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I've been thinking today about how much the technology of garment sewing has changed in the last two decades. It wasn’t that long ago that pdf patterns were introduced allowing many small designers to sell patterns without the costs of printing and maintaining a stock of physical patterns. I find myself primarily using pdf patterns now both for the unique styles offered and the ease of obtaining a pdf pattern whenever the mood strikes.
In the past 14 months or so, the idea of using a projector to display the pattern image directly onto fabric (or tracing paper) has really taken off. I’ve enjoyed experimenting with this new technology as well. Many of those same small designers who started out with pdf files have embraced this new format and now offer projector files. In addition to changes in pattern formats, there has been an explosion of tutorials and sewalongs available on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and on designer’s websites. I wonder how many new sewists are drawn in by the easy accessibility of inspiration and tutorials any time and any place? Has your sewing been influenced by changes in technology? Happy Sewing! Jill As I write this letter, the holiday season is upon us. I know many of
you are sewing gifts for loved ones this year. I hope those gifts of your time and effort provide joy for both you and the recipients. Isn’t it wonderful to be able to show our friends and family our love through sewing?! Thank you to everyone who participated in our virtual Annual Chapter meeting this year. We had a very interesting presentation by Linda Lee of The Sewing Workshop as well as the election of the Chapter Advisory Board for the 2021. The 2021 Chapter Advisory Board members are as follows: President – Jill Moore Treasurer – Robin Pruitt Secretary – Katie Teach Education/Events – Karin Kraft-Stuppy Member – Debra Cole Community Service – Judy Foglio Newsletter – Karen Nelson Bland If you are interested in volunteering on the Board, or have suggestions, please reach out to one of us. The email addresses for all CAB members can be found on the chapter website – kansascityasg.org Unfortunately, due to the ongoing pandemic we have cancelled the 3rd Annual Sew-In scheduled for February 2021. We hope to reschedule the sew-in for a Fall 2021 date assuming it is safe to do so. In good news, we will be able to hold the Gail Yellen event scheduled for March either in-person or by live stream. More information to come on that event. What a strange year this has been! I had hoped that by Fall and our annual meeting date we would be safely meeting in-person again. Thank you to everyone who responded to the survey regarding your preferred annual meeting experience. Based on the responses we will hold our annual meeting virtual. Our annual meeting will be held October 24.
The election of officers will occur by survey and proxy vote. We will send out the survey and proxy ballot information in the next 2-3 weeks. Karin Kraft-Stuppy does have a great annual meeting program planned with guest speaker Linda Lee of The Sewing Workshop. Linda’s presentation will be available to all KC ASG members at no cost. A link to the video presentation will be sent out closer to the meeting date. Since we will not be able to have our traditional fashion show at the annual meeting, I thought it would be fun to put together a slideshow of our chapter member's favorite projects since the last meeting. If you would like to participate in the slide show, please email admin@kansascityasg.org 1-3 photos of sewn items (garment, quilt, bag, etc.) that you would like to share with the chapter. If you would like to include information about your item(s) we will include that in the slide show. With the cooler weather upon us I’ve started in on my Fall sewing. I hope each of you is able to get in some relaxing sewing time, too. Many of our chapter neighborhood groups are meeting virtually or socially distanced during this time. I encourage you to try out a neighborhood or special interest group to meet friends on a similar sewing journey. Happy Sewing! Jill Kansas City Art Institute
A message from Kim Eichler-Messmer, Kansas City Art Institute : I am writing to you as a representative of the Kansas City Art Institute Fiber Department. In light of the Covid-19 Pandemic, we are working to prepare for the fall semester and the possibility of teaching classes online. We are looking for donations of sewing machines in good working order. We have many students that rely on our shared departmental sewing machines to create their work. This fall semester we have three classes that will be relying on sewing: I'm teaching a quilting class, local artist Hadley Clark is teaching an introduction to sewing class, and Associate Professor Marie Bannerot McInerney is teaching our Junior major studio class that will be covering three-dimensional sewing techniques for texture and sculptural forms. Should we have to move to online teaching we will not have enough sewing machines to provide each student with their own to take home for the semester. Any sewing machine would be welcome, no matter what brand or age, as long as it runs. KCAI is a nonprofit institution of higher education and can provide documentation to make any donation tax-deductible. ScrapsKC A message from Rebecca Fulton, ScrapsKC: I am the textile manager at Scraps KC, a non-profit creative reuse center here in Kansas City. We have a huge textile department and get some really great new and vintage donations. We rely on volunteers to help sort and measure fabric, notions, yarn, etc. Please let me know if you have some members who have a few hours a week to volunteer. Volunteers receive a 20% discount on days they volunteer! We are specifically looking for up to 4 volunteers each day Mon, Tue, Thurs, or Fri from 12-2 or 2-4 (or 12-4). Chapter Events and Neighborhood Groups Meetings
At this time, the National ASG has suggested that chapters suspend chapter and neighborhood group meetings until it is safe for individuals to gather in groups again. Chapter Events Should it be necessary to cancel upcoming chapter events/workshops we will notify enrolled participants and provide refunds. Neighborhood Groups The chapter website has been updated with planned monthly programming information provided by the Neighorhood Group leaders. Community Service Project - Face Masks Kansas City ASG member Phyllis Carlyle put together the following information for those interested in making face masks for local hospitals. Please click here to access the PDF Phyllis created which has been posted on the chapter website. You are welcome to use this handout and pass it on. It is all about shareware provided through generosity for charity only, so please do not sell it or the items you make. Some of you may have seen these links and others. I’ve concentrated on: -articles that answer my concerns about what to sew with and that DIY masks are not perfect but are better than nothing -links to patterns and videos that I feel are concise and have good instructions -paper patterns you can print and cut out. (Thanks, Wild Ginger software) As a retired graphic designer with Adobe software, I created this using InDesign and have it available in universal PDF format, including links to the Internet. Sewing friends, here's a chance to turn your stash into good. And heads up, I hear elastic is already getting hard to buy. I suggest that if you use bias ties or even ribbon, to make a version that ties at the back of the head instead of using ear loops. Sanitizer, toilet paper, elastic. Who knew? Phyllis Carlyle Kansas City Repertory Theatre Tour
Thursday, March 12, 2020 10:30 AM
4949 Cherry Kansas City, MO
Please join us as we meet with the out of town designers while fittings are completed, tour the costume department, backstage area, set, styling and set department at the KC Rep. The show the Rep. will be working on is "Noises Off". The tour will last approximately one hour. Meet in the lobby of the theater. The tour is FREE. Please email Karin to give us a count.
Kansas City Repertory Theatre Performance
Saturday April 4, 2020 2 PM
4949 Cherry Kansas City, MO
To go along with the tour we have reserved a block of tickets for the performance of "Noises Off" on Saturday, April 4 at 2 PM at the KC Rep. It's always fun to see the costumes, set etc. after a tour! The tickets will be purchased by you by calling Andrew Cotlar at 816-235-6122. Mention you are with the ASG group and tickets are $35.00 for the premium seats. This is half off the original price. The tickets will be together. The block will be held until March 20, 2020 so do not delay!!
Not Your Basic Blue Bag Workshop
When: May 16, 2020 – 10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Fabric Chic Sewing Lounge, Parkville, MO Cost of Class: $60
This pattern is a great way to learn the basics of bag making in a fun format. This bag is the perfect way to learn techniques that will be used in making a lot of bag patterns in an easy to sew format that yields a great basic bag in a day. Three sizes are included in the pattern. The original is the size of those famous blue bags from Ikea. The medium is a middle-sized bag that is great every day size bag. The small is perfect for corralling all the little things we need to tote around… and two of them fit splendidly side by side inside the original sized bag. Any of the three sizes can be made in a day… and with a little experience, they can be made in an afternoon!
Supplies Required:
The second annual Kansas City ASG Sew-In is almost here! Sign up for this fun weekend of sewing with friends. There may even be a field trip to a local boutique fabric store.
The Kansas City ASG CAB is hosting a Celebration for Linda Lee on Sunday, October 20, 2019 from 1 - 3 pm at Karin Kraft-Stuppy's home located at 11118 Belleview Ave Kansas City MO.
Please join us in celebrating Linda Lee's years of service to the sewing community. If you would like to read more about Linda Lee and her induction into the ASG Hall of Fame, please follow this link: Linda Lee ASG Hall of Fame I hope you all are enjoying your spring sewing. Spring sewing can be so much fun. The fabrics and patterns are usually a little lighter and more colorful. Some people are sewing for special occasions like graduations or weddings. It is so nice to be able to make a truly one-of-a-kind garment or gift for your friends or family. There are so many places to get ideas for your projects online and in magazines. Our ASG chapter is a great place to get inspiration and learn new techniques. In April we hosted, Eric Drexler from Sulky of America. Eric packed two days full of projects and information that demonstrated new uses for some luscious Sulky threads and a variety of stabilizers. At the end of the weekend we left with lots of new knowledge and ideas to use in our own sewing room.
If you were not able to make it to the Sulky event, our Chapter has several more opportunities for you this year. We are planning a trip to the Sewing Workshop for a day of sewing with Linda Lee, a fall sew-in at the Fabric Chic facility in Parkville, and an opportunity to join us for a charity sewing events. For more details see page 2-5 and 8 in this newsletter and on the chapter website. It’s a little early to talk about our annual meeting on November 2nd, but we are doing things a little bit differently this year and you may want to make your plans. The annual meeting will be held at Unity Village. To encourage anyone who would like to attend, the annual meeting, where we discuss chapter business and hold an election of chapter officers, will take place between 9:00 and 10 a.m. We will have some great door prizes and have another pin cushion exchange. The cost for the annual meeting will be $5. After the annual meeting there will be an optional all-day presentation by Nancy Nix Rice that you can sign up for. By holding the meeting and the presentation separately you can choose one or both. So start thinking about a pin cushion to bring for the exchange and keep watching the website for an opportunity to sign-up. Our chapter neighborhood or special interest groups are places where you can meet friends that are on similar sewing journeys. Make a point to check on the website to find a group meeting that looks interesting. You will likely learn something and make some new friends. Happy Sewing, Robin
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