November 2025 – Holiday gift ideas and annual meeting
November is time to create gifts for our loved ones and this meeting gave us lots of ideas.
All the fun stuff we do at our monthly chapter meetings in Cedar Rapids.
November is time to create gifts for our loved ones and this meeting gave us lots of ideas.
We learned how to make handbags from one of our own, Deb Cannon.
Making clothes using ready to wear as the pattern was the program topic.
Sarah loves to do hand sewing. She was laid up for an extended time and found hand stitching was a way to be creative when she could not get to her machine. Her use of large stitches are very reminiscent of Sashiko stitching. The projects were amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them up close…
Our honorary member Alex walked us through her system of approaching pattern alterations. From comparing pattern and body measurements, to adjusting the pattern before cutting it out in muslin, to refining the fit in 3D, Alex talked about her experiences with various fitting approaches and how to choose what works best for each of us….
All about taking inspiration from RTW and using it to create unique tops from your tried and true patterns.
Grounded by a storm, we met on Zoom to talk about all things holiday sewing.
Under Kay’s guidance, we paired up and took all the measurements one might need to make or alter patterns for perfect fit.
Our fellow member Carmela walked us through the myriad interfacings available on the market and explained when to use which.
Helios Stitches staff came over to talk to us about using rulers for quilting.