Instructor:  Elaine Banville

Crafters Quarters now has an Ashford Knitters Loom!  Elaine has been “weaving up a storm” and is available to give lessons on its use.

The loom may be checked out by members for a week at a time.  Call or stop by to schedule your weaving mini-lesson today!

Rental fee:  FREE to members!!!  (Security deposit required.)

Hostess:  Gail Picard

It’s time to explore your creativity!  Learn something new and push the envelope a little bit!  Give your creativity a little workout!

Spend some time with us to learn and share new & cherished techniques to express yourself in your art or craft.  We will work with all kinds of materials, from fabric to metals, from beads to buttons, from yarn to photos…  You get to play with whatever media you wish!

You will be invited to create an optional 8″x10″ project each month using new skills and processes to express an idea or develop a completely unique journal.  Each month a new subject and medium will be chosen by someone in the group to help everyone push their creative boundaries.

Gail Picard is a fabulous sewer, quilter, and multimedia crafter who is interested in sharing techniques that she’s picked up over the years, and who’d love to learn about any tips and tricks that you might have!

Creative Stretch Session Fee:  $15 (Members:  FREE!)

Members — stay for our Creative Crock M2M night!  Just call by 3pm on Wednesday to reserve your place at the table.  978-388-8000

2010 dates (club will continue into 2011!)

• October 10 & 24
• November 7 & 21
• December 5 & 19

Ellen Vidal

Skill Level: All (must know how to sew)

Calling all paper piecers–and paper-piecer wannabes! Ellen Vidal has the club for you! Bring your own project and get together with other paper-piecing aficionados.  Pick up tips and tricks from Ellen and other members. Browse through Ellen’s paper-piecing books for inspiration. And, if you do not already know how to paper piece, fear not! Ellen will show you how to use this awesome technique to create blocks with absolutely sharp points and wonderful detail.

 Club fee: $15 (Members: $5)

What was I thinking?! I should have tested it first to determine its stretch rating. Most t-shirt patterns are designed for “moderate stretch” knits, and clearly this stash fabric doesn’t fit the bill.

If only I had used the Stretch Ruler handout I give my sewing students! (Download a free copy here.) Trying to eyeball a knit fabric is a bad idea. Most knits look alike from a distance. Without testing the gauge, there is no guarantee that even an expertly sewn garment will fit and perform properly.

So now the question before me is: do I sew THIS shirt, if for no other reason than curiosity? Or do I pitch it, run to the fabric store, and buy something else? Stay tuned for the answer…

There are many sections within the software, with lots to choose from: Wild Things (fun play stuff), Child’s Play (baby and kids’ clothing), Tailor-Made (for men), Curves (undergarments and swimwear), Celebrations (bridal and special events), and Boutique (women’s wear). Since I plan to make myself a T-shirt, I click “Boutique.”

Before proceeding further, I create a profile for myself by plugging in my measurements. Hmm…I didn’t come prepared with my front and back “slope.” No worries: when I leave them blank, the software calculates them for me based on my other measurements. Next, I click the “Garment” tab and then the “Blouses” category. Wow, huge selection here, but no time to browse or dally. I’m on a mission to sew the perfect T-shirt.

Ah, here’s the T-shirt category. Wow, even more choices: sleeve length, neckline style. etc. I settle on a short (not cap) sleeve and curved V-neckline. Next, I click the “Settings” tab and customize the type of fit I want. In off-the-shelf patterns, the amount of ease — how closely or loosely a garment fits — is predetermined. With this software, I can tweak the fit to satisfy my own preferences. Since I don’t want a super-fitted shirt, I change the software’s default ease from 2.5″ for a fitted T to 3″. While I’m at it, I add an extra 2″ to the overall length to make sure the hemline hits just above my hip. (Most RTW T-shirts are too short for my liking.)

At this point, I believe there aren’t any other elements I want to customize, so I save the settings and click the tab to see a summary of my changes before printing the actual pattern. Very interesting! [Photo to come: Screen shot showing default settings versus my customized variations.]

In my next post: Printing the pattern and comparing it to my favorite RTW shirt.]

Greetings, CQ members and friends. For the next several weeks I’ll be blogging about my experiences with Crafters Quarters’ awesome pattern drafting software. While many of you folks think of CQ as a place for creating all sorts of fiber arts and mixed media projects, it’s also a phenomenal resource for those who sew clothing and home dec items: huge cutting tables, dress forms, sewing machines, and of course this software used by the fashion industry to create clothing lines for women, men, and children.

Like most people, my measurements don’t match the ones used by the ready-to-wear (RTW) industry. For example, most women’s garments are designed for ladies with a B-cup bust, and a height of around 5′4″. Darts — if they exist at all — rarely point to the apex of the bust, and the overall length is either too short or too long. No wonder we don’t look as good in our clothing as we could! And good looks aside, there’s the matter of comfort. Did you ever wonder why it’s often hard to move your arms in a low-priced t-shirt? It’s because on RTW tees, the back and the front armhole shapes are the same, rather than deeper in back. Without that extra depth, you get that locked-in feeling. (And you thought it was all in your head!)

So today, I am sitting in front of a computer with Jensi Rogers at my side. She’s walking me through the process of setting up an account and plugging in my measurements. Not just the usual bust, waist and hips, but also a slew of additional body specs that will hopefully make the final pattern we print out match my body rather than some NYC waif-model who would look good in anything — even a potato sack.

Keep tuned in to read my updates as I complete the “drafting” process and then move on to cutting. If you’d like to be alerted to when new posts are made, feel free to follow my Tweets. You can send me a question or comment there and I’ll try to respond here on the blog.

And now…back to the computer!

Don’t Miss Your Chance to Take An Exclusive Quilt Lovers’ Tour of England

Last Two Days to Register and Reserve Your Spot!  (Deadline to Register: January 10)

Have you been thinking about taking the trip of a lifetime to England and seeing some of the world’s greatest quilting treasures? Think no more–the time to register is now, if you don’t want to miss this trip!

Join your fellow quilt lovers for an indulgent tour and see:

One of the oldest quilts in existence, the 14th century Tristan quilt, on one of its rare public displays…

The first quilt exhibition at the storied Victoria & Albert Museum in over 20 years…

Jane Austen’s own beloved city of Bath…

The Globe Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon…

The only quilt museum in Britain, York’s Quilt Museum and Gallery…

This is a tour like no other. Join us on our spring trip to England, enjoying all the sights a quilt lover would like to see, as well as many of the must-see spots for all travelers in this exclusive tour, just for the New England Quilt Museum.

This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to see England’s quilting treasures. The deadline to register for this trip is January 10.

To register for the trip visit Sew Many Places’ website.

The New England Quilt Museum

18 Shattuck Street

Lowell, MA 01852

During the Topsfield Fair we met a wonderful woman — Gail — with 3 heirloom machines — all owned and passed within one family.  She will soon be moving to a small place, though, and can’t take them with her!  Gail wants to make sure they go to loving homes with people that respect just how beautiful the machines are.  Take a peek at the detail work and how well kept these lovelies are…

Interested?  Just write to Gail to learn more:  gshphd@verizon.net.  She has priced these similarly to those that have sold through eBay, but you don’t have to pay for shipping.

(Crafters Quarters is not taking any commission from these sales, we’d just like to see someone love these machines with the care they’re used to getting from their former family.)

1952 Singer Featherweight 221-1

(yes you read that correctly — an adorable, working Featherweight!)

Serial number AL011325 — in working order with case, attachments, and manual.  Heirloom owned by one family.  Asking $350.

1928 Singer 66-6 electric

Serial number AC021052 — in working order in cabinet with attachments and manual.  Heirloom owned by one family.  Asking $250.

1900 Singer Antique Treadle model #27

Serial number N466772 — 5 drawer oak cabinet.  Heirloom owned by one family.  Asking $200.

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