January, February, March 2024

Volume 15, Issue 1




News From Your President

There is the feeling of Spring in the air. The days are longer. Sprouting daffodils and tulips bring to mind the bright colors of garment sewing and quilting.

By now, our New Year resolution not to add to our stashes has (thankfully) faded. But how can we resist?? Recently I read an article about being overwhelmed by our Un-Finished Objects. In our sewing world, trying to finish these U.F.O.s but not quite succeeding is very prevalent.The ta-da moments often escape us, but those completed projects really do give us a wonderful feeling. Those small wins should motivate us to carry out our goals, though. So let’s get back to work and once again enjoy our hobby with all its creativity and beauty. Get those Show–and-Tells together and share them with your sewing sisters.


Melba Darvon

Ginger Davis

Gina Tannenbaum

Thank you for renewing your membership


A complete list of all current members can be found

on our Members page.


SAVE THE DATES!

Sewcation - October 15-17

Annual Meeting - November 9

Christmas Luncheon - December 6

Times, locations and details to follow. 


I want to send a big thank you to all who helped Monday to sew the bibs and changing pads for Serenity Place. Marcia, Phyllis, Linda, Edy, Debbie, Lois, Cecelia,  Susan D and Susan M, and a guest, Jena,  who plans to join our guild braved the rain to spend the day helping with this great project. We will be delivering 37 changing pads and 48 bibs to Serenity Place. A special thanks to Sue Dolinar for making the contact and delivering the pads and bibs, and to Marcia Baker for her help in opening and closing the facility in addition to helping all day. Thanks to all who helped on this great project.

Jean

WHAT IS SERENITY PLACE? 

http://www.phoenixcenter.org/women-residential.php?fbclid=IwAR102w1owHlr8JQQNA57sMeRj4oGkzNx7X2iCU1zQoGwEcQZg0Jvo6TYo68

Serenity Place is a residential treatment center for pregnant women, young mothers, and their preschool-age children. At Serenity Place, space is available for 16 women with up to 2 children each. Admittance priority is given to pregnant, intravenous drug users. Residential treatment is intensive, for a minimum of 50 hours per week, and daily life is structured with a focus on parenting and positive family and independent living skills. The average length of stay could be as much as 6 months, depending on the severity factors.  

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First Quarter Community Service Report

So far this quarter our chapter has provided the following items for our community service contributions:

 

16  pet cushions and 25 pillows to the Asheville Humane Society

17 bags to Safe Harbor

56 bags and 1 quilt to DSS foster children

20 chemo caps to Bon Secours

36 bibs and 35 changing mats to Serenity Place

 

Thanks to everyone who helps with all of these projects.  They are greatly appreciated.

 

Help is needed: if one of you could volunteer to take over the Safe Harbor Bags, it would be greatly appreciated. Please contact me at: jeanvanvalin@gmail.com or 864-469-6151, or cell 352-287-7903 Thanks!!!

Foster CHILDREN tote Bags

You can find patterns and guidelines for making charity projects by clicking here:

Community Service


4-H FUN!

We had 6 sewists at our last 4-H Fun Class. The girls mad a puppy pillow and everyone loved their end product. I want to thank my helpers Marcia ,Susan M, Mary C, and Cecelia. 

 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

On next 4-H Sewing Fun will be Saturday April 6th at Spartanburg Extension office. The young sewists plan to finish their t-shirt purse projects and will also work on community service projects as time permits. Please let Karla Milota know if you can help at klmilota@gmail.com

Karla


ZOOM - still a valuable WAY TO LEARN

Technology is constantly changing. It influences how we communicate and how we learn. Zoom is a growing part of ASG and it is said to be easier to use than traditional video platforms. During Covid it was a connection by which we could continue our neighborhood group meetings. National ASG uses Zoom as an invaluable tool for its business and presidents' meetings. Members throughout the nation are brought together, too. I have taken ASG classes using the Zoom format enabling me to learn from national educators such as Judy Kessenger, Pamela Leggett, Janet Pray and Katrina Walker. For those who machine embroider, ASG offers Thread Magicians, a monthly program via Zoom. Each episode is recorded in a library for members to view at their own leisure. Recently, ASG offered six virtual classes that are reasonably priced and will be available to watch for the month of March. Zoom is economical and convenient, especially for those of us who cannot travel.  

I suggest that you "attend" one of ASG's Zoom classes.  Who knows?  You may even like it.
Phyllis Costa
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Today I received the registration information for the upcoming zoom classes offered by ASG. I would like to share my experience attending classes the last time they were offered (during COVID). 
I purchased all 6 classes, but was unable to attend the last class. These classes were based on a 90 minute presentation, so they were slightly less expensive. The new classes (all new topics and presenters) are planned for 2 hours, based on feedback from previous attendees.
Of the five classes I attended, I HIGHLY recommended four. I felt fortunate to have these presentations available and am very grateful to American Sewing Guild for making them available to us. I don't know how many took advantage last time, but I would just like to enthusiastically recommend these classes to our membership.
See you online,
Rosemary Kask

When you need a sewing break —

Read About Sewing

By Linda Paton

Sewing is my favorite pastime and my next favorite is reading. Here are a few of the books I recommend.
Quilting
Jennifer Chiaverini: The Apprentice Quilter (Elm Creek Quilts Series)
     She also has she historical novels
Gin Jones & Elisabeth Ashby : Patchwork of Death ( A Danger Cove Mystery Series)
Kaffe Fassett's: Quilts by the Sea
Nancy Tucker: Sarah's Quilt
Maisey Yates: Confessions from the Quilt Circle
Mary Marks: Knot on Her Life
Ann Hazelwood: Door To Door Quilts
Jacquelin Tobin: Hidden In Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad
Lenora Wolf: The Memory Quilt ( Amish)
Mary Davis: The Widow's Past
 
Sewing
Jennifer Ryan: The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle
Susan Wiggs: The Oysterville Sewing Circle
Diane C. McPhail: The Seamstress of New Orleans
Dorothy Howell: Seams Like Murder
Alison Baille: Sewing Shadows Together
Brenda Mafield: The Sewing Job ( Romance)
Lois Battle: The Florabama Ladies' Sewing Circle
 
Knitting
Jenny Colgan: Close Knit
Debbie MaComber, Susan Mallery : The Knitting Diaries
Anne Bartlett: Knitting
Kate Jacobs: The Friday Night Knitting Club ( Series)
Karen Anna Vogel: Knit Together ( Amish Novel)
John Mallaghan: the Knitter
Peggy Ehrhart: Silent Knit, Deadly Knit ( A Knit and Nibble Mystery)
Maggie Sefton: Knit One, Kill Two
Rachel Herron: How To Knit A Love Story
Terri Dulong: Casting About
Maggie Stefton: Yarn Over Murder
 
Crocheting
Betty Hechtman: One for the Hooks 

What's going on in the neighborhood?

Greenville Neighborhood Group Meeting

The Greenville group of the SC ASG Upstate Chapter meets the first Tuesday of the month except for July d/t  the conflict with the independence day holiday. We are a welcoming group open to all sewists of all abilities. We plan a short presentation at our meetings based on the group’s interest.  Recently, Jean Van Valen presented how to put together a capsule wardrobe.
Upcoming presentations include:
  1. Understanding your sewing machine’s different feet (April 2)
  2. Heirloom Sewing (May 7)
  3. Quilt binding (June 4) 
We would love to have you join us!
Kirsten
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Greer Sassy Sewers
Greer continues to meet on the 3rd Wednesday of the month from 2 - 4 at the United Faith Methodist Church.  A big welcome to new member, Gina Tanenbaum. She is our 4th new member joining the Greer Sassy Sewers. In December,  Joann, Cindy, and I met at Pinera Bread for our meeting: The history of pin looming was our program for January and February was a small meeting of two. Joann and I had a regular meeting and did our sew and shares as well as having a nice visit. March is a demo on fuse applique. April and May are TBD. I hope that you can join us, everyone!
Marcia
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Asheville Feisty Stitchers

Our next meeting of the Feisty Stitchers will be on Thursday March 21, 1:30 pm at the New Hope Presbyterian Church, at 3070 Sweeten Creek Rd, Asheville (lower level).

 

Here is the Folded Star https://www.sharonhollanddesigns.com/freebies/folded-star-pdf pattern from Sante and a Log Cabin hexi potholder pattern https://sewcanshe.com/2014-9-26-log-cabin-hexi-potholders-a-tutorial-with-partial-seams/ I found. (I plan on making these up for Birthday/Christmas gifts this year). Feel free to bring alternative projects if you prefer to do something else. Another option is to work on mats/pillows for the animal shelter. I'll bring along an iron and a couple sewing machines. 

 

We don’t have a program yet for the April or May meetings. In June we’ll be discussing serger techniques above and beyond what you may have learned from your machine dealer, Dianne will be leading the meeting.

 

Cindy

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Simpsonville Sew It Alls

Sharen Charloff will be the guest speaker at the Simpsonville ASG meeting at Marietta's Quilt & Sew in April.

Linda


what else is on the website?

About Us: History of ASG Upstate

Blog: Latest Show and Shares. To see all the photos from a particular meeting, click on the photo or click on Read More. Also, if you can't make it to a meeting and have something to share, send a photo and description to bgcyclist@gmail.com.

Community Service: Download patterns and instructions for all our community service projects. 

And a whole lot more. Just go back to the top of the page and see the whole selections. For Members Only, you will need a password. If you are a member and don't have the password, please contact bgcyclist@gmail.com.