October 2017 - Hill Country Smocking Guild Meeting

Hill Country Smocking Guild 

16 October 2017 Meeting Minutes

Call to order-

Called to order 7:09.

Mary is tickled to death to be here.

Deanna is recovering nicely from her surgery and sometimes following the rules.  At least half the time.

Correspondence- We received correspondence from SAGA with information about the upcoming retreats and online classes.

We received correspondence from a person in San Antonio looking to sell a pleater.

Financial report-

Was emailed to members

Old Business and Committee Reports-

Nominating committee has a slate of officers ready to be voted on:

            President: Mary

            Vice-President: Helen

            Secretary:  Lise  

            Treasurer:  Melissa

National Smocking Month information is postponed until January.

New Business-

     There is 'NO' regular guild meeting in December. Instead of a meeting we usually try and get together for a fun time out. This year, our holiday get-together will be Sunday, December 17th  4-7 pm at Deanna's house. Spouses are welcome. We ask members to bring an hors d'oeuvre. If you would like to participate in a 'sewing stash' exchange - please bring your item in a brown paper bag. 

     Sewing Stash Exchange guidelines: 

Something from your stash that values up to $15. This could be patterns, fabric, books, magazines, tools. 

     In the past we have found it hard, at times, to part with our precious items - in that case 'NOT A PROBLEM' your item could be a purchased item or gift card - valued up to $15 ! ! !

     Come and enjoy a few hours with friends.

Show and Share-

Sabitha purchased a pleater through a woman who contacted Mary.  It was a Read Pleater in great condition.

Kim brought a picture of Sarah’s finished picnic quilt.  They used an old blanket as the back side.

Mary brought old Creative Needle magazines to share.

Door Prize-

Was won by Eloise.  It was a twist ‘n select needle holder and a measuring tape that clips to your bag.

Program-

Continue the program presented by Helen is a smocked goldfish.  May’s fish was featured in SAGA new Feb. 2014 Vol. 35 Issue 1.

September 2017 - Hill Country Smocking Guild Meeting

Hill Country Smocking Guild 

18 September 2017 meeting

Minutes

Call to order-

Mary opened the meeting.

Minutes from last month are available online.

We are thinking about Patti and Deana and wish speedy recoveries to them and their loved ones.

Committee reports-

No committee reports.

Communications-

No communications.

Financial report-

Will be emailed to members

Old Business- Kim gave us an update on demo day.  She said that we would be able to do at the very end of January or February.

New Business-

Nominating committee for 2018 officers.  Mary explained the responsibilities of each of the officer positions.  

Nomination committee: Melissa A. and Lise W.

We talked a little about project ideas.

Show and Share-

Helen brought a beautiful smocked pink and green chevron dress.  It has snap closure and back smocking with a pink band at the bottom.  She also brought a pet screen bag that she worked on with Kim and Deanna.  One piece of screen makes five bags.  Helen offered to have it as a program if we would like

Sabitha brought two wee care dresses and two matching wee care bonnets.

Virginia brought a watermelon dress and an embroidered pink dress that she made from the same pattern that she made for her granddaughter’s birthday party.  It is a Chrissy pattern.

Melissa brought the No Regrets wall hanging from Stitch Lab.

Door Prize-

Program-

Program presented by Helen is a smocked goldfish.  May’s fish was featured in SAGA new Feb. 2014 Vol. 35 Issue 1.

August 2017 - Hill Country Smocking Guild Meeting

Hill Country Smocking Guild 

21 August 2017 meeting Minutes

We welcomed our two newest members, Sabitha and Kim M.,  to our first meeting after the summer break.

President Patty, could not make the meeting. She is helping her husband.

No Communications

No Old Business

New Business:

Creation of 2018 officer Nominating Committee will be postponed until September meeting. Anticipating election in November

Kim D. is having a conversation with a local business for a 'Smock-In' in November. Possibly looking at Saturday, November 18th, and offering a class for a small holiday ornament. We will need everyone support for this fun endeavor. More to come.

Next two meeting will be presented by Helen to create a smocked 'fish' ornament. Each kit will cost $5. Mary will send out an email for those interested.

Deanna was the recipient of August's doorprize: a bias binding pressing thingy ? ? ?

Show and Share:

Deanna shared a small bucket she had made. A Terry Atkinson pattern. Super cut and super handy!

Mary showed a hand-towel that she had embellished with two rows of bridging/fagoting and beads.

Our program was the culmination of the Wee Care Challenge. Oooohhhhhhhhh the sights to see.  Helen was recognized for the most items created. Mary was recognized for her creative creation.

Thank you Kim D. and Deanna for the delightful challenge, thoughtful summer workshops, lovely prizes and participation gifts. You have inspired us, challenged us, and helped us to think of others.

Respectfully submitted by Mary S.

May 2017 - Hill Country Smocking Guild Meeting

Hill Country Smocking Guild 

15 May 2017 meeting

Minutes

In attendance:

Roberta            Toni                 Kim                 Melissa A

Mary                Kit                   Helen              Patty

Deanna            Lise

Big welcome to Sabitha who visited with us.

The March minutes and March and April financials were accepted as presented. (There was no meeting in April).

Show and Share:

Helen brought the tuffet she had completed.  The cover was Texas Wildflower prints.  The central button was covered by an armadillo.  On the bottom, she used upholstery tacks to hold the fabric in place.  She reports that her grandchildren really love it.  She also bought a folding fabric box that she had made in a class at the Austin Area Quilt Guild's Gift of Quilting the first weekend in May.

Deanna announced that she had been to Amsterdam recently and she had found a shop selling Liberty of London prints for $25.00 per yard, and they also had made matching bias tapes for the fabrics.  The shop is at www.nanuccitessuti.nl

Lise announced that she had also attended the Gift of Quilting. Her classes were a paper piecing class using the Lucy Boston pattern, and an introduction to beading class that included making fringe, making an edging around a cabochon, peyote stitch, as well as stitching freehand onto ultrasuede and burying the knots in the center of the ultrasuede.

Melissa brought Eloise's Easter dress.  It was made of blue dotted swiss, and it just grazed the ground as Eloise had requested.  She also had a ring that had belonged to her grandmother re-created, using a dental mold to get the detailing accurate.

Mary brought a panel that she had created to go on the back of a t shirt to make an Anthropolgie-style dress.  The t shirt is a long University of Tennessee shirt.  She also brought the completed project sample for the fagoting class with extra beading along the bottom of the lace.

Door Prize:

Deanna was the lucky winner of a tabletop Ott light.

Programs:

Kim presented this summer's Wee Care challenge.  The base fabric is mint green, but other colors (except yellow and gray) may also be used.  The gowns can feature smocking, shadow work, or fagoting.  There will be a contest to vote on the favorite gowns at the August meeting.  As usual, there will also be a prize for the most Wee Care caps/bonnets and gowns of all kinds turned in.  There will be two work days again this summer, on Saturday June 24 and Saturday July 29, both hosted by Deanna.

Mary presented the capstone project for the fagoting classes - a hand towel with crochet-style lace fagoted to one end, plus the basting paper and white #5 perle cotton.  She noted that other colors of perle cotton were also perfectly

acceptable.

Respectfully submitted by, 

Lise Waring 

March 2017 - Hill Country Smocking Guild Meeting

Hill Country Smocking Guild 

20 March 2017 meeting

Call to order-

Called to order 7:05.

Minutes from last month are available online.

Committee reports-

No committee reports.

Communications-

No communications.

Financial report-

We will update next month.

Old Business-

Check in with Dot about a Smock In at Austin Sewing Machine.

Wee Care Report-

The question was raised about which hospitals we donate Wee Care Gowns to.  

Patty has been watching Nancy’s Notions on Google Create.  She takes fabric and things that are donated and distributes them to groups that can use them.

Show and Share-

Mary brought her finished smocked bib with beautiful fabric from the Stitch Lab.

Melissa brought in white daygowns from her grandmother’s house and dotted Swiss for Eloise’s Easter dress.

Patty brought in sweatshirts that she made by hand.  She orders the fabric in bulk from Alabama.  The shirts are embellished beautifully.

Door Prize-

Deanna won the door prize which was a beautiful jar of buttons and needles.

Program-

Fun with Fagoting by Dawn Roda that is presented by Mary

We are continuing the faggoting class.  Mary provided materials for our class.  She brought books for us look at with examples of faggoting.  Next month we will begin work on a tea towel.  We will want to bring scissors, etc. with us next month.

February 2017 - Hill Country Smocking Guild

Hill Country Smocking Guild 

February 2017 meeting

Call to order-

Called to order 7:05.

Minutes from last month are available online.

Committee reports-

No committee reports.

Communications-

No communications.

Financial report-

Lise brought a copy of our latest bank statement including our deposits for membership dues.

New Business-

Austin Sewing Machine at I-35 in Round Rock is willing to host a sit and smock.  We will need to give them advanced notice.  Possible we could do it on a third Saturday in the afternoon to coordinate with their fabric sales.  March and April are already booked so possibly May.

Show and Share-

Mary smocked white dress with orange smocking and with sweet little flowers that was a “ready-to-smock” for a friend.  She used an Ellen McCarn pattern named Amy.

Patty brought in counter change pastel smocked Easter eggs.

Lise shared that Alex is changing name and gender legally next month through UT Legal Aid.  Getting ready for a production of Me and My Girl including 28 aprons.  She also shared about the quilting show UFO challenge.

Door Prize-

Patty won the door prize.  It included needles and a big button.

Program-

Fun with Fagoting by Dawn Roda that is presented by Mary

We are continuing the embroidery 'fagoting' class.  Mary provided instructions and two pages to attach samples that we stitch.  This month we practiced attaching bias tape strip and baby rickrack, bias tape and lace, and piping and bias tape.

January 2017 - Hill Country Smocking Guild Meeting

Hill Country Smocking Guild 

January 2017 meeting

Call to order-

Called to order 7:05.

Minutes from last month will be available shortly.  We reviewed the notes from last month.

Lise will provide a financial statement.

We discussed that we need to file paperwork with SAGA so the we can file our non-profit paperwork with the IRS.

Committee reports-

We are in communication with the Stitch Lab about the March Stitch In

Wee Care- Helen purchased kits in New Orleans for Wee Care

Communications-

Sharon Kite is in Forney, Texas visiting her daughter and attending the JROTC ball with her grandson.

Marcy is doing well after her surgery.

Old business- dues are due

Mary is going to deposit dues for Lise.

New Business-

No new business

Show and Share-

Helen brought an ornament that she created in New Orleans.  It is a great example of fagoting.  The ball has lace and fagoting over green dupioni silk.  She has permission from the creator to teach our chapter if we are interested.  She also brought the original design badge from her chapter in New Orleans.  Helen brought a smocked goldfish. She brought kits for a future program.  Helen says that they are quick and easy and that we could do them in a one day sewing day.  Helen brought a counter change outfit and pre-smocked dresses.  She also brought Raggedy Ann and Andy cotton fabric as a give away.

Melissa brought Australian magazines from Austin Creative Reuse and brought Eloise’s Christmas dress that was a ready to smock gingham.

Mary brought a colorful smocked bib made in fabric from Stitch Lab with a fagoted edge.

She showed us how you can attach your project to a brown paper bag while you work on it.

Door Prize-

Roberta won the door prize.  It was a super cute iron tea towel and

Program-

Fun with Fagoting by Dawn Roda that is presented by Mary

She provided a booklet and told us about different types of threads that you could use.

Think about sturdier threads.  We will use Perle 8 cotton, tatting thread, and embroidery floss.

Mary provided bias tape that is three or four inches.  We tape them to the sample page using scotch tape.  Leaving about ¼ of an inch along the bottom closest to the bar.

You can adjust the spaces between the stitches according to the project.

Take a small bite alternating left and right between the lines for example all your right stitches will be on the line and all of your left stitches will be in between the marks.

November 2016 - Hill Country Smocking Guild

Hill Country Smocking Guild - November 2016

Call to Order-

Called to order at 7:16 pm

Committee Reports-

Kim told us about convention.

Toni told us about the Quilt Show in Houston

Old Business-

Local dues in January $20.  National dues can be paid online and are $35.

New Business-

Christmas Party 3-7 pm December 11th.  There will be heavy hors d'oeuvre and desserts. There is a $15 limit for the stash present.  Husbands are welcome to come.

Demo Day at Stitch Lab-  We will have members with sample pieces that they are working on.  Think about making a piece in their fabric.  Bring examples of a variety of smocked items.  Be ready to commit in January.  Ask Deanna about thread waxers and cards.  Possibly have favors.  We will have a Wee Care Display.  Melissa will check with Deanna about favors and check on name tags.

Show and Share-

Melissa brought back the baby from last month with an heirloom dress.

Eloise brought the leopard she made with accessories.

Lisa brought her son’s Alexander Hamilton costume that she made from a pattern from colonial Williamsburg.  She also brought a quilt square made from laser cut fabric, red satin fabric with black lace cut out, and a laser cut quilt piece kit.

Door Prize-

The door prize was won by Helen.  It was a small vacuum and a wooden spool of ribbon.  There is a new bag.

Program-

Mary has been leading our program over the last few months which has included a refresher on basic smocking stitches from a pattern.  We will finish a travel case today that could be made with heirloom lace.  Mary added the smocked panel.  She omitted the batting on the pockets.  Make sure to flip the pocket after you’ve sewn it together.  In the pockets, you could place a small Olfa cutting board and a small rotary cutter.  There is also a place for a small ruler.  Helen brought a press perfect from Clover.  Mary used a quarter to make rounded corners.  She also used a bamboo point turner.  Mary spent more time smocking the insert than sewing the body of the travel case.