January 2025: Anne Whalley, the Pattern Whisperer

We are thrilled to welcome Anne Whalley to the Guild in January for a talk on Personal Style, Pattern Choices, and Sewing Plans. This will be a hybrid meeting, with Anne zooming in to us from Australia -- but we will meet in person and have our regular meeting and Sew & Tell afterward. 

Anne is an expert on personal style and wardrobe planning, especially from the perspective of the home sewist. She will provide guidance on ways to identify our own style, and how to match this up with sewing patterns and fabric to maximize our efforts in the sewing room. Don't waste time and effort -- learn what will suit you before you sew! 

Tuesday January 14, 2025, 7 pm

River Gardens Retirement Residence, Celebration Room

10 Romeo St N., Stratford ON

ALL WELCOME! Non-members $5 at the door

 

December Meeting: Holiday Social!

Our December meeting is coming quickly! On Tuesday Dec. 10, 7 pm, we have our holiday get together, with Potluck and Penny Auction 🙂 

This means, please bring some finger food with you (we do not have places to heat things up so make it buffet style).

Bring along a small gift (unwrapped) of something nice that you might like to receive (not expensive). It doesn't have to be sewing related - wine is always a hit 😉 We will be putting all the gifts out on a table and you can buy 10 tickets for $5 and put a ticket in each bag for the gift you would like to win. You can buy as many tickets as you like!

We will have a short business meeting, our regular Sew & Tell, and our 50-50, and then enjoy some socializing, snacking, and auctioning. Everyone welcome, guests too, $5 at the door.

November Meeting: Sewing With Boning

 

We are excited to welcome local sewing star Linda Sparks of Farthingales Corset Making Supplies to our November meeting! Linda is an expert in the area of historical and corset sewing, with a business that has been supplying sewists since 1998.

What Linda doesn't know about boning isn't worth knowing! She'll be sharing lots of information with us on all aspects of boning - from which type is the best for your project, how to use various types, tools and techniques you might need and more - and this is not just about corsets. Boning can be helpful in many sewing situations, and Linda will share how boning can be incorporated in your contemporary sewing projects to make them the best they can be. 

Join us on Tuesday Nov. 12, 2024 at 7 pm for her presentation and our regular Sew & Tell time. We meet at the River Gardens Retirement Residence, Celebration Room at 10 Romeo St. N. (please remember to sign in and out at the entrance). 

Everyone is welcome - if you aren't yet a member, drop-ins are $5 at the door. 

October Meeting!

Our next meeting is next week!! Join us for an introduction to Projector Sewing, by our very own Laura Van Niejenhuis Have you ever been curious about how in the world projector sewing works? Come on out and find out more!

Topics covered will include:

Selecting a projector for your space, high ceiling not required!
Basic setup
Calibration - 2 methods with patternprojector.com or pdf viewer of your choice
Quick demo of pattern editing, making alterations and digitizing patterns

Don't forget your toonie for the 50-50 and your Sew & Tell items!

Tuesday, Oct 8, 7 pm

River Garden Retirement Residence, Celebration Room

10 Romeo St N.

ALL WELCOME, VISITORS $5 AT THE DOOR.

September & our new season begins!

September is coming! And that means our new season for the Garment Guild is about to begin. We are starting off our new season with Cheryl Simpson, a local artist and founding member of the Feline Friends Network.

Cheryl will give us a trunk show of her painted wardrobe: from jeans to tees to sweatshirts and more, she decorates her outfits with beautiful paintings, many of them cats! She will also be sharing her tips and techniques for using paints on fabric when you're embellishing things that will be washed. There will be a demo table so that we can all try our hand at the techniques she'll be sharing as well. Looking forward to seeing you all back at the Garment Guild!

*********************************

Tuesday Sept 10, 7-9 pm

River Gardens Retirement Community, Celebration Room

(10 Romeo St N)

Parking at the corner of Romeo & Delamere.

If you haven't renewed your membership yet, you can do so online or in person

New Season Coming Up!

And it's time to think about your membership for the next season!

Membership fees are $40/year, or a $5 drop-in fee for individual meetings. We will be continuing to meet at River Gardens Retirement Community, in the Celebration Room, every 2nd Tuesday of the month from 7-9. Membership forms can be downloaded here on the website 

There are two options for membership applications:

1. Online -- Download the form, fill it out & save it, then send it to membershipsgg@gmail.com. Send an email to the same address with an e-transfer for the $40 membership fee. Please note your name in the messages field so we can be sure we get you matched up with your membership fees!

2. In Person -- Download the form, fill it out and print it, and bring it along with your application fee of $40 to your first meeting.

What do membership fees pay for?

Your membership fee allows us to pay for our meeting space, invite special guest speakers, and put on special events throughout the year. Funds collected through membership fees may also be used towards things that help us make meetings better for you; such as website costs, supplies or snacks.

We have lots of fun ideas lined up, and also look forward to all our members' input on speakers and activities.

June Meeting: Pattern Grading with Talia Bogdan

 

We have a special guest this month! Join us on Tuesday June 11, 7 pm, for a deep dive on pattern grading as Talia Bogdan from KW walks us through industry techniques and how to grade your own pattern pieces!

Talia is a multidisciplinary artist who has been sharing her creative journey with the world for over 20 years. Her love of sewing began when she was gifted a sewing machine for her 16th birthday and she’s been sewing up a storm ever since. Known for her creative problem solving and attention to detail, Talia is an International Costumer’s Guild recognized Master and holds several awards for her sewing, patterning, design, and prop making skills. She actively participates in the wider Costumer and Maker communities and loves sharing her knowledge and projects on her YouTube channel. She is a full time artist and is the sole creator behind Sweet Kiwi & Co, her small business that specialises in cute handmade home decor items. You can also find her on IG as @miss_atheeni