March Madness and March Sadness

Plano ASG member Melanie Fredrickson has three great loves – family, sewing and sports … March Madness basketball in particular.  But time is at a premium so how could she bring all three of her great loves together? How could she get quality time with all three? 

The perfect answer to this question emerged when Melanie’s son gave her a surprise birthday gift in 2017. … Read the rest

Summer Sewing Inspiration

Are you thinking about summer sewing?  We are!  We reached out to a few of our members and asked if they had any summer inspiration to share.  Whether you are looking for machine embroidery, quilting, garments, bags or even beading and weaving, we have a few ideas to get your summer creative juice flowing!… Read the rest

After the Masks

When COVID sent us all inside, our minds were consumed with questions like

WHAT NOW?

We needed something to combat all kinds of feelings.  Fear.  Boredom.  Lack of purpose.  And we had to find the solution to those feelings within the confines of our own homes.

Because we sew, many of us found the solace we needed right inside our sewing room. … Read the rest

Using your iPhone for Fit

Sometimes we find the best sewing tools in the most unlikely places! Watch this 5 minute video and learn 3 ways you can turn your smart phone into your very own fit advisor.

Click here to see the tripod I used. I love that it has bendable legs!

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Fireside Chat with Emily Hallman about Capsule Wardrobe Planning

We spent about a half hour with Emily Hallman talking about color, style and the joy of sewing your own wardrobe. She publishes a capsule wardrobe blog and has over 40K followers on Instagram, both an enormous source of inspirational eye candy! Emily describes herself as a shoe lover, bookworm, dog mama, fashion enthusiast, and sewist.… Read the rest

Fireside Chat with Suzy Furrer of Apparel Arts

Suzy Furrer is the star of our next fireside chat and she is another delight you won’t want to miss. Suzy is the founder/director of the Bay area fashion design school, Apparel Arts where she teaches classes on pattern making, textiles, sewing, design principles and tailoring.  In addition to teaching at her own school, Suzy teaches at conferences, guilds, and schools around the country, online on Blueprint, and has even taught for big name companies like GAP, Pixar, and Lucas Films.… Read the rest

Fireside Chat with Gail Yellen and her Serge Magic

Join me for a 25 minute fireside chat with Gail Yellen of Gail Patrice Designs and hear all about her serger magic. Gail offers a collection of patterns, teaches a wide range of classes and workshops, authored the book, Serger Essentials, and has a YouTube channel where she offers a wide range of videos called Serger Tip Clips.… Read the rest

Plano ASG meets Jenny Rushmore at Cashmerette

When Jenny Rushmore saw a gap in the options pattern companies offered curvy sewists, she didn’t sit back and accept it. She started her own company and filled it! We recently had the pleasure of a fireside chat with her and heard about her journey through building her company, Cashmerette and co-founding the Curvy Sewing Collective.… Read the rest

Plano ASG meets Heather Lou at Closet Case

We recently had the distinct pleasure of spending a half hour with Heather Lou, founder and director of Closet Case Patterns. Heather has taken her business from her first pattern, the Bombshell swimsuit back in 2013 to the extensive line of 23 patterns, 7 supply kits and 4 online classes she offers today.… Read the rest

Behind the Scenes with Claire Cochran at Stitch Buzz

If you are a garment maker, you have very likely either made a cardboard template or wished for one many times. When Claire Cochran of Stitch Buzz felt that way, she invented a permanent one! In 2011, Claire launched her business with just one specialty ruler. Watch this 20 minute interview as she takes us behind the scenes into that journey.… Read the rest

Meet Jami’s ISOLATION Doll

When COVID-19 became a household word it sent us all into the isolation of self-quarantine.  What do you do when the walls of isolation begin to close in?  We asked Jami Roux how she has been spending her time and found out how she spells isolation….

Jami is a practicing doll maker, so it is no surprise that her idea of staving off the boredom was researching ideas for a new doll. … Read the rest

Can Sewing Save the Planet?

And now in other news….
Today is Earth Hour Day.  What is that?!?!

It is a day we are encouraged to turn off our lights from 7:30 – 8:30 PM CT as a reminder that we can all make a difference………. even in small ways. 

I had never heard of Earth Hour Day before this year, but it made me think once again about what I can do within the framework of my much-loved hobby. … Read the rest