Adventures of a traveling sewist

I count myself very lucky that I have been able to travel about North and South America and Europe.  Soon my travels will take me farther afield, but for now, I would like to share with you my recent adventures in Europe.

In early November, I spent 5 days in London.  … Read the rest

If you think there is something wrong with your machine…..

sick_machine

You are probably right!  You just have to find the right repair person.

I have been very frustrated with my Viking Diamond Royale in recent months.  It made terrible noise when I sewed on anything (even when embroidering) and shredded my thread.  A machine that expensive shouldn’t act that way. New needles, new thread, different stitch – nothing mattered, it still made that noise. Read the rest

Sewing and Designing Resources

stack-clipart-cat-sleeping-on-stack-of-booksI just wanted to share  some of my favorite resources for fashion design and sewing.  I love books, maybe it is my age or desired learning style.

Books

Our local chapter has collected a great many books that are available to check out for a month at a time to any member of ASG.  … Read the rest

Couture exhibit and talk at Houston Museum of Fine Art

High Society: The Portraits of Franz X. Winterhalter, featured exhibit at the Fine Art Museum of Houston through August 12th, 2016.

Franz Xaver Winterhalter, the 19th century’s most renowned portraitist of European aristocracy, captured the elegance and opulence of his distinguished sitters with an unrivaled brilliance. The worth dresscomprehensive exhibition High Society: The Portraits of Franz X.Read the rest

ASG National Conference Highlights

ASGConf16_logo-160pxAs your chapter President, I attended the 2016 national conference.  The first evening and 2nd day of the conference have separate track for Presidents or their delegates.  Thursday was the annual meeting of the corporate members.   Chapter awards were as follows:  Newsletter: Houston  Website: Indianapolis         Chapter Growth:  West Oakland Michigan .    … Read the rest

Dallas Fort Worth Area Fabric and Fiber Shopping Map

 

 

We are excited to announce the first ever Dallas/Fort Worth Fabric and Fiber Shopping Map!!!

Susan Annand from www.DesignSynse.com  in conjunction with the Plano TX Chapter of the American Sewing Guild invites you to enjoy all of the shopping opportunities in our North Texas Area!!!  Please feel free to link to our map, be sure you credit DesignSynse.com… Read the rest

Gathering in Chicago – Pattern Review Weekend 2016

accessory contestPattern Review Weekend 2016 – Chicago
I just returned home from an amazing 3 day weekend with my sewing people.   15 years ago, a new sewer, computer programmer decided to create a gathering space for sewing folk.  Today the site has over 400,000 members across the world.   I will admit I am not an every day user of the website, sometimes I think I go months or years at one point without using the site.  … Read the rest

Anyone can win it motivation and sewing tip from Louise Cutting

louise cutting pic

We just finished a weekend hosting Louise Cutting from http://www.cuttinglinedesigns.com/    Fabrique Fabrics  hosted a champagne trunk show of Cutting Line Patterns on Friday evening, and all day Saturday participants learned how to measure, identify and solve common fitting issues.  We are proud that we can host nationally recognized sewing instructors, and would love all input on which sewing star you would like for us to host in 2017.… Read the rest

A Visit to Stetson Hat Factory

The more you know about how something is created, the more you can appreciate the craftsmanship.  This applies to not only garments, but also hats.  Recently, members of Plano ASG along with members of the Dallas Millinery Society toured the HatCo Stetson/Resistol factory in Garland, TX.    John Stetson first marketed the iconic cowboy hat over 150 years ago.  … Read the rest

Interview Project Runway Junior Winner Maya Ramirez

 

Last yeProject+Runway+Juniorar we posted the request from Lifetime looking for young creative clothing designers for a new format of the Project Runway competition series.  This new format selected 12 designers from ages 13 to 17 to compete in weekly clothing design challenges.   While there were no contests from our local area, Maya Rameriz, the inaugural season winner’s aunt does live here.… Read the rest

Cross Country Quilting Adventures

by Sandie Gregio

Maggpic 1ie Tinnin and I attended a three day class at Quilting by the Bay in Panama City, Florida given by Nancy Mahoney.  It took us two days to drive to Florida since flying with a sewing machine is difficult, and we took our husbands.  After checking into our hotel, I drove to the quilt shop to scope it out. … Read the rest

Clothing Memories

Musings on Memories and Clothing

Love,_Loss_and_What_I_WoreNow showing at Contemporary Theatre of Dallas through March 6, 2016  “Love, Loss and What I Wore by by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron ”

Superstar sisters Delia Ephron and the late, great Nora wrote some of the most popular romantic comedies in history, including Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally.… Read the rest