Christmas Season Celebration

Happy Holidays!

Hill Country Smocking Guild members are invited to enjoy and celebrate the season together at Deanna's lovely home on Sunday, December 6th, 4-8 pm.

Information has been emailed to members. 

Supper will be a pot luck. Feel free to bring your favorite dish - sweet or savory.

Dress is casual.

Part of our tradition has been a 'stash/gift swap'. We suggest choosing items from your stash worth up to $15; or if you can't part with anything,  a gift worth up to $15. This is an optional fun activity. In the past guest have shared books, patterns, fabric, and lace. To participate, just bring your swap wrapped in a brown paper bag. 

This will also be a great opportunity to get help with any special project! If you have questions or problems or issues (sewing wise) someone will have suggestions.

If you have questions, please email
Mary - mscrudder at austin.rr.com
Deanna - dmhein at verizon.net

November 2015 Meeting

Hill Country Smocking Guild Meeting MinutesNovember 2015

On Monday, November 16,2015, the Hill Country Smocking Guild commenced its meeting at 7:10.

Deanna H. honored the new officers with a red rose flower with baby's breath and a dish towel engraved with the new officers initials.

The agenda consisted of:

Dues for Saga were due in January and a printed form was going to be handed out at the Christmas party.  A refund  for $30.00  from wee care for over payment.

A member reached out to the membership, requesting someone to create a ready made for smocking garments. Please respond to Lillian M. or contact Mary Scrudder for more information.

Show and Share:

Deanna brought some little dresses, red jacket and small boys suit.

Sharon brought some throw quilts that she made for her family.

Elissa brought a pantsuit and a dress.  The items were all very pretty and we all enjoyed the ladies sharing them with us.

Program:

Mary on her second month of teaching us how to make a smocked ball ornament, continued with suggestions on finishing the ornament top and bottom. The program concluded.  

Meeting adjourned at 9 p.m. 

October 2015 Meeting

Hill Country Smocking Guild Meeting Minutes October 19, 2015

Members in Attendance:
Monica Kit         Elissa
Virginia DeAnna         Marcy
Roberta Deana Melissa A
Lise        Mary        Toni
Kim

Guest Present:
Mickie C.
Brenda B.
Suzanne B.
Sherry S.
Eloise A.

Reports:
The minutes for the September meeting and the financial report were accepted
as presented.

Elections:
The current slate of officers for November 2015 through October 2016 was
presented:

President: Patty B.
Vice President:
Secretary: Toni Z.
Treasurer:  Lise W.

Mary S. was nominated to be Vice President and accepted the nomination.

Deana moved, and Toni seconded, that the slate of officers be elected by acclamation.  The motion passed unanimously.

Audit Committee:
Mary asked for volunteers for the Audit committee.  Deana and Toni volunteered.

December meeting/Christmas party:
DeAnna will host the annual Christmas party again this year. The party will be on Saturday, December 5, from 4-8 PM.  We will do a stash swap/gift exchange as in past year.  The price limit will be $15. The swap is tentatively scheduled for 6:30 PM.

Door Prize:
Virginia won the door prize, a jewelry box.

Show and Share:
.Lise will be taking a Carol Ahles class on blind and narrow hems at the Houston Quilt Show
.Toni brought an appliqued table centerpiece that is about ready to be quilted.
.Deana announced that she has moved her long arm quilting frame and that it would be set up shortly.  She is the only person with 14 foot poles on her long arm machine in Austin. She also showed us her completed needlepoint that she has been bringing to meetings.
.DeAnna brought one pair of baby socks that she had crocheted edging around the cuff.  She also brought a red and cream jacket that she had made from hand towels.  She had fussy cut the towels so that the snowflake applique positioned as she wished.
.Eloise brought a stuffed owl she had made at Stitch Lab
.Sherry brought the zebra costume she had made, and passed around the fabrics for the princess costume she is working on.
.Brenda showed a photo of the Olaf the Penguin costume she had completed and noted that the other grandchild will be wearing an Elsa costume. She also brought a beaded rope necklace of green beads.
.Virginia showed us her phone cover with a picture of the first
granddaughter in 70 years on it, and the elephant pillow she had embroidered her grandson's name on - the elephant cover comes off the pillow so that it can be washed as necessary.

Program:
Tonight's program was a Christmas ornament that is constructed with the Styrofoam ball already inside the ornament. The goal was to leave tonight with the ornament assembled and ready to begin smocking.  Next month we will
learn about the finishing of the ornament.

Respectfully submitted by:

Lise W.
Secretary
Hill Country Smocking Guild

September 2015 Meeting

Items to bring for the October/November program:

 The October / November program is a
                 smocked ornament. 

This ornament technique fits pleated fabric on
a styrofoam ball, and then completes with
decorative smocking and embellishments. 

Kits are limited and will be available in October.
There is no cost to members for the kit;
visitors/guest are asked for a $5 donation. 

The kits do not contain everything needed.
For the Oct. meeting please bring: 

Supplies needed for the October meeting:

· Embroidery scissors

· Hand sewing needles (large enough to
        handle threads, small
        enough for the beads)

· 1, 2, or 3 colors / shades of floss or
        thread to smock ornament.
        Appropriate threads: DMC, Floche,
        Silk  (You will smock
        with 1 or 2 threads at a time.) 

· Seed Beads / pearls for ornament
        (optional) Suggested: Mill Hill glass
        beads or jewelry quality beads. 

Size 11/0 (larger) or 15/0 (smaller).
        The hole in the bead must
        be able to accommodate the threads
        and needle

· 2 flat buttons 1 inch in diameter

For the November meeting:

· Finishing for top and bottom of
        ornament:
        1) Silk / satin ribbon -
             5/8 inch by 20 inches

2) Optional beads or crystals to
             ornament the top and bottom
             finials (must fit on jewelry pins).

------------------------------------------------------------------

Hill Country Smocking Guild

September 21, 2015

Minutes

DeAnna called the meeting to order at 7:15 PM.

Members present:

Kim                        Marcy                   Patty

Mary                     Deana                   DeAnna

Lise                        Toni                       Sharon

Melissa A             Elissa                     Virginia

Guests present: Suzanne B., Lillian M., and Eloise A..

Deana T. and Lillian M. have both joined the group. Welcome to both of you.

The August minutes and the treasurer’s report were accepted as presented.

Old business:

The nominating committee will email everyone their report.  Elections will be held at the October meeting and the new officers will take office in November.

Many members chipped in a bit of money to help bring tonight’s trunk show in.  The group voted to return the deposit on the trunk show to the group treasury.

Mary reviewed the project for October and November in more details.  For beading needles, Deana recommended #11 milliners needles, and will bring some next month.  Lise and Marcy also spoke highly of John James #10 tapestry (blunt point) beading needles.

Door Prize:

Lise won the door prize – a project bag with 15 zippered clear pouches for threads made by The Paper Studio, and a pair of Itty Bitty Scissors.

Show and Share:

Toni – brought 22 wee care blankets in 16 and 18 inch square sizes, and a length of crochet that she has been working at since 1972 that will become become part of a dust ruffle for her bed.

Deana  brought a Christening gown made for her family.  The armholes are too small for her child, so she asked for suggestions on altering the gown.  She also recommended either blue Dawn dishwashing liquid or an enzyme cleaner called Totally Toddler for removing stains. She also showed the progress she has been making on her needlepoint.

Elissa  brought a dress made from the Children’s Corner pattern Jane in navy and white chevron with a contrast red and and white polka dot band on the bottom and matching ribbon in the neck.  She had monogrammed the band. She also reported that she had duplicated the flower girl dress pattern from her brother’s wedding for his daughter to wear.

Marcy did not bring any projects but was receiving videos of her grandbaby’s first steps.

Virginia  explained that she had started squeezing her tomato pin cushion and had removed 130 needles from it (including two sewing machine needles!). 

She also brought two pink day gowns, two sacque gowns and a pair of pink booties that she had made.

Melissa showed off her new dress, which was knit stripes, and all the stripes matched at the side seams.  Her daughter Eloise showed off the skirt, sachet, and blanket she had made at the stitching studio.

Patty showed a pair of earrings she had made – her back has been bothering her so hunching over the sewing machine was not an option at the present time.

Sharon said that she had been working on a quilt and wall hanging.

Lise said that she has been doing a lot of hand quilting on a quilt that is in her frame, and has started a wearable art jacket with a Viking long ship on the back.

Tonight’s program – viewing the SAGA Wee Care trunk show.

Respectfully submitted by

Lise W.

Secretary

Hill Country Smocking Guild

August 2015 Meeting

Hill Country Smocking Guild

August 17, 2015

Meeting Minutes

 

Feather Stitch

Present:

Kim                 Lise                 Melissa B.

Deanna            Mary                Monica

Toni                 Dot                  Melissa A.

Patty               Kit

Guests: Charlotte, a friend of Monica's

Visitor: Deana T.

The minutes from the May meeting and the financial report were accepted as presented.

Old Business - The Nominating Committee report was postponed until the September meeting.

New Business - Mary showed a model of the project for the October and November meeting project and handed out a supply list for the project.  The project is an ornament that fits pleated fabric on a Styrofoam ball, and then completes the decorative smocking and embellishments.

The door prize of making button jewelry was won

by Melissa A.

Show and Share:

Kit missed the May meeting because she was in Turkey, but she brought an assortment of ceramic thimbles and let everyone pick one.

Charlotte showed us the Christening dress and hat she had made.

Patty shared pictures of the completed first communion dress she had been working on earlier in the spring.

Lise described attending the first annual Sassy Southern Sewing event in San Marcos.  She brought the works in progress from her three classes - a broderie anglais piece taught by Susan O'Connor of Inspirations magazine,

and peg pocket dress and an heirloom dress with pleated front insets, both taught by Trisha Smith Owen of Children's Corner.

Melissa A brought one Wee Care bonnet she had completed, and announced that Stitch Lab is now carrying Imperial batiste.

Mary announced that she had gotten all the light fixtures in her house down and scrubbed them.

Deana showed the needlepoint piece she was working on.

Deanna brought the quilt that her brother had bought the kit for and that she and her brother made together for his grandson.  She also brought a romper made out of the Jeffery pattern with a base fabric with tools on it,

and a smocked insert with tools; and in honor of back to school season, a plaid dress with a smocked insert that said "a b c  1 2 3"

Melissa A brought a book on button jewelry and a lipstick needle holder she had found.

The program was a notebook project reviewing variations on feather stitching.

Respectfully submitted,

Lise W.

Secretary

Hill Country Smocking Guild

Next meeting will be Monday, August 17th.

Enjoy a 'smocking' good summer!

May 2015 Meeting

Hill Country Smocking Guild

Meeting Minutes

May 18, 2015

Deanna called the meeting to order at 7:15 PM.

Members present:  Toni, Mary, Virginia, Dot, DeAnna, Melissa A, Elissa,
Roberta, Lise, Kim, Melissa B, and Marcy

Guest present: Jenny/Ginny (?) - friend of DeAnna's from North Carolina

The minutes were approved with one noted correction by Elissa - the  fabric in the garment is Austrian cashmere cotton.

The financial report was approved as presented.

New Business - 
1) Melissa A, Elissa, and Dot agreed to serve as the nominating committee.
2) We received enough donations to cover shipping to bring in the SAGA Wee Care trunk show for our September meeting.
3) Dot can host a Wee Care workshop in late July
4) Marcy offered to host a Wee Care workshop/stitch in (hand sewing only) on Sunday, June 7, from 1:30 - 4:30 PM.

DeAnna won the door prize - a magnetic bar that opens to hold one end of a strip of fabric so before is it rolled around the bar and fed intor the pleater.

Show and Share:
1) Kim brought a bonnet she had finished and showed the prayer shawl she is knitting.
2) Melissa A brought two knit fabric skirt she had made - one had 3 ruffles attached, and the other had built in knit shorts and used the shorts fabric as the waist band for the joined garments.
3) Mary brought two examples of the ornament we will be working on as a two part workshop in October and November.  These ornaments are stitched with the fabric on the Styrofoam ball.

The monthly program was the annual member-to-member shopping spree.  Thanks to those who brought things and those who bought things.

Remember that there will be no formal meetings in June or July.  See you at a Wee Care workshop or at the August meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Lise Waring
Secretary
Hill Country Smocking Guild