Sewing – Page 61

July 26, 2019

Threads Magazine is Sewing for ASG Conference. Are you?

Closing in on the finish line…

The American Sewing Guild’s annual conference starts next week! Conference is August 1 through 4, 2019 in the greater Boston area and the crew at Threads magazine has been diligently working on garments for Wear Your ASG Pattern Day on Friday, August 2. They wanted to share an update and you can also see videos of their monthly progress on Facebook.

A final pre-ASG Conference Threads Live event on Facebook is scheduled for 11 a.m. EDT Friday, July 26.

Sarah, Threads Editorial Director

Threads Magazine Sewing for ASG Conference — Sarah used colorful remnants in her stash to create two muslins. Her final dress should be done just in time for Conference and Wear Your ASG Pattern Day.

Sarah made two muslins to finalize the fit of ASG Simplicity 8735. She’s started constructing her final dress in a stretch crepe knit from Joann’s. The finished dress should travel well, and be easy to care for in the future.

This is not the last version of Simplicity 8735 Sarah plans to make. She transferred her fitting adjustments to the pattern pieces for all the views. With long- and short-sleeved versions, different skirt lengths and cuts, and the option to sew the design in knits or wovens, it’s a new wardrobe staple.

Sarah’s sewing tip

“When I need to add easing stitches to a sleeve cap, I make the stitches in one pass. I stitch 3/8″ from the fabric’s edge. At the stopping point, I pivot, stitch to about 3/4″ from the fabric edge, pivot and stitch back toward the starting point, keeping the second stitching row parallel to the first row. I find this saves me a tiny bit of time and I don’t need to fuss with additional thread ends or tying knots before I pull the gathering threads.”

Erica, Threads Assistant Editor

Threads Magazine Sewing for ASG Conference - Erica and Simplicity 8137 — It was a long process to fit the top, but now Erica is thrilled with the fit she achieved with ASG Simplicity 8137. She’s ready to sew up her fashion fabric version.

Erica spent many hours and yards of muslin adjusting the fit of ASG Simplicity 8137. After a total of four bodice muslins, she is confident that the peplum top will be comfortable and flattering.

The finished top will be constructed from cotton shirting from StyleMaker Fabrics. The pants required only minor adjustments for length and pant leg width and should drape nicely in a bottomweight Tencel twill, also from StyleMaker Fabrics.

Fitting the top was a great learning experience for Erica, who feels more confident tackling fitted garments going forward. Simplicity 8137 includes dress options as well as the top and pants; since she knows the bodice fits well, a dress is almost certainly in Erica’s future.

Carol, Threads Senior Technical Editor

Threads Magazine Sewing for ASG Conference - Carol & Simplicity 8014 — Carol’s version of ASG Simplicity 8014 is complete and ready to wear next week at ASG conference.

Carol has made two iterations of Simplicity 8014, view B. One is in stretch sateen (shown here), from MoodFabrics.com. The other is in cotton poplin, also from Mood Fabrics.

The shirtdress with a waist seam and flared skirt offers a silhouette she likes to wear, and the pattern has some nice features. The short sleeves are finished with a tuck parallel to the hem, which gives the illusion of a cuff, but is quick to sew and encloses the sleeve hem’s raw edges. The dress bodice is shaped with small pleats instead of waist darts for a relaxed look, but you could turn the pleats into darts for a closer fit. All views include generously sized side seam pockets—a must-have at ASG! Although the pattern doesn’t call for it, Carol included a facing on the back yoke, to provide a bit more structure there and to enclose the shoulder and yoke seam allowances.

Carol’s sewing tip

“The buttons I chose came stapled to a card. When I tried to pull them off, the staple remained in the button. I discovered that sliding the point of a seam ripper (use an old one that’s already dull) through the staple, between the button and the card, enabled me to pry off the buttons and leave the staple behind. My fingernails and my small, sharp scissors would like to thank the seam ripper for its service.”

The Threads team is looking forward to wearing ASG Simplicity patterns to Conference, and had a great time working with these designs. They encourage you to step up and say hello at Conference.

Have you sewn something special for conference? Post it in the Gallery on ThreadsMagazine.com; on Facebook in response to Threads Live videos, or on Instagram with the hashtags #americansewingguild and #threadsmagazine. Happy Sewing!

July 19, 2019

What do you do with fabric scraps?

Do you ever wonder what happens to the fabric scraps you send to the landfill? Or how long it takes for those scraps to break down to soil? Americans sent 12.8 million tons of textiles to landfills in 2013. The Council for Textile Recycling states that approximately 5% of waste currently in landfills is fabric waste.

According to Fashion Revolution, “In landfill, the decomposing clothes release methane, a harmful greenhouse gas. Synthetic fabrics like polyester and lycra can take hundreds of years to biodegrade.” Research done by Down2EarthMaterials shows that thread takes 3-4 months to breakdown; cotton takes 1-5 months; and nylon clothes take 30-40 years.

There are places you can take your leftovers that will recycle scraps as well as clothing unfit to donate to resell stores. These recycling locations accept all scraps except those that are wet or contaminated with hazardous material (paint thinner, harsh cleaning products, etc.). The scraps are sent or sold to S.M.A.R.T. (Secondary Materials and Recycling Textiles), a trade association whose independent member businesses work to recycle textiles. Subsequently they are cut into rags or processed into a soft fiber filling for furniture, home insulation, car sound proofing and more. Just 5% are sent to landfills due to moisture or contamination. Nearly all textiles are recyclable.

Where to Recycle

The following is a partial list of charities and businesses that take scraps and clothing in any condition:

Goodwill Stores – check that your location accept scraps
Salvation Army – check that your location accept scraps
H&M clothing stores will take bags of textiles and give you a coupon to shop in their store
Earth911 provides a search function to find recycling locations near you

This article pertains only to textile recycling, meaning those scraps that can’t be reused by charities or schools for art projects etc. Seamstresses unite! Let’s do our part to care for Mother Earth.

References:

Huffington Post LIFE 9/28/2016 updated 4/12/2019 by Suzy Strutner
Some statistics from the Environmental Protection Agency

~Original article by Barbara Ward, Salt Lake Chapter. Additions by ASG.

July 17, 2019

Traveling This Summer? Make ASG Part of Your Plans!

When traveling, I always like to stop in local quilt and fabric stores, as I am sure all ASG members do. We like to see (and probably buy!) fabric that is not available in our local stores. And if you are a quilter, you may like participating in the Row-by-Row project each year, collecting block patterns from the stores you visit. But your travels to other cities in the U.S. can be even more rewarding if you include ASG in your travel plans.

Making Travel Plans

I was in Fort Collins, CO for four months last summer to oversee some remodeling work on a house that we will be moving to. My husband was not able to go with me because he is still working, so I was there by myself. My nearest friends and family were an hour’s drive away! So how do you make new friends during an extended stay? Well, ASG of course!

About a month before I left, I contacted the President of the Fort Collins chapter, Patti Page. I wasn’t sure of the response I might receive; after all, people are busy with work and family. But Patti was very welcoming and told me about their small group meetings and other activities that would be happening during the time I would be there. Turns out, attending some meetings was just the beginning.

One woman who hosts one of the small groups in her home invited me to another organization’s event which was a tour of a fashion museum on the campus of Colorado State University. There I saw two interesting exhibits—one was 1000+ vintage handkerchiefs while the other was a small exhibit exploring the use of orange in fashion over the decades. Although I have visited Fort Collins many times over the past 30 years, I never knew about this museum.
From another member, I learned about two stores in Denver that are a must-visit. I never made it to Denver, but I now have places to visit when we move. From another member I learned about a small but very interesting modern quilt exhibit.
From yet another member, I learned of a class that was being offered by the Greeley chapter and I was able to sign up for that class. I may have eventually learned of these things, but reaching out to the local ASG chapter greatly accelerated that process.

So next time you are planning a trip, include ASG in your plans. You can find fabric stores without anyone’s help, but you’ll get the inside scoop of other interesting sewing-related events going on if you reach out to members of the local chapter where you are visiting. It need not be an extended stay like mine to take advantage of the knowledge of the local sewing scene.

Your ASG membership is not just with one chapter; you are a member of a nation-wide organization and have a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of having a group of ready-made friends who share your interests.

Not a member of ASG? Join now!

~Leta Smith, member since 2015, Houston Chapter

July 6, 2019

ASG Conference 2020 – the big reveal!

The American Sewing Guild annual conference is heading to San Antonio in 2020. Mark your calendar for July 9-12 and join us for our annual sewing get together!

Riverwalk and Alamo images from https://www.visitsanantonio.com/

July 5, 2019

Travel Iron Caddy

Whether you are packing supplies to take to ASG Conference, or heading to a chapter stitching event, this caddy is the perfect way to safely and easily take your travel iron with you. I made the caddy to fit my Sun Beam Compact Travel Iron model #GCSBT-100, but there are similar size models by Dritz, Rowenta, and other Iron makers. It also fits nicely in my sewing machine caddy along with my 9”x 12” Omnigrid combination cutting and pressing board.

Materials

24” x 11” body fabric
3” x 11” body fabric for handle strap
24” x 11” lining fabric
24” x 11” Insul Brite fabric (insulated to protect from heat)
7” ¾” Hook & Loop Velcro
3” piece of Wonder Under
Quilter Ruler with 45 degree angle marking

Legend

RS = right side of fabric
WS = wrong side of fabric

Instructions

Strap: Fold 3” x 11” strip of fabric in half lengthwise WS together and press. Open and press both long edges in, ½” to WS then fold again 1” to WS overlapping, giving you a 1” wide strap. Now stitch lengthwise to reinforce the strap along both edges and up the middle. Set strap aside for next step.

Body of Bag: Layer Insul Brite, lining fabric RS up and then body fabric WS up. Insul Brite will be your bottom layer against the needle plate when you sew. Pin layers together around the inside of the rectangle to hold the layers together. Place long top edge of the strap to RS of body fabric layer 3 ½” down from top edge, double check your fabrics if using a one way directional fabric for your body fabric to make sure the direction of your strap and body are going the same way (Image 1). Stitch around all four edges using a 3/8” seam allowance but leaving a 3’ opening for turning on the bottom edge. Run an extra row of stitching over the strap edges to reinforce (Image 2).

Before turning, clip off the corners outside the corner stitching to allow for less bulk at the corners, be careful not to clip your stitches (Image 3). Turn and press, using a piece of Wonder Under to close the opening.

Closure: With panel facing RS up, place hook side of Velcro centered at bottom, ¼” up from edge and stitch in place. Leave at least ¾” on each end to accommodate your side seams, trim Velcro if necessary. Lining side up, place the loop Velcro at the top and stitch in place ¼” from top edge, lining up with the bottom edge placement.

With WS together, fold bottom edge up to 5” below top edge and stitch both side seams using ¼” seam allowance or as small as possible, back stitching at top edge to reinforce. (Image 4)

Turn the bag inside out and box the bottom seams. To box the bottom, use a quilter ruler with a 45 degree angle guide. Pin across bottom of the angle on both edges to create the boxed bottom and sew along pinned edges. (Image 5) Turn RS out.

This little iron caddy, with it’s bucket shape, will hold my iron and a few other small items. It also fits into the open space of my machine for travel.

~Carolyn Meyers, ASG Member, Bucks County Chapter