Hi Ladies, 

As I humbly step into the role of president, I do so with excitement and anticipation of good things to happen. What I may lack in technical mastery, I hope to make up for in dedication to what makes this Chapter special. One of the main reasons I am taking on the privilege of leadership, is my belief that connection to people is what gives meaning to life.

Furthermore that being an active participant of a community helps you to overcome life’s challenges. This is exactly what this group offers. Therefore my focus will be on strengthening our Chapter as a community, offering a sense of belonging, encouragement, and an arena to grow friendships.

 I envision a group where everyone, from beginners to experts, feels welcome to share, experiment, and find joy in the creative process. Sewing brings us together, but it’s our support for one another that truly stitches this group into something lasting and meaningful. I am very proud to be part of this group. 

Our Chapter reaches out to our local communities by our charity projects. Turning our personal sewing passion (or even addiction) into something that helps others, is incredibly rewarding. By doing this we are strengthening the fabric of our community one stitch at a time. The Chapter therefore is a valuable asset to our communities just by us showing our love and commitment to service. I urge members to remain involved in the attempt to provide a helping hand to those in need. Together, we can continue to prove that sewing is not just a hobby—it’s a way of building bridges, strengthening hearts, and stitching hope into the world around us.

In the new year, let vulnerability be the birthplace of innovation, creativity and risk taking to produce even more impressive items than before. I look forward to learning from all of you, celebrating your beautiful work, and finding new ways to make our chapter a place where creativity and connection thrive.

With gratitude and warm stitches.

Kathy Gaynor

A complete list of all current members can be found

on our Members page.

Community Service Report 4th Quarter 2025

This quarter we delivered 85 fleece hats and 73 scarves and 96 pairs of socks to the foster children at DSS. 50 chemo caps were delivered to Bon Secours cancer center and 4 quilts to Serenity Place. The Asheville group made and donated 29 pillow cases to the church that was housing volunteers working after hurricane Helene, and 10 kitten pillows were delivered to the animal shelter.

Totals for the year and recipients:

DSS:  82 totes, 85 fleece hats, 73 fleece scarves, 96 pairs of socks, 5 dolls, 15 doll outfits

Bon Secours Cancer Center: 128 chemo caps

Serenity Place: 4 quilts

Sharing House NC:  76 knit hats

Asheville Church for Hurricane relief: 29 pillow cases

Asheville animal shelter: 10 kitten cushions

Again, I would like to thank all those who have helped make life a little better for so many.  Your contributions are greatly appreciated.  

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

Community Service

Karla Milota [email protected]

ASG willl no longer be mailing out membership cards. You can easily download and print them from the website. If you have trouble finding this on the website, here is a tutorial telling you how to update your profile, renew your membership and download your membership card. Just scroll down. Members. 

Greenville Neighborhood Group Meeting

Please mark your calendars for the January 15, 2026 meeting where we will have a presentation by author Ceil Jensen discussing the history of women's pockets. We’ll meet at 1:00pm at the New Hope Presbyterian Church, at 3070 Sweeten Creek Rd, Asheville (lower level).

“my walking foot squeaks like a dying mouse,it’s cries echoing though the house

 Family grumbles “What’s the noise”.

 A discord that steals your joys, 

yet fear grips me, hesitation to oil,

 for fabric may stain and efforts spoil.

 Has anyone braved this slippery path,

 to silence the foot’s relentless wrath?  

This tongue in cheek piece was written by r/quilting. 

Chevronbird followed it with a Japanese Haiku poem:

"Should I oil the foot

To be quiet as a mouse?

Not squeak squeak squeak squeak" 

FYI: a Haiku is a Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five, traditionally evoking images of the natural world. 

Shakespear would have written “To oil or not to oil, that is the question.” 

Now that I have your attention, we can discuss the real problem. Most of us have never considered cleaning, inspecting and servicing our walking feet. However, these workhorse feet move at a fast pace and have many metal parts that may wear out if not taken care of. My search results suggest that you do not open the walking foot, as depending on the manufacture design it may be a sealed unit. The exception is the Bernina walking foot #50 (the one I own) as it can be opened up to oil. The manufacture’s manual however, do not address this topic so proceed with caution. I will look at the Benina foot in more detail but no brand specific maintenance guidance for Janome (ACuFeed Flex), Pfaff (IDT) or Brother (Walking foot) will be addressed, as I did not extend my research to cover these. However, I would love for the Chapter members who own these machines to collect data on this topic and make it available.  

Bernina 

Bernina walking foot maintenance involves regular cleaning and oiling of its moving parts (rollers, pivots, shafts) with sewing machine oil to prevent squeaking and seizing. Access to these parts is obtained by removing the foot's outer casing. Using a brush to reach internal points you clean out any fluff that collected. The roller bearings, forked lever, and pivot points need to be oiled with the oil provided with the machine. Sew on scrap fabric to distribute oil and wipe excess. 

You should be able to take your walking foot to a local dealer or mail it to a qualified technician to get it serviced for a minimal fee. ($15 was mentioned) or ask them to do it during your annual machine tune up. 

If you are brave enough to do it yourself you can look at Bernina Jeff’s Youtube video showing detailed steps of how to do it. It is fascinating to the inside of this great tool. Dave Simpson’s Youtube video on JustSewtv shows you how to service a Vintage Bernina Walking Foot. 

General 

Even if it is a sealed unit your walking foot will need some attention. A little routine care will keep your evenfeed foot feeding smoothly, prevent uneven stitches and noisy clunking or squeaking. Depending on frequency of use maintain it after a major project, every 2-3 quilting jobs or every few months if only used occasionally for garment sewing. Always work on a protected surface that will catch small screws. 

 Here is a suggested essential maintenance you should do regardless of brand. 

1. Keep bottom feed dogs and feet clean. Lint may build up between the “soles” and around the metal forks and hinges. Wipe clean with a soft brush to clean the underside of the foot and the moving joints. 
2. Check the pivot points and joints to make sure the small hinges and moving plates are functional. Tighten screws if loose. 
3.  Oil if manufacturer allows it. Rule of thumb is a tiny drop on the hinge joints if it is all metal and exposed pivots. For models that allow a deeper clean, now is the time to remove the outer casing to clean and oil the inner parts. As always use the high quality machine oil your brand recommends. Oil in accordance with expert advice. Take copious notes and photos so you can reassemble it. 
4. Check the fork arm alignment. The fork piece that rides on the needle screw should be aligned correctly. Check for a bent fork arm, excessive side to side play and the fork rubbing the needle clamp instead of sitting over it. 
5. Inspect the soles for wear. The two “feet” should be smooth and even. Look for deep scratches, cracks or worn pads. Replace then if needed.
6. Confirm the spring action. If pressed with your thumb it should move up and down freely. Lint may be packed inside if it is stiff or uneven. 
7. Check the attachment hardware to make sure the clamp is tight, the needle screw sits secure and no part of the foot wiggles excessively when attached. 

Storage:

How you store your foot will also affect the longevity thereof.  Best practice is the original box, a soft padded case or dedicated pouch away from other items. Do not throw it in with your other sewing items such as scissors, rulers, and notions. Keep it in a clean, dry lint free place. The feed soles should be stored as such to prevent scratching. The fork arm is the most vulnerable part of the walking foot and storage should prevent the fork from being bent.

To avoid tension on the hinge it is recommended that the walking foot is not hanging by the fork arm on the machine when you are not sewing, as it can wear out the spring, stress the joint and cause misalignment. It is best to remove it from the machine and to take the sole off. Soles should preferably be in its own little pouch. 

Take care of your walking foot and keep on sewing. 

Santie

We want to support our local shops but with the closing of JoAnn's, there's just some things we can no longer buy locally. We have a list of websites that our members have recommended. They can be found on our Members Page which can only be accessed by our ASG members.

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 [email protected].

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 [email protected].

To receive your discount from the advertisers below,

be sure to have your membership card with you.

10% Discount at Marietta's on Guild Meeting Day

& Every 2nd Saturday and 3rd Thursday of each month.

3421 N. Industrial Dr., Simpsonville, SC   864-962-5353