ASG Meeting & Elections - You're Invited Too!

Tonight I am attending a General Meeting & Election for my local ASG Chapter here in Salt Lake City, UT.

I'm pretty excited, it's been a while since I've seen some of these girls, and these meetings are always fun.

Plus tonight everyone will reveal their Ugly Fabric Challenge entry - I can't wait to see what everyone came up with, but of course I'd like to win! Wish me luck!

Want to come?

If you are not a member but have ever been curious about ASG and live in the area now is a perfect time to check us out! 

Want to learn more about your serger? 

Tamra will be presenting "Creative Serging" to take you beyond seam finishing!

There will be refreshments, door prizes and our Ugly Fabric challenge will be judged-

and it's all free!

Hope to see you there!

Want to know more? Check out our new blog here: ASG in the SLC

 (Pardon the dust, I'm still working on it)

From Haunted to Stranded to Home Again

We took a little trip to Estes Park Colorado

to see the grandparents and lots of aunts, uncles and cousins too. 

We stayed in the historic Stanley Hotel

Over 100 years old, the hotel and grounds are beautifully maintained. 

Stanley, Estes Park Co

The Stanley is considered the "Most Haunted Hotel in America"

We took the History & Ghost tour, I was there for the history - the kids for the ghosts, of course!

To their disappointment, we never ran into any ghosts, but we left some candy for the "children" who haunt the 4th floor.

We also got to peek at the infamous room 217, where Stephen King stayed and was inspired to write "The Shining".

room 217

And yes. 

we did watch the Shining in anticipation of this vacation.

Mom of the year.

'redrum" on the bell tower door

The elevator was one of my favorite spots. All brass and shiny, it felt very opulent.

...and our reflections in the door made for a kinda cool and spooky picture.

We Also did some hiking at Bear Lake.

Bear Lake, Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park

It was pretty icy, but  I managed to not fall down. 

All the way. On my butt.

be Nice or Leave, Oscar Blues

One night we went to an awesome little spot called Oscar Blues for dinner.

A group of retired Marines were there celebrating Veterans day.

Dru's mom, who has never met a stranger, some how got got the Sarge into the middle of this rowdy celebration.

They kept calling him "Marine" and he kept replying "Air Force". 

Maybe they were too drunk to care, or maybe anyone with a high & tight is a Marine on Veterans Day.

Either way, I was happy, because they had chocolate cake.

One our way home we stopped in Wyoming.

Quite literally. 

On I-80 

because it was closed due to weather conditions.

After 3 hours of not moving we pulled a U-turn on the median and headed back to civilization.

because I had to pee.

really bad.

And in case you have never been there, Wyoming is prairie.

And there is no where for a grown women to pee on the prairie.

Especially when stranded on the highway, surrounded by Semi's.

The kids endured the extension on our vacation by spending all their time in the pool.

It's a hard knock life.

Now I guess we all have to get back to reality. The kids have a ton of make-up work and I have a General Meeting for ASG on Friday I need to prepare for! I have my ugly fabric challenge ready to go (more on that soon!), but I need to get to work on the favors/door prizes.

Make a Difference!

Today is Make a Difference Day.

Kadence and I will be at the Newgate mall working on quilts for the Childrens Justice Center.

What are you doing to make a difference today?

31 Days to Settle in After a Move: Get Involved!

A new job is a great way to network and meet new people...but some of us are in a place in our lives where we can't or maybe just don't wanna. That doesn't mean you have to be stuck at home in a new place all lonesome and pathetic. Get out there - start volunteering, join some clubs, take some classes. Become part of your new community.

There are so many opportunities to expand your world or make a difference.
Your church or kids school is a great place to start. But don't stop there.
When I Google'd "Layton UT Club" I got a plethora of responses - fom Mom clubs to Hiking clubs, there is something for everyone. If you have a talent or passion for something related to the arts, consider looking into a guild. Just a quick Google of "Layton UT Guild" brought up a Jewelers Guild, Artisans Guild, Quilt Guild, Screen writers Guild, Story Telling Guild, Opera Guild, Symphony Guild.....

I belong to the American Sewing Guild, it is a national organization - so every time we move one of the first things I do is look into my local chapter. It's an easy way for me to quickly make friends with similar interests, expand my sewing knowledge and help my local community.

 Take a chance, you may just make some new friends!

Join Me on Make a Difference Day!

You can make a difference for abused children.

Saturday is Make a Difference Day, a national day of helping others. 

If you live in the Ogden area, I hope you will consider joining us as we gather at the Newgate Mall to make quilts for the Childrens Justice Center. These quilts are given to children for comfort while they are interviewed and given medical examines, and they are then theirs to keep.  

My local ASG group has been doing this annually for around ten years and  it's become a cause close to my own heart.  Please check out  The Childrens Justice Center website for more information on how they make a difference everyday in the lives of abused children.

Please. If you can, just stop by, it doesn't cost a thing except a few moments of your time.

Looking for yesterdays 31 day post?
here it is: 31 Days to Settle After a Move: Make Family Cards

Pretty Little Planner for my Sewing Friend!

I made up this pretty little ASG 2011 Calendar of events/planner for my friend Tina.

I love digital scrapping, and playing with "real" paper too.

In this project I was able to combine both techniques. (FUN!)

  

I hosted the Christmas party for our group in December and she came over early and helped me out, (even making the frosting for our Red Velvet cupcakes, Yum!) After the meeting I promised to give her a copy of our plans for the upcoming year.

But, being me - I couldn't just jot them down and hand them over.

I had to do it "pretty"

Inside I created a page for each month/meeting with the program for that evening.

I also added pages for a supply list and notes for each meeting.

Below are a few of my favorite pages:

January

(that was sewing room organization, presented by me!) :o)

June

(Flower pounding - doesn't that sound awesome?!)

The back

I fussy cut the butterfly and inked the edges. It came out so pretty!

Somethings are just too sweet to hide in a bag or with paper wrapping.

So I just added a ribbon for presentation.

I can't wait to give it to her tomorrow at our Fitting group!

I love the papers and embellishments I used on this project.

They are so rich and warm, and they printed out bea-yoo-tifully!

All my digital scrapping supplies come from Scrapgirls, and most items used in this project were from the Noteworthy Collection.

One of my favorite things to do is make organizers (go figure!) planners, or any kind of "book".

In the past I used to buy an Owire bound book, take it apart and recover/re-do it, then put it all back together again. My friend got me hooked on making these when we were stationed together in WA.

For Christmas I got a Bind-it-all (Yay!) and this is my first project!

Now I don't have to do the disassemble - reassemble thing anymore.

(any one else just hear No disassemble #5 in the back of their head?)

 Check this Post for a Vogue Pattern Giveaway!

 

Fresh Start for January

Since my last post I've been up to a lot.
like what?

well, we took Kadence on her first trip to Disneyland

My mom came up from the Land of Enchantment and visited us for a bit.

She picked up a sewing machine for Kadence while she was here too!

(that's' for another post)

 Speaking of Kadence, besides sewing,

she's learned to ride a bike

(finally)

We took a trip out to my Uncles ranch in Wyoming.

That was a nice little break from reality

Anthony got baptized.

twice.

2 different religions.

(guess he wants to cover all his bases, ha!)

We discovered Anthony has an irrational, yet highly amusing fear of overgrown potatoes.

Of course we had to use this new found knowledge.

I've also

read some great - and not so great - books

Gotten a bunch of sewing done

been elected 2nd Vice President for my chapter of ASG

tried sushi

attended a women's entrepreneur conference (and won a lap top!)

attended a day-long sewing retreat

killed 3 hermit crabs (oopsie!)

and put on weight. Sigh...

So there it is, the good the bad and the ugly.

Mama's Got a Brand New Bag

My local sewing guild had a day-long purse class not too long ago, and I'd like to share some of my thoughts:

• Surprise! The not so great looking fabrics can make the cutest bags
• No surprise, sewing in a group is fun, and if someone brings Krispy Kreme it's all the better
• Even if everyone is making the same project, no two bags will be anything alike
• It's okay to NOT follow the directions exactly as written, even in a "class"
• The girl sitting nearest the teacher is going to finish first
• The girl who finishes first is your best friend - she will help you finish next
• A steam press is pure awesomeness, and would make a great Christmas present (hint, hint)
• Age has nothing to do with skill level (see example below)

At the end of the day everyone did an awesome job and I would have gladly gone home with any of the bags that were made that day - but I have got to show you this picture!

This sweet chick was our youngest in attendance and she has some mad skillz!

She's freakin 11 years old.

She choose her own fabrics, and did all her own sewing.

(on a Viking that many women would kill for no less...)

Did I mention she's only 11 years old?!

I loved her purse, it was really fun, and had a funky bright yellow lining to boot.

I had the hardest time choosing my own fabrics.

Honestly, I wasn't even sure if I would even use the purse anyhow - I was really just attending for the camaraderie of it all.

I knew my handles would be a natural wood, so I wanted my fabric to have an organic feel to it. I choose a heavey woven for the outside and a cotton print for the lining and pockets.

When the class began I still wasn't real thrilled with my selections, (and whinned about it constantly)
but by the end of the day I was really diggin' it.
(it didn't hurt that everyone there kept telling me how fantabulous it turned out!)

It almost has a "straw" bag feel to it and it's perfect for summer.
(especially with a sun dress and a pair of strappy cork wedge sandals!)
I added a flower pin made mostly from the lining fabrics just to give it a little sumptin' extra,
and where everyone else either sewed the ends of the fabric handles together, or added a large ring,
I just finished the ends and tied the strap into a knot.
I think it turned out pretty cute, and I might actually use it after all!

Princess Seam Progress a.k.a. Full Blown Tantrum

Last night some friends and I met up for our monthly Fitting Group in Salt Lake.

This is the 3rd month meeting  that I have worked on my princess seam bodice.

And I know everyone is waiting with bated breath, wondering

"Just how did that princess seamed fitting thing work out for you?"

welll.....

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

wait for it....

.

.

.

.

.

.

It Didn't

This is what it looks like after I have thrown a tantrum.

Not pretty.

I have spent hours measuring, slashing, spreading, taping...

And not alone, either. Tamara, my Fitting Goddess has helped me every step of the way.

No matter how we adjusted it or what we did we couldn't get it quite right.

At the end of the night, we agreed it was possibly salvageable...

...but...

 ...we both just really wanted to shred it and start over.

So, that's exactly what I'll be doing.

Now, saying this, I realize it wasn't fair to just share a picture of my resulting tantrum.

So, I smoothed it back out (sort of..) and took another picture so you could appreciate all our efforts and understand why I'd like to set the friggin' thing on fire.

Isn't that crazy? There is more Swedish tracing paper than pattern tissue!

And this pattern is my size - really! All this for just a bust alteration.

I seriously intend to hit this hard and get it right next month...

because, well once I master the princess seam, I've got a few more patterns I want to take on...

 

McCalls 5800 is the pattern I am currently dueling with. I'm using view A currently, but might just opt for B's neckline this next go 'round. For 0598 I like the raglan sleeve and full skirt. CUTE!

I find a fitted bodice and flared skirt is the best way to balance my girls with my (boyish) hips. KWIM?

I can't wait to make them - and have them really fit!

Pearls & Princess Seams

Today is meant for fantastic shopping and sales but I didn't get out and do any.

Oh wait, I got new tires this morning...does that count? No? didn't think so. Oh well....

I'm okay with that, since I did get a pretty for Valentines day from the Sarge. I have been wanting a pearl necklace for several years now, I just love how classic and elegant they look. In keeping with my Martha Stewart/Barbie wanna be image, I have this blissful fantasy where I see my self vacuuming in heels and pearls. Really, don't laugh! Alright, a little snickering is acceptable here... Okay, now I can finally live out my fantasy because Dru gave me a strand of pearls. Thanks babe, I love ya!

On a different note, tonight is my ASG Fit group and we are working on fitting a princess seamed pattern. I started this project last month and I'm hoping to complete it tonight. The alterations for my bust are so complex it's like a million steps - alright, maybe only 18... Whew! It's worth it though, because in the end I should have a pattern that will fit my girls properly and not gape in the arm hole and neck. Yay me!