Christmas brunch and ornament exchange

October Meeting - Cast on flowers

Come join us at 6:00 p.m. in the Ann Henry Board Room of the Fayetteville Public Library on Tuesday, October 28 as Diana teaches us how to make beautiful cast on flowers and a bow.

 We will be using milliner's needles of various sizes and using different threads to make these flowers.

Diana recently completed a beautiful dress using variations of the cast on flowers and bows that we will be learning to do.

Kits with needles, various threads and floss, backing fabric, and directions will be provided at a small cost.  You will need to bring scissors, light if needed, ruler and a pen that will write on fabric.  A washable marking pen would be fine.

Join us for dinner at 5pm at Arsaga’s Depot 548 W. Dickson St. before the meeting if you can make it.

See you then...exciting things to be learned this month!

May Meeting: Blocking the Neckline and Smocking

This month, everyone should have their Wee Care dress pleated and ready to block the neckline. You will need the Neckline Blocking Guide in your pattern, a pinning board, pins, and scissors.  Please bring your pleated dress and the above supplies to the meeting.

Before you begin, you will need to unpick the pleating threads for 1 1/2" at the back opening edges for all sizes.  The Neckline Blocking Guide has marks for the different sizes included in the pattern.  You will use the neck edge line that matches the size of the dress you are making.  Note that it has marks for neck edges, sleeve seam lines, center front line, and the back openings.

Place the Neckline Blocking Guide over your pinning board, placing the pleated neckline at the edge line that matches the size dress you are making, then match center front, back edges, and sleeve seams.  Pin the dress to the Guide and board.

Now evenly fan out the pleats, and tie off the pleating threads.  Some people like to leave the top holding row loose so that it is easier to put the binding on later.

The pattern directions also give you the directions for pulling up the pleats on each sleeve.  Do this after you have blocked the neck edge.  After all the threads are tied off, you are ready to smock the dress.

There are suggested patterns for smocking the sleeves and the dress included in the pattern and also in the AS&E issues that include this Wee Care pattern.  Here is one example:

After smocking is completed, follow the directions in the pattern to attach the neck binding, finish the back edges, and hem the dress.

YEA!  You have completed your Wee Care Dress!

April Meeting Program

At the April meeting, we will be pleating the Wee Care gowns for which you received the kits at the Saturday workday.  You need to bring the gowns with the bottom edge of the sleeves finished with lace or a rolled hem, the sleeves pleated, and sewn into the gown.

 Bring your pleater, dowel rod, and thread.  It should not take long to pleat the gowns.  Also bring embroidery floss and other sewing supplies, and we will begin to smock on them.

If you have Issue 48 or Issue 97 of Australian Smocking and Embroidery bring it to the meeting since it has sample smocking plates for the Wee Care pattern we are using.

See you on the 22nd at 6:00 p.m.!

Stitchin' in the Foothills XVI

 Stitchin' in the Foothills XVI was held March 27 - 29, 2014, at the Embassy Suites in Rogers, Arkansas.  Our instructor was Kathy Awender from California.  Our project for Thursday and Friday was a beautiful pink satin batiste dress smocked from shoulder to waist and embellished with silk ribbon flowers at the waist and on the sleeves.

Our Saturday project was a silk dupioni travel jewelry case that had a matching checked lining and an overlay of lace-trimmed silk organza.  It was hard to choose from the luscious colors of pink, coral, lavender, mint green, and two shades of blue.

We were delighted to welcome guests from central Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma, in addition to our own members,some of whom came from Texas and Kansas  and, of course, NW Arkansas.

 Thanks, Kathy, for a great class! 

February Meeting and Program on Pleating

We will be meeting on Saturday the 22 at Susan's house.  Please email her or ozarkfoothills@gmail.com for an address and directions to Susan's house.  We will meet at 10:00, have a potluck lunch, and work until about 2:00.

We will be working with our pleaters as practice in preparation for Kathy Awender's class at Stitchin' in the Foothills in March.  Please bring your pleater, spare needles, thread, a dowel rod, and a piece of fabric about 10" long and the width of your fabric (approximately 44" - 45").  Bring a piece of fabric that is solid, one that has stripes, and maybe even one that is checked or gingham so that we can practice with various fabrics. 

Fabric will be handed out for the first of the bishop Wee Care gowns made by the AS&E pattern.  Bring your downloaded pattern.  Tawana will talk about the construction of the gown because you need to have the sleeves sewn in before we pleat the bishop at the April meeting.  You will need to furnish your own thread, floss, and lace for the sleeves, but the fabric will be provided by the chapter. 

Ozark Foothills Christmas Party 2013

The members of the Ozark Foothills chapter of SAGA celebrated Christmas at Carol's lovely home on December 14.

 We had a delicious brunch and then exchanged ornaments.  The ornament theme for this year was a Christmas tree, and ranged from a quilted table runner, to smocked,  embroidered, appliqued, and even knitted ornaments.  Each package opened was oohed and aahed over and then the fun began as the game of stealing ornaments started.  Everyone went home with happy memories and a beautiful ornament.

The theme for Christmas 2014 is a snowman, so start planning now!

January Meeting 2014

Ozark Foothills Chapter has a new home!  We will now be meeting in the Ann Henry Board Room at the Fayetteville Public Library at 6:00 p.m. on the 4th Tuesday of each month.  The Library is located at 401 W. Mountain Street in Fayetteville.  There is a parking garage attached to the library.

Our program for January will be learning sewing and smocking terminology and vocabulary and making plans for meeting programs for 2014.  We will also be discussing a pattern for a smocked Wee Care gown that we will be working on at future meetings. You can download the pattern and instructions free from Country Bumpkin at the URL below.
http://www.countrybumpkin.com.au/article_info.php?articles_id=683&osCsid=ertmpaiepj1vguucvtqc3cjrl0.