Grieg presented information on photographing our makes and projects and even provided expert advice on how to make the initial cut for juried submissions (hint: follow the application guidelines! More is NOT better). 

Mary Parker presented an interactive talk about Instagram as a platform for engagement, education, and excitement. Many members were unaware of ASG NOVA's social media outreach channels, and this was a great opportunity to encourage members to take a look at how ASG NOVA interacts with the community. 

Members had the opportunity to browse the "Free Fabric" corner where a variety of lovely, donated fabrics, notions, and patterns were waiting to be taken home and added to someone's stash or put in the immediate cut pile. (Too bad that 100% silk piece was a color only a redhead could pull off---we blondes and brunettes were totally frustrated!).

Members listened to CAB reports and Neighborhood Group accomplishments and plans. Finally, the silent auction winning numbers were drawn, and everyone went home happy! 

In case you're wondering, ASG NOVA is on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/asgnova/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqu_K6GYKi9Lh4to_n3CnPA (links to unlisted videos can be found on GroupWorks)

Twitter: @AsgnovaS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1448689475401383

Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/northern-virginia-chapter-of-the-american-sewing-guild/

And, of course, information is available via this blog and on GroupWorks for dues-paying members!

Annual Meeting is Coming Saturday, October 29!

 

It's time for the Annual Meeting!

• 
  Come join the fun!  
• Connect with your sewing friends!  
• Learn how to take photographs of your sewing projects and upload them to the internet.  
• Find out what’s happening in our chapter and learn the results of the election.  
• A box lunch will be offered.  
• We will have a raffle for baskets of goodies prepared by the Neighborhood Groups.
• And...last but not least, donated fabric will be available for the taking. Woo-hoo!

Where:

Spring Hill Suites, Dulles,

22595 Shaw Road, Dulles, VA 20166

When:

October 29, 2022, 10:00 a.m.-3:00p.m.

Registration due by September 30. 

There are two ways to register: by mail or through GroupWorks.  Check your email or see registration form for details.

Trunk Show on Saturday, August 6, Featuring Michele Parker!

$1700 designer skirt spied at Neiman’s. Fabric at @joann_stores for $29 per yard. Bemberg rayon lining, zip, and petersham from stash complete this designer look!

Who: ASG members and friends 

What: Michele’s Creative Closet, highlighting designer details for a truly upscale look! See the garments! Learn the techniques from Michele, Linda Matt, and Melissa Hayman! Enjoy the day with sewing friends! 

Where: Franconia Government Center 6121 Franconia Road, Alexandria, VA 

When: Saturday, August 6, 2022, 10 AM - 3 PM 

Lunch on your own 

Local Eatery List provided at event 

Tickets: $5.00 per person 

Deadline to RSVP: Saturday, July 30th

Registration Form

Charity Sew for Dress A Girl Around the World on Saturday, July 23

 

"Tweak Your Pattern" Workshop on May 7th, 2022 (Zoom Workshop)

 

On Saturday, May 7th, the Northern Virginia Chapter of the ASG will present the second half of our Measure Up! Workshop.

Bonnie Firestone and Kathy Saladino will show you how to use the measurements you took in the first workshop on March 10th.  

You will learn how to apply them to your basic commercial pattern.  

You will learn the first step to get your commercial pattern to fit before sewing your first muslin.  

Master these techniques and each project will start much closer to your ideal fit! No more wadders, no more UFOs, no more tears. Well, we may just solve the fitting problem; we can't solve seam ripper problems...

Don't forget---if you missed the first half of the Measure Up! Workshop, you can find the recording on GroupWorks.  Just scroll back in the posts to "Measure Up Workshop Recording" date March 10th.

GroupWorks is a secured site and a benefit of membership in the American Sewing Guild. Membership information is available on the ASG site and is $50 initially and $45 for renewals.

THERE IS HOMEWORK FOR THE MAY CLASS.  

To be prepared for this next step, there is homework.  As we all know, doing your homework ahead means more time to focus on the topic and get more done!

 ***Supply list, Zoom link, and additional information will follow soon.***

HOMEWORK:

Find a pattern with the following criteria:

• ·     Blouse or dress for WOVEN fabric only
• ·     Must have a side bust dart – may have other darts.
• ·     No yokes (darts are sometimes hidden here)
• ·     No drop shoulders
• ·     May be sleeveless.

Preparation for program:

1. Trace your pattern onto Pellon or tissue (cross and dot, medical exam paper, Swedish tracing paper, Palmer Pletsch Perfect Pattern Paper, etc.). You can use a pencil or pen for this.
   
   
2. Trace seam allowances. Seam allowances are typically 5/8 inches. A double wheel tracing wheel will work well for this. You can use your tape measure, a ruler, or tracing paper and your tracing wheel to make quick work of this step and the step below for markings. 
   
   
3. Trace all markings. These include notches, darts, apex (bust) point, lengthen/shorten lines, waist and hip line, center front, and back, as applicable.
   
   
4. Extend the length of the pattern 10” down from the waistline.

Simplicity patterns are on sale April 21-24, and Butterick and Vogue patterns are on sale April 28-May 1 at Joann's. In case you have no patterns in your stash, here are examples of patterns that comply with the criteria posted above:

Butterick 6710

McCalls 8161

New Look 6707

Simplicity 9386

Vogue 8772

If you have any questions about this workshop or have questions about membership in the American Sewing Guild, feel free to comment below!

 

Spring Fling Kentucky Derby Style!

It is time to celebrate, ASG Northern Virginia and it's a Kentucky Derby-style celebration! 

Spring Fling is scheduled for Saturday, April 30, from 9:45 am to 2:00 pm, at the Springfield Country Club at 8301 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield, VA, Springfield VA 22152, featuring:

• Seated Breakfast 
• Parade of Projects 
• Derby Hat Contest and 
• A Featured Speaker 

Attached is your flyer and registration form for this year's Spring Fling. Cost is $45 per person after April 8th, and the deadline is April 18th. If you want to pay online, go to GroupWorks.

It's time to plan that party dress and make your Derby hat! 

We are pleased to announce our featured speaker, Mari de Jesus. Mari has her own YouTube channel and is a YouTube sewing influencer with 3.3K subscribers! Also, she is the creator/owner of Inspired Leather, a company that specializes in fine leather goods. 

Mari will offer an insider’s look into starting and sustaining a YouTube channel and what to expect after you begin. Additionally, she will share her favorite charity, Dress a Girl, and inspire us to participate. 

Start your Derby Hat Today! Watch Adrienne's video and make it from scratch---or not! Use a purchased hat and embellish! Wild and crazy are our watch words!

You still have time to order your hat-making supplies! Check out this tutorial for using supplies from local stores! 

Knitting or Quilting the Intervals

There are a lot of interesting projects on the innerwebs for documenting intervals, whether it's changes in temperature to waiting on mass transit. No matter which data you'd like to collect and record, the sewing and needle arts seem uniquely positioned to capture and beautifully display this information!

In quilting, it's fairly easy to create a temperature quilt. You simply assign a number or range of numbers to a particular color. If you do this for a year, you'll have 365 blocks, so draft your measurements accordingly! Darcy has an example of her temperature quilt here: Temperature Quilt Rachel discusses her temperature quilt here: The Life of Riley: Temperature Quilt: The Details (rachel-thelifeofriley.blogspot.com) and check out this collection on Pinterest! 

On this quilt, the triangles represent the highs and lows for each day, creating a different effect. The Quilt Show featured an exhibit of quilts devoted to climate change. 

If you're into knitting, there are many examples of capturing temperature changes. How about one that uses the time spent waiting for the train? This woman in Europe documented the number of minutes her train was delayed.

     

If you're interested in reading peer-reviewed literature, check out this article on using quilting terms to align data using art and science! 

If you'd rather read about the data BEHIND a quilt, check out this link!

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is sponsoring a sold-out virtual knitting workshop with Amy Wike, an artist who knits Morse Code, another version of intervals. 

Kingstowne Clothiers Neighborhood Group Monthly Meeting Plan

The Kingstowne Clothiers Neighborhood Group established the meeting plan for the upcoming year.

o Where there are blanks, there are opportunities for members to step up and present! If you don’t have experience or knowledge on the meeting topic, feel free to suggest another that you COULD present! If there’s a question mark beside a presenter/facilitator, that means you have volunteered in the past to lead a discussion on this topic and we need feedback on whether you can present.

Saturday, February 19, 2022

Spring fabric discussion - All natural fabrics translate to all season styles

PLUS discussion on our Annual Challenge! Use fabric from your stash, a pattern from your pile, a tool you have not used before, a technique you have not tried. Document your journey and be prepared to present in December for our Annual Challenge.

Fourth Saturday Event

Zoom: Measurements Workshop

CAB

Saturday, March 19, 2022

#MeMadeMay and #MakeNineChallenge– Wardrobe planning and capsule wardrobe discussion/presentation

Saturday, March 26, 2022

Fourth Saturday Event

Zoom: Let's Make a Hat for the Derby!

CAB

 

Saturday, April 16, 2022

Fabric Manipulation using tools from Muppin
Mary Parker

Saturday, April 30, 2022

Spring Fling

Springfield Country Club

Presenter: Mari of Mari Sews 

Saturday, May 21, 2022

Aprons, Vintage and Modern + Vote on ASG Video for Sewalong

Teressa Getz?

Saturday, June 18, 2022

ASG Video: Kingstowne Clothiers Sewalong with a sewing video from the ASG site!

June 30 – July 3, 2022

ASG Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX

Saturday, July 16, 2022

Bias tape + making the inside of your garment as pretty as the outside!
Rachel Weir?

Saturday, August 20, 2022

Sewing Machine Presser Feet

Saturday, September 17, 2022

Tailoring Techniques

Linda Matt

Saturday, October 15, 2022

Bound Buttonholes

Linda Matt

Date TBD

Annual Meeting and Elections

CAB

Saturday, November 19, 2022

Bagging a Lining with Sleeves

Annette Young

Saturday, December 17, 2022

Annual Challenge - Members present their personal sewing challenges! Prepare to be amazed!

Right now, we plan to meet at the Pohick Regional Public Library as the Franconia Governmental Center has not reopened to the public. Hybrid meetings are available for those who desire to attend virtually. 

The CAB is considering an opportunity for a mini summer retreat. Interested?

o The Kingstowne Clothiers owe articles to the quarterly newsletter. Have a book or pattern review? A sewing project you completed? Lessons learned? Anything sewing related? Write it up and send it to me; I’ll make sure it gets into the newsletter! For example, I recently read the book, “Black Designers in America,” edited by Elizabeth Way, and available from the Fairfax County Public Library. If you’re a fashion historian, then this book will be a delight as you learn new facts about Black Designers from early American history through the current period. Fairfax County Public Library As we come up on Black History Month, here is another link: 31 Influential Black Fashion Designers You Should Know | Complex (Dapper Dan and Ann Lowe are included in the book, too).

2022 Virtual Sewing & Stitchery Expo: Tickets on Sale Now! Shop. Learn. Experience. – March 2-6, 2022 (sewexpo.com)

New Year, New Sewing Goals!

 Maybe you make sewing resolutions, maybe you don't! If you do, there are a few ways to approach sewing resolutions. You might want to think about these questions when deciding on your sewing goals for 2022.

1. What do you want or need? This can provide direction for creativity or identify gaps in your sewing knowledge or wardrobe.
2. What have you learned from previous successes and failures? If you have UFOs, why are they unfinished? Maybe it's time to put that UFO back on your to-do list.
3. What values are important to you? Are you working towards a capsule wardrobe? A more ethical one? Are you on a budget? Working within your personal constraints can paradoxically provide opportunities for greater growth.
4. What do you wear all the time? Are you interested in copycat sewing?
5. What types of things do you really LOVE making? What do you dislike making? If you hate making pants, you don’t have to put them on your list just to feel like you conquered some new technique.
6. Are you influenced by the seasons? Maybe your Make Nine list only includes summer patterns. Or winter woolens.
7. Look at your calendar. Time isn’t found, it’s made. How much time can you make for each of the projects on your list?
8. Do you want to stash-bust? Why or why not?
   
   
9. Is there a completely new-to-you type of project that you want to explore? 
10. Do you have time and patience to explore new techniques, fabrics, or styles?

1. MakeNine Challenge

You can adopt the #MakeNine Challenge that started life on Instagram as "Best Nine." In this challenge, sewists plan to make nine projects over the course of a year that is depicted in a 3x3 grid. The joy comes in being able to check off those projects as completed during the year or provide feedback for not completing a project. If you've been saving photos of patterns, fabric, or fashion inspiration, you can use one of these apps to help you refine your sewing project ideas. 

If you're not ready to commit to specific sewing patterns or projects, you can create your list of MakeNine Challenges by focusing on types of projects or project themes. This could give you more latitude to sew an A-line cotton skirt instead of a guipure lace skirt that requires couture-level techniques when you're not quite ready for that. Or maybe some Ghillie pants to use up sewing scraps.... Or maybe not. 

You can download a PDF from Home Row Fiber Co. for your projects here. Make Nine Worksheet

2. New Year's Resolutions

For this one, you create a list of what you want to accomplish in your sewing journey over the next year. You can listen to a podcast on sewing resolutions, read 

Reddit has a number of sewing resolutions that might hit uncomfortably close to home.

I will not start a sewing project three hours before I need to wear it for a special occasion.

I will not save every tiny scrap of fabric on the off chance that I "might be able to use it someday.”

I will actually pin everything, even if it’s “just one straight seam how hard could it be.”

I will not buy new fabric until I’ve at least started the project I bought the last fabric for.

I will actually check how much thread I have in my bobbin before I start sewing. Every. Single. Time.

I will make a muslin instead of wondering why all my projects suck don't turn out as I expected.

I will try to keep my sewing room neat. It doesn’t have to be spotless, but it does have to be navigable.

Using the questions posted above, you can develop sewing resolutions that work for you.

3. Too much fabric, too many patterns, and nothing to wear. Maybe you just need to sew with a plan (SWAP). Planning what to sew is just as important as resolutions or challenges. Maybe you have some special events coming up in 2022. Rather than waiting three hours before those special events to cut out and sew your projects 😂, you plan ahead and enjoy the sewing journey, unless you love those adrenaline-filled last-minute sewing projects. Anita by Designs discusses this on her blog and this approach to sewing might appeal to you. 

I love the concept of creating a sewing project kit. By keeping everything together in one location until I have a chance to sit down and sew, I create less opportunities to lose or misplace the small bits and pieces that I need to complete my project. For sewists who do production-style sewing, cutting everything out in advance and pulling projects to sew as you have time may be one way to accomplish more sewing.

You can download sewing planners from many locations simply by searching for "sewing planner." You can also purchase sewing planners on many online sites. Seamwork offers a visually appealing sewing planner for free. This sewist uses a bullet journal to track her sewing projects. 

However, no matter which system you decide to use to track your sewing goals or intentions this year, don't substitute organizing activities for actual sewing! 

If you have sewing intentions for 2022 or advice for other sewists, let us know in the comments!