Posted January 15, 2025 from Debbie Morgan

For ASG members only …

Among the many benefits of being an ASG member are their National Neighborhood Group (NNG) Zoom meetings. And the first one of 2025 was lively and jam packed with tips and tricks to take our sewing up a notch – whether you’re a quilter or garment maker or both. Author, designer, freelance sewing educator, and ASG member for over 30 years, Joanne Banko from Let's Go Sew! presented Sew With Your Feet: Easy Embellishments Made Possible with Accessory Feet. The meeting happened on January 7, but its replay is up on the ASG website until January 25. Gab a beverage and put up your feet – it’s two hours of fun!

The next Zoom meeting is part of ASG’s Sustainable Series posts, and it will happen on January 30. Mira Musank, textile upcycling artist from Fafafoom Studio will share her expertise on extending the life of reclaimed textiles through creative reuse and upcycling. Check your email for a notice and link to that Zoom meeting.

Why Fridays are the best day of week … That’s when we receive National’s weekly Notions email filled with how-to blog posts, news from chapters across the country, and more!  Check out the latest one and find a link to Mood’s Free Pattern page, a blog on how to turn a trusty-but-outdated jean jacket into a “patched masterpiece,” and a host of New Year’s sewing resolutions – do any sound familiar?!

Housekeeping Note: ASG’s massive Policies and Procedures Manual for ASG Chapters is now on our website. The manual is a great reference for finding everything from ASG history and legal and tax structures of ASG to benefits of membership, financial policies, and individual chapter responsibilities.

In addition, you will find updated leadership guidelines for several CAB positions. The P&P manual devotes an entire section to Chapter Advisory Board Committee Leader responsibilities, including those for all CAB appointed positions: Communications, Community Service, Membership, Neighborhood Group, Newsletter, Publicity, Retail Liaison, Special Events and Website. If you are interested in joining CAB, the manual and guidelines are the place to go to start reviewing what the responsibilities will be. We would love to have you join us! The documents are also available on the national website at www.asg.org on the Members Only page.

Oops – date correction: Many thanks to the several members who kindly pointed out my mistake in our January list of neighborhood groups. The meeting date was incorrect. Here’s the correction: Friday, January 31 – Let’s Sew Clothes NG, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Peace Lutheran Church, 4900 Fairfield Ave., Fort Wayne, IN.  Bring lunch or there are restaurants nearby. If you are new to the group, please contact Debbie Morgan, leader, for church entry instructions and information. (d.morgan5609@comcast.net)

Community Sewing reaps teddy bears for kids!

Our new Sew Inclined Neighborhood Group spent their first meeting of the year making cuddly teddy bears for Project Linus and other agencies that care for children in extreme stress situations. We left the floor of the UAW Local 2209 Hall with a bit of ‘minky dust’ but we were assured they didn’t mind! Find additional pictures of these ladies and others on our Facebook page. 

Events coming up fast … Join us!

Annual Mystery Quilt – Saturday, February, 8 step-by-step instructions will be posted hourly on our website, our Facebook and YouTube sites. Find fabric requirements, cutting instructions, and examples of past Mystery Quilts on our website. Questions? Contact Marilyn Morgan, president (mnmsews@gmail.com) or Lisa Merkle, Mystery Quilt Chair (mommamerkle@hotmail.com ).

Sewing, Quilting, Crafting Daytime Retreat, sponsored by Sew Creative, Van Wert NG,
February 19-21 at the Middle Point Community Building at the Ballpark. All members are welcome,
but space is limited. Find information on our website.

Find information here:

Website: www.asgfortwayne.org

Facebook: American Sewing Guild Fort Wayne IN Chapter

YouTube:  (1399) ASG Ft Wayne - YouTube

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Do you have a sewing tip to share or want to place an ‘ad’ for our members? Send it to Debbie Morgan, at d.morgan5609@comcast.net. I’ll be happy to add it to upcoming Snippets. Hugs!

Posted January 3, 2025 from Debbie Morgan

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Get ready to solve the ‘mystery’ …

The holidays are over and now we can have some sewing fun! It’s time to get ready for our popular Annual Mystery Quilt event! Last year’s beautiful Mystery Quilt is pictured at right. This year choose to make the 100 1/2" x 100 1/2"quilt or 40" x 40" wall hanging. On our website you’ll find the fabric requirements, cutting instructions and even a link to our Chapter YouTube channel where we have a video of Mystery Quilt Leader Lisa Merkle giving you hints to make sure you will love your fabric choices when it’s finished. Find our website at: www.asgfortwayne.org.

Beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, February 8, we will post hourly step-by-step instructions on assembling the quilt top. We take a break for lunch so chow down or catch up! The big reveal will take place later that afternoon. Find each step posted on our website and on our Facebook page: American Sewing Guild Fort Wayne IN Chapter.

Join us! Sew at home or 'solve the mystery' together with friends! A highlight of our event comes in October when we bring the quilt tops - finished or maybe not - to our Annual Meeting for an inspiring and captivating Show & Tell.

PLEASE NOTE: The fabric requirements for the wall hanging have been revised. Please see the revisions attached to this email, or go to our website at www.asgfortwayne.org and click on Mystery Quilt in the Events tab.

Snippet New Gadget Find! 

     I saw this in the just released Spring 2025 edition of Quilter’s World magazine – Clover has a new take on one of the most used notions in my sewing room. It’s the Grip Fit Seam Ripper. It features a sharp thread cutter at one end and a textured tip at the other end to grab and brush away those annoying little unwanted threads left behind. Plus, its handle is ergonomic. I haven’t seen it at JoAnn Fabrics yet but it is for sale on the Clover website at: Grip Fit Seam Ripper – Clover Needlecraft, Inc. Clover has also introduced a Grip Fit Triple Tracing Wheel that features self-storage of a third wheel in its ergonomic handle. All this and Wonder Pins, too. Yes!

Side note: This issue of Quilter’s World has 17 designs including a unique take on a kaleidoscope quilt and directions for making eight-at-a-time half-square triangles for the ‘Heart Blooms’ quilt that is perfect for Valentine’s Day snuggling. I’m going to tackle the One-Fabric Table Runner that uses one yard of ombre fabric. Too cute. Find it on newsstands and at JoAnn soon!

National ASG Survey Results

This past Fall National ASG emailed a survey to all members and received over 1,700 responses to their three topics of interest. Maybe you were one of them! Here are the results provided by our president, Marilyn Morgan. A couple may surprise you.  Thanks, Marilyn!

1.      Survey results from over 1,700 responders on 3 topics of interest:

a.       63% identify as a Garment Sewer, 22% as a Quilter, 15% as neither

b.      Potential class offerings with the highest interest: Garment, techniques & fit related topics:

                                                              i.      70% interested in a speaker series from industry professionals.

                                                            ii.      60% interested in virtual hands-on classes.

                                                          iii.      75% interested in an ongoing series class (4 – 8 weeks)

c.       Attending virtual retreats: 50% interested, 50% not

VAN WERT NG RETREAT REMINDER:

Sewing, Quilting, Crafting Daytime Retreat, sponsored by Sew Creative, Van Wert NG will be held February 19-21 at the Middle Point Community Building at the Ballpark. This is a very popular, fun event the NG holds twice a year. Set up begins at 8:30 Wednesday, Feb. 19 with sewing beginning at 10 a.m. Doors open again at 9 a.m. each day. Cost is $40 for all three days. Find the registration form with further information on our website at: www.asgfortwayne.org. All members are welcome, but space is limited.

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Do you have a sewing tip to share or want to place an ‘ad’ for our members? Send it to Debbie Morgan, at d.morgan5609@comcast.net. I’ll be happy to add it to upcoming Snippets. Hugs!

Posted October 15, 2024 from Debbie Morgan

Ready, set, go! We’re celebrating another great year of sewing together—and we’re going to have a blast doing it at our Annual Meeting on Monday, Oct. 28. There’s still time to get your registration in but don’t wait too long, deadline is Monday, Oct. 21. Here’s a recap of the fun in store for us this year:

· Guest speakers will be Nicole DeCamp, Fort Wayne designer for Benartex and our own Nancy
DiNovo, seamstress who makes her samples. Don’t miss their talk and trunk show. Plus everyone gets a fat quarter from Benartex to take home!

· Take a look at what we’ve done this year! Each neighborhood group will have a table to display their sewing projects, plus we’ll have tables for projects made from fabric finds at the Wabash Shop Hop and Road Trip to Field’s Fabrics in Kalamazoo, MI; and from projects you made at special events
including the HoopSisters event, Christmas in July and National Jelly Roll Day. Bring yours and
inspire us!

· It wouldn’t be our Annual Meeting without a look at finished-or-not-quite-yet Mystery Quilts! Be sure to bring yours to show us!

· Lunch with dessert, election of officers and door prizes!

2024 Annual Meeting & Election of Officers

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28

UAW Local 2209 Union Hall, 5820 East 900 North, Roanoke (near the GM Plant), Fort Wayne.

$20 members / $25 non-members

Registration deadline is Monday, Oct. 21. Find the registration form on our website at: www.asgfortwayne.org

Questions? Contact Julie Harber, special events chair, at: julharb2020@gmail.com

Jelly Roll Day Sew-In Fun … Recap by Julie Harber

Our Chapter celebrated National Sew a Jelly Roll Day in a big way with 18 of our members participating in a 6-hour sew-in at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Convoy, Ohio.  When it comes to sewing together
2-1/2 inch fabric strips, the sky's the limit as far as the type of project you can make.  The variety of
projects our members worked on included table runners, throws, quilts, a wall hanging, pillow covers, a tote bag, a Christmas tree skirt, and even a basket.  Be sure to check out our Chapter's Facebook page to see the fun!  Thanks to Jean Dickman and Lisa Merkle for helping me plan this event! Hope to see you at this sew-in next year! 

Snippet Sewing Tip for Today!  From Kathy Stemen

For those of us learning Embrilliance Essentials embroidery software, the best way to find a quick answer is to ask Google very specific questions such as "How do I delete a partial set of stitches within a project?” I found answers to three of my harder questions that way instead of watching video after video.                   

      Thanks, Kathy!

 Email your sewing tip to me at d.morgan5609@comcast.net  

Posted October 11, 2024 from Debbie Morgan

  Annual Meeting deadline

   to register is October 21

   The year is winding down and that means it’s time to celebrate with our sewing friends as we get together for our Annual Meeting from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28 at UAW Local 2209 Union Hall, 5820 East 900 North, Roanoke (near the GM Plant). Fort Wayne artist Nicole DeCamp, who designs fabric for Benartex, and our own Nancy DiNovo, who selects and develops patterns for sewing and quilting samples for Nicole’s
collections, will kick off the fun with their trunk show and talk.

   Then members will take centerstage! See what neighborhood groups have been doing this year. And, we want to see what you’ve been doing, too! We’ll have tables for projects you have made—finished or not– from our special events: Mystery Quilt, HoopSisters Event, Wabash Expo, Road Trip to Field’s Fabrics in Kalamazoo, MI, Christmas in July and National Jelly Roll Day Sew-In.

    All this and a hearty luncheon featuring Chicken Casserole, Salads, Breads and dessert from Morgan’s Tap & Grill in Waynedale. Lest we forget—we’ll also hold our business meeting and election officers after lunch and round out the day with fun door prizes.

   Cost is $20 for members and $25 for non-members. Registration deadline is Monday, Oct. 21. Find registration forms on our website at www.asgfortwayne.org.

Questions? Drop a line to Julie Harber, special events chair, at: julharb2020@gmail.com

Posted August 11, 2024 from Debbie Morgan

Reminder

Sign up is now in progress for our Chapter’s annual Car Trip to Field’s Fabrics in Kalamazoo, MI. Departure is from JoAnn Fabrics in Fort Wayne at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 20. Cost is $7 to be given to the driver(s) to cover the cost of gas. No cost to the driver. Optional side trips include Quilts Plus, Pink Lady Quilts and/or Fabrications. Contact Special Events Chair Julie Harber at julharb2020@gmail.com.

Still seats available …

Grab a friend and get away for a day!  It’s the annual bus excursion to the American Quilters Society Quilt Show in Grand Rapids, MI hosted by Carolyn and Kathy (The Bus Goddess) on Wednesday, Aug. 21. The bus leaves at 7 a.m. from Meijer’s on Lima Road, Fort Wayne and at 7:20 a.m. from Auburn’s Walmart. Cost is $86 a person and includes show admission ticket, on-board pastries, bottled water, snacks and giveaways. Dinner stop on the way home is at your cost. It’s coming up fast so contact Kathy Norris at 490-9097 or kathy2126@frontier.com to get your seat reserved. I’ll see you on the bus – I love this show. There are always beautiful quilts to take your breath away, the vendor shopping area is packed with goodies, and you’ll find me at a make-it, take-it table or two trying my hand at something new. Fun!

Working too hard to get a clean cut through the fabric?

When it’s time to get dull sewing shears sharpened, check out Blademan’s Knife Shop located at the Shoppes at Scott Road in Southwest Fort Wayne at the corner of Scott and Illinois roads. Locally owned by long-time knife enthusiast and collector Mark Grimme and his wife, it’s a fun place to visit – and get a cup of coffee, too. Mark had my Pfaff scissors sharpened by the next day. These oldies are like – or maybe better – than when they were new. Check out the website at: www.blademanknifeshop.com and see all the knives he sells – and sharpens. He’s a master at his craft.

Free gowns for repurposing …

We received the following email through our website contact port. If you are interested, please contact Cathy Falk at cathyfalk@juno.com. And be sure to share your project ‘before and after’ to inspire us! Here’s the email from Cathy:

I volunteer at a wedding boutique that sells next-to-new wedding dresses, From This Day Forward, in Fort Wayne.  They have an abundance of dresses that are out of date and need to be repurposed.  I read that you aren't accepting wedding gowns at this time but wondered if you might entertain other sewing projects. There are 40-50 gowns that need new homes.  Many different items could be made from the disassembled wedding gowns, things like a dress for the flower girl, satin robes, baptism or Christening gowns, first communion dresses, Christmas tree skirts, toss pillows. teddy bears, doll clothes. It would be a shame to let all that beautiful fabric go to waste.  These gowns are free to anyone who can put them to good use.  Would any of your members be interested in having a few?

Thank you for your consideration,
Cathy Falk, Volunteer
From This Day Forward