Virtual Spring Fling is ON!

Our NOVA ASG Virtual Spring Fling will be on Saturday, April 24, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. via Zoom.

 Our guest presenter will be Mary Kerr, AQS Certified Quilt Appraiser, lecturer, author, curator and workshop leader. You won’t want to miss her presentation called, “A Woman’s Voice.” She will show us how women expressed their opinions, political viewpoints, and dissatisfaction of their times with their needlework skills. She will use her collection of antique and contemporary quilts and some garments to illustrate her points. 

 The Fling will begin at 10:00 a.m. with introductory remarks from NOVA ASG officers followed by Mary Kerr’s presentation. When her talk has ended, we will plan a short break for you to gather your own delicious lunch!

 

Susan Murphy, our Chapter Secretary will reconvene the gathering and present a slide show of our garments and projects while we eat. That will be followed by the introduction of our Charity Sew project for this year presented by Special Events Coordinator, Kathy Saladino. During and after our lunch break we will also have an ongoing game. The Fling will conclude by announcing the game winners and distributing prizes!!

For the slide show of garments and projects, please e-mail a picture of your latest creation or project with a short caption:

• Pattern company and pattern number or name
• Project made for XXX Charity (such as Fredericksburg Social services) 
• Fabric source, book or magazine issue (e.g., Burda 03/2021) or any other details a fellow enthusiast would want to know! 
• Due date for pictures is April 17, 2021. Check GroupWorks for the email address. 

 We are looking forward to this event and hoping it can be in person again in 2022! 

If you are interested in attending but are not a member of the ASG, please comment and the link will be sent to you.

Spring Fling 2020: "Sew Your Own Path" on March 14, 2020!

Join us on Saturday, March 14, 2020, to hear Michelle Umlauf share her story on how she went "against the grain" to pursue a career in the sewing industry!

Michelle graduated from the University of Maryland Baltimore County with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and spent nearly 20 years working for the federal government. With her husband’s encouragement and support, she made a major career change and is now pursuing her dream of teaching others how to sew, quilt and embellish. Michelle is a member of the American Sewing Guild. In 2014, she became the president of the Maryland ASG Chapter.

Michelle enjoys all types of sewing and likes to challenge herself with incorporating new techniques in her projects. She is partial to free-motion sewing, and using Sulky products has helped her learn and gain confidence in this skill. Michelle says that the book, Embellish Your Life with Sulky, is right up her alley. She hopes to inspire you at our annual Spring Fling!

In case you haven’t yet signed up for our March 14th Spring Fling or the workshop the day before, please remember to send your registration soon.
More things to do at the Spring Fling:

• Swap fabric or sewing supplies on our Swap Table  
• Participate in our fashion show 
• Channel your inner kindergartner and enjoy "show and tell"

You will have a great time & a chance to catch up with your sewing friends!  

The Registration Form is attached.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1fez96nZgkqgWRyWxEk6BaCJ0h_vYG1AY
The deadline is March 2, 2020.
Mail your Registration Forms soon!

March Roundup, Make 9 Progress, Spring Fling, and More Sewing Randomness

I have promised to blog my sewing adventures to help cheer you along in your sewing journey.  First off, I know everyone says this, but, can you believe it is April? We have already blown through the first quarter of the year.  Jeez, I guess I better actually start thinking about starting my resolutions!

Spring Fling

The Spring Fling is a couple of weeks away and we are planning a fun one!  Have you sent in your reservation yet? Michele Parker is emceeing the event.  Austin McDonald from Fabric Place Basement is giving a speech titled “Some Assembly Required”.  A little birdie told me that Austin will also be bringing a couple gifts from the store as door prizes.

I will be filling you in on all of our plans for 5th Saturday events, and the 2019 challenge “Jacket Attack”. We will have our Spring Fling fashion show. Come ready to share your latest make! We will also have a table for a fabric swap, so bring in that piece of fabric in you stash that makes you ask yourself “Why did I buy this?”.

Make 9 Progress

I have now completed one garment in my make 9 fabric and am well on my way with the second fabric.  Fabric number two will be my Easter dress! It is a beautiful African Print wax fabric that I bought at G Street in my Spring fabric buying spree.  I am making the Cashmerette Upton dress. I have run into some problems with the bodice. The same problems I always have. I have a petite frame, with a big bust.  So I end up having to size up the bust, but size down the back and shoulders. In a sleeveless dress I also have to raise the armscye. I have had some issues, but I am getting there!

5th Saturdays

If you missed the 5th Saturday in March where Adrienne Bennett demonstrated embroidered buttons, you missed a fun time!  It was so surprising how truly unique and beautiful buttons can be constructed so quickly, and with not a lot of work. If you are not into hand embroidery, Adrienne also showed us some ideas for using an embroidery machine and flower foot on a regular sewing machine.

I hope that you can join us on June 29 for the Classmate Pouch Sew-a-long.  The class will be held at the Centreville Regional Library. Be on the lookout for a flyer coming to your inbox soon!

I am sure you have heard, but make sure you keep your calendars open for August 31 for our Quilts of Valor quilting bee.  We plan to have a grill out and lots of snacks to keep you energized as we make a quilt for a Veteran!

Sewing Randomness

The ASG will hold their Annual Conference in Danvers, Massachusetts on August 1-4.  Registration just opened up. Are you planning on attending? Let me know, maybe we can have a NOVA ASG dinner while we are there.

Stitch Sew Shop in Alexandria has moved to a new location at 1219 King Street.  I know Kalle is planning to load up that bigger space with lots of fabric and plenty of room for classes.

I know many of us follow sewing blogs.  Sadly, Vatsla Watkins from Fashion Behind the Seams passed away after having been missing for over a week.  I am not sure of all of the circumstances, but I do know that she has two small children.  My heart just breaks for the whole family. If you could, would you please send your prayers and good energy to her family?

Happy Sewing!

Rachel

Join us for Northern Virginia's Annual Spring Fling "Showing Off Our Best" on Saturday, April 13, 2019, from noon to 3pm at the Springfield Country Club, located at 8301 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield, VA 22152.

Our Guest Speaker is Austin McDonald, of the Fabric Place Basement.

Bring your "Sew and Tell" for the Fashion Show!

Bring your fabric, patterns, and notions for the swap table!

Get ready for "Jacket Attack" -- The 2019 Northern Virginia Chapter Challenge!

Cost:
$25.00 ASG members
$30.00 non-members

Your registration and payment covers:

Cup of Tomato Red Pepper Soup, warm rolls, and butter, coffee, and hot tea with your choice of:

• Marinated Steak Salad. Salad greens with cucumbers, bell peppers, red onions, and carrots, topped with thinly sliced steak and served with Greek Feta Dressing; or
• Grilled Salmon Caesar Salad with garlic croutons and parmesan cheese; or
• Pasta Primavera: Gemelli pasta served with vegetables roasted in olive oil and garlic and topped with parmesan cheese (Vegetarian Option)

A cash bar is available for fruit juices, sodas, wine, and beer.

Registration due by March 25, 2019.
Registration form available here:

ASGNOVA Spring Fling 2019

Upcoming Sewing Events in NoVA!

 SPRING FLING. Save the date Saturday, April 13.
 This event will be held mid-day at the Springfield Golf and Country Club.  More details will be shared in a flyer soon.   

• FIFTH SATURDAY. Saturday, March 30. Couture Embroidered Buttons.
  Adrienne Bennett will share ideas for making couture embroidered buttons using hand embroidery with a covered button kit. This is a follow-up from the annual meeting last fall.
  Time and Location: 2-4 pm, Montclair Library 5049 Waterway Drive, Dumfries.  More details in the upcoming NOVA ASG newsletter. 

• GROUPWORKS/MYGROVE.
  
  If you are not receiving emails from GroupWorks, it may be because your preferences are set to receive notifications on M, W, F only. Currently, there are programming issues with this setting, so change your preferences to Daily or Weekly. 

8th Annual ASG NoVA Spring Fling

Come and join us for

The 8th Annual ASG Spring Fling

with

Sarah Veblen presenting “Divine Details”

Saturday, March 5, 2016

11:30 am – 3:00 pm

Springfield Country Club

8301 Old Keene Mill Rd, Springfield, VA 22150

Seated Luncheon

Parade of Projects

Door Prizes

Cost $20.00 ASG members $32.00 non-members

Registration is now open until February 26th.  See registration flyer for details

Looking forward to seeing everyone at this dynamic luncheon.

Spring Fling 2016

Have you sent in your digital pictures to be displayed at the Spring Fling? Yes we all will be there and wanting to see what everyone has been working on this year. On March 5th, Sarah Veblen will be there showing us how to go from a plain white shirt to a shirt with a clever neckline or a lace detail. Sarah has published over two dozen articles for Threads and Sew News publications.

We "Stepped into Spring"

Spring Fling this year was held on March 21 – the first day of spring.  The room at the Springfield Hilton was brought to life with centerpieces of sparkling spring pumps and flowers on hot pink and lavender tablecloths.  The tables were graced with shoe shaped luggage tag favors that brought surprise and giggles to the attendees.  You won’t lose track of your suitcase with these! 

Before lunch we had time to visit and take photos, meet newer members, enjoy the speaker’s display of Victorian sewing-themed items, and look at the door prizes.  Then we enjoyed an elegant buffet with a selection of meats, cheeses, salads, breads, fruits, and dessert pastries for lunch.  Table conversation at lunch was fun and friendly.  We all had time to reconnect with friends from our own and other neighborhood groups.  

Spring Fling Program 2015

The Alexandria Seamsters invite you to attend Spring Fling on Saturday, March 21, 2015, and enjoy our exciting speaker program - along with lunch, social time with your sewing buddies, and our member’s show-and-tell. (Click here for the registration form.)

Caroline Cutrona Hottenstein is a self-employed artist, accomplished seamstress, and needlewoman. She has extensively collected antique textiles since 1976. Her textile programs provide a fascinating look at clothing and accessories that were stitched, worn, and used by women of another era.
“Stitches in Time – A Woman’s Handiwork,” is a program that relates a legacy of handiwork of past seamstresses. Caroline will present a selection of 19th century needlework tools and fine examples of linens, lace, and clothing from her antique collection that show needlework styles and techniques. She will also talk about the importance of the needle arts in women’s lives.