The topic for the Sewphisticuts in our March meeting was Fabric Manipulation. Several of us tried pleating, tucking, or poufing fabric in various ways for different effects. We also experimented with felting wool and new ways of binding edges, with varying degrees of success. Whether you view less-than-hoped-for results as "happy accidents" or outright failures, you still learn something from that attempt. So we shared some of our non-successes as cheerfully as our successful attempts.
Maura brought a sample of plaid fabric that was pleated and sewn so as to make a more solid-colored fabric, imitating a technique she saw on a vintage dress in a show at the Metroplitan Museum of Art several years ago in which a purple and white striped fabric was pleated to appear as solid purple.
She also experimented with felting, repeatedly washing and drying some wool swatches. Since they were woven wool, and only washed 3 times, there wasn't much change. But the lesson she took from this was that woven woolens could be safely preshrunk in a home washer.
Connie had a frustrating experience trying a new technique to attach binding to her table runner. She found it made mitered corners lumpier, so her lesson was that a new technique isn't always better than the old way. This runner was also her show-and-tell, the first paper-pieced project she had done.
Pat tried a method for tucking squares of fabric so that poufs formed in the center of the square. Buttons were fastened in the center and the squares then could be sewn together for various decorative uses on purses, tote bags, quilts, etc.
Peggy investigated tucking and pleating, as well as using strips of fabric (similar to binding) in a woven pattern. Some of the techniques had potential as insets in clothing (yokes, epaulets) or as decorative elements for bags, we thought.
In other business, we began to think about Make A Difference Day. Connie agreed to reach out to a contact at Hudson River Housing to see what their needs might be. By the next meeting we hope to have some ideas for a project for October. Also next month we will have a presentation from Peggy and Maura on two different methods for sewing stained-glass quilt blocks.
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| Oven mitts |
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And of course we had some show-and-tell:
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| Bag made from vintage tablecloth |
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| Easter basket |
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| Pat's bed runner |
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| Connie's quilt |
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| Another quilt from Connie |
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| Collapsible waste can for sewing |
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| Hot pads |
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| Peggy's shirt |
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| Flowing blouse from Peggy |
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