Thursday, March 31, 2016

Hello HV - ASG members!  Do you remember Margaret Hubert?  She was our speaker as last year's Annual Chapter meeting and we enjoyed her so much that we've invited her back!  

In this class, Margaret is teaching us how to create your own Free Form Bag....she'll have lots of hints & tips.  There is a small amount of easy and fun prep work, and you decide whether to use crocheting, knitting, or both in your own creation.  See the flyer below for the details and sign up ASAP.  Don't miss out on this opportunity.  (Registration will be opened up to non-members after April 1.)  Happy Spring Everyone!

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Going Crazy

For our March meeting, the Sewphisticuts learned about crazy quilts.  Maura presented a brief history and some information about crazy quilt characteristics.  To summarize, crazy quilts as we know them today were first popular in Victorian times when they were a status symbol, showing that you were wealthy enough to be able to afford the luxurious fabrics.  It also indicated that you had the leisure to devote time to a purely decorative item, as these quilts were rarely used for beds, serving more often as decorative lap robes or throws to drape over a sofa or piano.

We also heard about and discussed several different techniques for making these quilts, from the original way of appliqueing pieces onto a backing by hand to more modern methods of fusing and machine-stitching.   Crazy quilts are distinguished by the use of elaborate embroidery along joins as well as in the middle of patches.  Today's embroidery machines would make it very easy to embellish a crazy quilt quickly.   Modern uses for crazy quilt pieces range from an actual bed quilt to placemats, totes, pockets, insets on clothing, Christmas ornaments, bookmarks, and other small decorative shapes.

There are numerous links online (Youtube, Pinterest, Instagram, images from any search engine) to learn how to make crazy quilts or to see a variety of designs.   Here are a few links of interest:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5MYNqUc9kA  

Next month we will try our hand at making some crazy quilt pieces, using whichever technique each person prefers.  It will be interesting to see the results!

We also had Show and Tell:  pictures follow here.



Pat's pillow made from pieces she got from a fabric exchange friend

Shopping bags

Terry's evening bags
Peggy's loose-fit pants

Slippers

Cyndy's pull-over in a fantastic snakeskin pattern fabric

Judy's top with a twist