Sewing – Page 56

May 10, 2019

ASG 2018 Hall of Fame Honoree

Anne Marie Soto

An article entitled “Meet the Writers” in the November 1992 issue of Sew News stated, “If the home sewing industry were to bestow on individuals awards for versatility, no doubt one would go to Anne Marie Soto.” It happens that the American Sewing Guild does bestow awards on individuals in the sewing industry. The criteria for our award are to have had a lasting impact on the home sewing industry with unique and innovative contributions through sewing education, product development, media, or other sewing-related endeavors.

On our 40th anniversary, we were thrilled to honor someone who not only met every area of our criteria but who also played a key role in the initial development of ASG and continues to support and contribute to ASG today. Anne Marie was the editor of Notions for almost 20 years, but her history with ASG goes back much further.

After earning an undergraduate degree in home economics from Cornell University, Anne Marie was determined to use her textiles and clothing degree in some way other than the usual teaching or retailing path. She landed a job in The McCall Pattern Company education department. A little later, she moved on to Vogue/Butterick where she spent the next 10 years serving in a variety of roles. Her duties included creating sewing lessons and educational materials and producing fashion shows. During this time, she also earned a master’s degree in communications from New York University.

In 1978, Anne Marie began her own business doing consulting work in the sewing industry. This was at the very time that the American Home Sewing Association (AHSA) undertook a project that ultimately led to the American Sewing Guild. Anne Marie was hired as a consultant to work on the development of what became the first chapters of ASG: Denver and Indianapolis, then Minneapolis and Houston. She worked with early chapter leaders to create the original ASG Policies and Procedures and other manuals and organizational documents. Under her guidance, ASG grew to nine chapters. At that point, AHSA needed to hire a full-time national administrator to oversee the ASG chapters, and Anne Marie opted to move on to new projects and challenges in the sewing industry.

Over the following years, Anne Marie authored many books, including “Vogue’s Sewing for Children,” “Simplicity’s Simply the Best Home Sewing Book,” “Simplicity’s Simply the Best Home Decorating Book,” and “Stain Rescue: The A–Z Guide to Removing Smudges, Spots & Other Spills,” and contributed to a variety of clothing textbooks for Glencoe/ McGraw-Hill. She also became a regular contributor to Sew News, Sewing Update newsletter, Serger Update newsletter, Vogue Patterns magazine, and Butterick Home Catalog. In 1999, she teamed up with Betty Watts at Communication Concepts to produce Notions for ASG.

In addition to her writing and editing, Anne Marie is an active member of the ASG North Jersey Chapter. Perhaps one of her greatest contributions to ASG has been as the self-titled “godmother” of the ASG Simplicity Patterns project and its annual contest. As a member of the ASG 25th Anniversary Committee, Anne Marie volunteered to contact her former boss and long-time friend Judy Raymond, then senior vice president of Simplicity Pattern Company, who agreed to partner with ASG in what has been an ongoing relationship for the past 15 years.

A long time ambassador for ASG, Anne Marie is a worthy addition to the ASG Sewing Hall of Fame.

May 3, 2019

Cancer Caps

The Boston Chapter of ASG shares their passion for sewing by making chemo caps for cancer patients. A true gift of love, these hats provide comfort to patients who have lost their hair after undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Cancer knows no borders, so they are encouraging chapters and other sewing enthusiasts to make cancer caps to donate to organizations or hospitals in their local community. Here they share the pattern they use to help each of you spread your love as well.

Fabric

To make 8 caps, you will need 1- 1/4 yards of knit fabric
The knit fabric you choose will need to stretch width-wise on the hats; however, a 4 -way stretch is not required
If the fabric has a wide selvage edge of a different design or color, it should be cut off

Cut Pattern Pieces

Fold your fabric in half lengthwise so that it is 1-1/4 yards long. For each cap, you will need to cut the following 3 pieces.

Crown: One piece of fabric cut to 6″ x 22″
Band: One piece of fabric cut to 5″ x 22″
Top: One piece of fabric cut in a 7″ circle

You should be able to cut 8 sets from 1-1/4 yards of fabric.

Project Notes

All seams are 1/2″ – it helps to place a piece of tape on the sewing machine bed to mark 1/2″
Straight stitching should be used throughout until the final step of joining the band to the crown when a zig-zag stitch should be used
Since you are using knit fabric, no pressing is needed
When you pin one piece to another at the center seams, put the pin to the left of the seam so it holds the seam open

Assembly Instructions

The best way to assemble these hats is to use the factory production method:

With right sides together, fold the crown in half and stitch the center back seam.
With right sides together, fold the band in half and stitch the center back seam.
With wrong sides together, fold the band in half lengthwise.
With right sides together, pin the top (circle) to the upper edge of the crown and stitch. When you sew the crown to the top, have the top (circle) on the bottom and gently hold the midway points between the pins with your finger.
Turn the cap right side out.
With right sides together and matching seams, sew the band to the crown using a zig-zag stitch with a 2 width and 2 length and keeping a little bit of tension to help with the stretch.

~The Boston Chapter of ASG is sharing this pattern that they use and encourages chapters and other sewing enthusiasts to make cancer caps to share in their local communities.

April 26, 2019

A Creative Journey into the Land of Koos

Koos Coat - Marla Kazell — Marla Kazell / Koos Coat

In 2017 I decided to set a goal of growing my creative skills. I am a process/rows-and-columns kind of thinker by nature so these skills do not come naturally to me. As I set out to look for ways to achieve my goal, I decided to sign up for Marla Kazell’s Koos coat workshop using the ASG member discount. In September, I packed my fabric and sewing kit and set off for Portland where I, along with three other classmates, spent four fantastic days learning, designing, and sewing together.

I used the Clare coat pattern from independent pattern designer, Closet Case. The base fabric for my coat was from my stash, a wool cashmere blend that was an end of bolt 6-yard remnant at the great price of $12.50/yard. The embellishment fabrics came from a variety of places – a local fabric store, Puyallup Sew Expo, a sampler pack bought at a market in Cape Town South Africa, and from one of the ladies in my class.

I went in with lots of preconceived ideas…

It’s a coat. I need to take along lining fabric. No lining?
It’s a coat. I need the right interfacing. No interfacing?
I pre-fit my pattern before going. I should just cut it out to save time. Nope! Need to cut it with estimated (did she really say estimated?) extra seam allowance to allow for shift as the design is applied.
I will need to re-cut the pattern pieces before sewing to true up the cut. Nope! It’s an oversized coat anyway so let’s just go with it.
Let’s follow the pattern instructions. Nope! We had to completely rethink the order of construction to allow for designs to be applied. Some designs crossed over seams, some went into seams. My design dictated the construction order and sometimes it was just plain awkward.

My four-day Koos workshop experience was a real stretch, but it truly opened my mind to all sorts of ideas about how to “break the rules” and still end up with something I could be happy with and would stand the test of time and wear. In fact, I have now been wearing my Koos coat for 2 years and it is my absolute favorite coat of all time.

Fast forward to 2019

I am reading the Inland Empire chapter newsletter and what do I see? Member Lynda Gravesen sharing about her journey into the Land of Koos. Another Koos coat maker! I was so excited that I began searching around for additional ASG members who had also made this journey. To my delight, I found several and have included the pictures they sent me so you can enjoy a little journey into the Land of Koos as well. And if you decide to take the creative Koos plunge, I hope you will send me your pictures. What a fun journey we can share!

~Sheryl Belson

April 19, 2019

Me Made May Challenge

Depending on where you’re from, May brings to mind the smell of spring, the taste of mint juleps while watching the Kentucky Derby, or the colors of Cinco De Mayo. But when you’re a sewing enthusiast, it might remind you of something else: Me Made May!

If you haven’t heard of Me Made May before, it’s a challenge created by Zoe of the So Zo, What Do You Know? blog. She launched the project in 2010 as a challenge to herself to see if she could wear an original article of clothing each day of the month. As it turns out, it was a pretty appealing challenge! When she brought the idea up to her readers, she had 80 challengers sign up to join her. Since then, she’s added hundreds more.

This year’s challenge will actually be the 10th challenge that Zoe has hosted. There were two “Me Made” challenges in 2010: One in March and one in May. Zoe found it challenging to do the challenge in the cold weather, so she tried again when the weather got better.

So, what are the challenge rules?

The beauty of the challenge is that there aren’t any rules. In general, the challenge is meant to help you appreciate your handmade garments and think about the goals you want to achieve when it comes to your sewing. The most common “rule” that challengers follow is to wear a self-made or repurposed garment every day of the month. But if you only have a small collection of clothing you’ve made for yourself, you may instead choose to style one item differently each week or to share one amazing item you’re creating and document your progress. It’s a challenge that works with your skill level or your personal collection of handmade clothing.

While many challenge participants choose to share their progress on social media, it isn’t a requirement.

Those who do wish to share their challenge on Instagram can used the hashtag #MeMadeMay2019. When you add this (or any) hashtag to your post, it is included in a feed of Instagram posts with other creatives taking part in Me Made May.
And while you’re hashtagging your challenge, remember to tag the American Sewing Guild headquarters at asguildhq on Instagram. We’ll be reposting some of your progress all month long!

To officially take part in Me Made May, you can share your pledge on Zoe’s blog. It’s simple, and Zoe gives more ideas on what to do for your challenge.

Now it’s time to brainstorm what YOU will me making this May!

April 12, 2019

Culture and Creativity Collide at Fashion Exhibit in Israel

During a trip to Israel, I visited the National Museum in Jerusalem. The museum was having an exhibition featuring 150 costumes which combined to form a historic display of the vibrant and complex tapestry of Israeli society. The exhibit, titled “Fashion Statements: Decoding Israeli Dress,” opened in June 2018 and will close in April 2019.

The exhibit showed that fashion belongs equally in domains of art as well as consumerism and is a rich source of information about the culture from which it stems. This can be gleaned from the artists’ choice of material, colors and designs. The exhibit sets out on a journey to share the advances in Israeli fashion during the late 19th century and how these works affect Israel’s piece of the global fashion industry today.

The Designers

While all of the pieces in the exhibit represented Israel, the work of each artist was unique to them.

A featured designer, Liora Taragan, creates designs that blur the line between clothing and jewelry. She draws inspiration from history of fashion, Jewish symbolism, and Victorian and Palestinian embroidery. Worked into her pieces, you’ll find feathers, coins, seashells and many other unique materials.

Also featured was Maskit, a legendary Israeli brand that played an important role in integrating traditional crafts into fashion design. It was founded by Ruth Dayan, its first and most prominent designer, in 1954. She launched the brand to create job opportunities for immigrants who were experts in a variety of handicrafts. It connected experienced designers with traditional embroiderers, weavers and silversmiths who collaborated on producing attractive modern items. Dayan also hoped Maskit would ensure preservation of the international crafts.

One of the collections was called the Keffiyeh Collection after the checkered black and white scarf that is worn around the neck or head in Palestine. The designer, Roju Ben-Josep, featured dresses made of red, white, and black keffiyeh fabrics incorporating Bedouin (a group of nomadic Arab people) embroidery and Hebron (a Palestinian city on the West Bank) glass decorations. Her collection symbolized hope for peaceful coexistence between the cities that inspired her work.

The clothing plays off of the traditions and atmosphere of Israel. Tali Kushnir found her inspiration in the work clothes of British and Jewish workers in Palestine at the beginning of the century. The tents of the Bedouin and the colors of the Negev (a southern region of Israel) were the sources of inspiration for an iconic coat she created, featuring a large flowing shape made with handwoven wools and knitted coils.

These designers were able to find inspiration all around them and feel a deep need to preserve their culture, as well as its artists. Whether pulling from their religion or the local materials available to them, the designers featured in Fashion Statements were able to come together to present a united view of what fashion means in Israel. It was wonderful to get a glimpse of the country and its history through fashion.

~ Kendra Mochel, past president of the Princeton Chapter, also served as VP