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Friday, August 27th, 2010

The Weddings and the Dresses

My feet feel like they’re back on the ground and I think I could sleep for a whole day but, wow, what a wonderful month of weddings! Meeting new people, dressing up, going new places, watching life change before my very eyes… I am in awe of how full life can be.

So on to the pictures. The Colorado wedding was first so those pictures are first. This is also my youngest son-he proposed first so he got the earlier date. I wore the Vogue 1138 dress out of rayon from last month’s club (scroll down 3 posts to see Wedding Dress #2) to the groom’s dinner in Colorado but still haven’t found anyone that took a picture. The dress for that wedding was from Nordstrom’s and I really liked the neckline.

Then it’s the Milwaukee wedding and the eldest child. Can I still call him child? I double dipped for the groom’s dinner in Milwaukee because the cast of characters was mostly different. The dress for the wedding was KwikSew 3735 which is a copy of a Kay Unger dress that is carried by Nordstrom’s and also a Vogue pattern (but more on that at Fashion Sewing Club in September).

Bridal Couple, Siblings and Siblings-In-Law

Nephew and Dress #1

Groom and Mother of Groom

Bridal Couple #2


Proud Parents and Grandparents

Dancing the Night Away

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Monday, July 19th, 2010

What we’re up to

The first day of kids’ camp went quickly. Here are the pillowcases and their proud creators.


And for those of you that may be interested in the serger class on Thursday, July 22 at 2 pm and again at 6:30-here’s the rough draft of the placemat using the flatlock stitch. Email us to sign up or go to the class listing, $15.

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Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

July could be a busy month

My sons just spent their last days in my house as single men(!). We had a great family potluck shower at my sister’s and now the weddings are becoming a reality. Decisions need to be made, etc., etc., etc.

July Fashion Sewing Club will reveal a few dresses as options for the mother of the groom but I’ve got to admit that Nordstrom’s is my fall back. Club meetings begin this Thursday at Associated Sewing in Bloomington (10:30 and 6:30) and Saturday at 10:30.

You may want to take in the Eagle Creek Garage Sale in Shakopee on Saturday (9 am-2 pm) after Club. I haven’t been for a few years but I remember some great vintage notions and fabric. Click here to go to the website.

On Tuesday, we’ll be at Treadle Yard Goods (10:30 and 6:30). Their big summer sale goes from July 8-18. Some of their dress silks are on my MOG dress list.

We’ve had a few requests to hold Fashion Sewing Club at The Sampler (551 W. 78th St.) in Chanhassen, so this is our trial month. Wednesday, July 14th we’ll have our meeting at 6:30 pm only, but we will have it no matter what. We’d like to see eight people to continue the meetings into the fall. Email us or call The Sampler (934-5307) to let them know you’ll be there. Bring your friends-first timers are free (at any meeting). The store is starting to carry more fashion fabric so support them if you want great fabric in a west metro location. Pics of some of the fabrics are below.

Remember Kathy’s scarf from last month? Here is a picture of it laid out. It’s a 32″x22″ rectangle and 7″ wide until it goes down to the points. Hopefully we’ll see a few from the serger class at Club meetings this month.

And then there’s the half of an oak tree that fell on my deck last night. No one woke up, no holes in the roof or broken railings-at least as far as we can tell at this point. Someone is coming later this afternoon to get the tree off so we can look more closely. Life is never boring!

One last clean up detail-last month Sarah Tufford told us about a group in the Madison, Wisconsin area. New homes are found for sewing machines that still work, and in the process gives new hope for the future to poor people. They sew for themselves, their families, and to make a little money to live on. Here’s the website: thesewingmachineproject.org. Some of us have been thinking about a trip to Gayfeathers in Madison and a trunkful of donated sewing machines would be a great impetus! Any takers?

Other calendar details (listed on the website)-Join us Tuesday, July 27th for a trip to SR Harris. Imagine the treasures to be had when a bunch of us start looking! We’ll car pool up to Brooklyn Park and have lunch because it will be hard work ;)

If you’re looking for a sewing related getaway, you may want to consider the Sewing Expo in Novi, Michigan. What if we got a group going together? Novi is supposed to be THE expo for fashion sewing. Here’s the link to the registration: americansewingexpo.com. The dates are Sept. 24-26.

Well, that’s all for now folks. I better get back to my sewing. The tree is being removed piece by piece (and distracting me just a wee bit). Every once in a while everything shakes as it falls more and more! Glad I slept through it.

Knits at The Sampler

More Knits

Kathy's scarf

Tree Down

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Monday, May 24th, 2010

Hello from Hangzhou

Alive and very well in China. I have eaten eighteen kinds of dumplings in one meal, climbed the Great Wall and seen more umbrellas (parasols, maybe) in the last five days than in my entire life. And the trip isn’t quite half over.
Wonderful people (my fourteen traveling companions are all wonderful) and beautiful placess to see. But enough words-here are some pictures.

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Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

March Fashion Sewing Club Garments

The March installment of Club brings a wide variety of garments-






And some great Sew and Tell-

Cheri is wearing the new Louise Cutting's new My Heart's A' Flutter

Fashion Sewing Club meets monthly and features garments with design changes, pattern review and sew and tell. All are welcome. Cost is $10. Click on Club to see dates, times and locations.

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Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

Christopher Straub at the Sampler

Seven Material Girls drove all the way to Chanhassen on March 12 to listen to Christopher Straub, a Shakopee resident, of Project Runway-Season 6 fame. He entertained about 30 of us with an informal question and answer format and had a great drawing for two of his handbag designs. None of the Material Girls won :(

Christopher is now designing bags of all kinds and will also have a new line of garments to show at MN Fashion Week.

The Sampler will be hosting Valori Wells, a fabric designer for Free Spirit, on May 19th from 5-7 pm. Cost is $30 and they’re promising more great giveaways.

Popularity: 85% [?]

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Saturday, March 20th, 2010

Love Your Serger

This Thursday, March 25, is our Love Your Serger Class day. The project will be Total Serger Tee Techniques and Tips. A mouthful and two hours full of how to put a tee together with your serger. We’ll bring a pre-cut American Girl Doll size t-shirt for you to work on or you can cut out a tee of your own and bring it to class to sew together. This means an opportunity to use your coverstitch if you’ve never done that before (you know who you are) or if you don’t have coverstitch, we’ll use the rolled hem lettuce edge to finish edges.

The class is held at Associated Sewing in Bloomington, March 25, from 2-4 or 6:30-8:30 and the cost is $15. Click on the class name to register and pay through PayPal or send an email to kristin@materialgirlsewing.com

Here’s a picture from the February class where we made a ruffled pillowcase.

Ruffled Serger Pillowcase

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Sunday, February 28th, 2010

Almost Paris-Without the Passport

After riding in an airplane and a shuttle van, I was dropped off at an unassuming corner across from the Puyallup (pew wallop) Fairgrounds. As I began a weekend of people watching it seemed that quilters were in the majority and garment sewists the minority at the Sewing and Stitching Expo. To add fuel to the fire I saw a woman wearing a hat which made it look like she had a scissors stuck through her head. But then I kept looking and slowly but surely I started to see people wearing clothes that were handmade. On Saturday I spotted two young designers.
Friday I took a class from Marcy Tilton about Paris influences in her sewing. Some of her slides were from our trip in November. Saturday noon I sat outside eating a crepe filled with Nutella just like in Paris. The cherry trees are blooming.
And then there were the many, many vendors and their displays. So much like what I saw in Paris.
Although no one would call it the Eiffel Tower, the old bridge that we crossed on our trips between the motel and the Expo reminded me of it. The runway shows were full of creativity and ideas and people! There was gorgeous fabric and must-have notions everywhere. I WILL fit into my suitcase and I can’t wait to get home and sew!
The fairgrounds had great food-fresh raspberry scones, BBQ, gyros and crepes. People were wonderful-all manner of sewing sisters, best sewing buddies, mothers and daughters and even the occasional husband/wife team.
I’m thankful for my sewing buddies, especially Cheri, who has been a great driver, Kathy, Sandy and Marcy and Katherine, without whom I probably would never have dreamed of attending the Expo in Puyallup.
It was almost like Paris-OK-there were some similarities.
But Paris didn’t have Mt. Rainier.
Enjoy the pictures.

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Saturday, February 27th, 2010

Marcy’s Jacket Finished

What began as a great pattern, ended as a great pattern. Here is the finished product. I was thinking it would be scary to have Marcy see it up close but the sewing techniques make it fairly easy to avoid many of the “this is so homemade” telltale signs.
I’m very pleased with the way the different elements of the fabric came together-even if it is subtle. I’m wearing it today to the Puyallup (pew ahl’ up-according to the locals) Sewing and Stitching Expo in Washington. Having a great time-cherry blossoms and daffodils are out-raining and fifties. An added bonus is that I’m running into my Paris traveling companions!
More later…

Popularity: 81% [?]

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

Sewing Through Marcy Tilton’s Patterns

After going to Paris with Marcy Tilton I decided to work my way through her patterns. So far I’ve made the vest, tee shirt and skirt. I’ve been very happy with the results. Today I got a good start on the jacket pattern. The fabric is a beautiful purple and blue on a gray/black background. It’s available on Marcy’s website (click to link). It has a large repeat which I thought would work very well with the pattern. Most of the jacket pieces are straight so I could use different elements of the fabric (top section is purple hearts, lower section is more of a fleur de lis). I’ll be using other elements of the pattern for the collar and cuffs.
The pattern directions are very clear and take small steps so it’s easy to read the pictures and figure out what to do. Marcy also takes advantage of the serger-something many patterns don’t do.

Jacket before collar and sleeves

Fabric Closeup

Another fabric element closeup

Fabric repeat

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