2010: The Year You Get Back To Sewing!
Filed under: Calendar, Classes, Park Bench Happenings, Shows and Expos
It is time to clean out the closets, re-organize your sewing room and fabric stash, service your sewing machine, mark your calender for sewing time, plan new sewing projects, make new sewing friends, and sign up for sewing classes!
Upcoming Classes by Mary Lou Rankin
Jan 8 (Fri) – Quilters Paradise**
Escondido, CA
760-738-9677
Jan 10 (Sun) – Quilters Paradise*
Escondido, CA
760-738-9677
Jan 18 (Mon) – Fabric Land**
Orange, CA
714-974-1214
Feb 21 (Sun) – Eddie’s Quilting Bee*
Sunnyvale, CA
408-830-9505
Mar 3 (Wed) – Eddie’s Quilting Bee**
Sunnyvale, CA
408-830-9505
Make reservations ASAP – spaces are limited.
*TAKING THE FIRST STEP
This class is for all of you who have a Park Bench pattern, BUT JUST CAN’T GET STARTED…..This is a hands-on class with LOTS of hand holding from beginning to end. Bring your pattern & several pieces of fabric & trims you are thinking about using, but can’t make a final choice. We will select the right fabric & plan your garment. I will help you do the necessary measuring & help with the cutting. We will discuss sewing techniques & embellishment ideas. You may not finish the complete garment in class, but you will be at a point where you can finish it at home.
**RIGHT PATTERN – WRONG FABRIC
If you have not been happy with the finished garments you make then this is going to be the most important class you will ever take! The biggest sewing mistake is not in your sewing skills BUT in picking the wrong fabric for the pattern. Every fabric will not do everything. This is a “hand holding” lecture class with lots of solid information you need to know before selecting fabric for a pattern design. There is a lot that the pattern instructions & sewing books neglected to tell you. You will see lots of garment samples to help you see & understand how fabric really works in a design. After this class you are going to love the clothes you make because you will know how to make good choices.
2010 Travel Schedule
Jan 14-17
Road to California
Ontario, CA
Jan 28-30
Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival
Phoenix, AZ
Fashion Show (free) & One Jacket For All Seasons (free)
Feb 4-6
Rocky Mountain Sewing Expo
Denver, CO
Fashion Show (free)
Feb 18-20
Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival
San Mateo, CA
Fashion Show (free) & One Jacket For All Seasons (free)
Feb 25-28
Sewing & Stitchery Expo
Puyallup, WA
It is harder than ever to find what you need and want for your sewing hobby so plan on going to the sewing shows. You can buy new products, get great ideas and visit with other ladies who also enjoy this wonderful hobby of SEWING!
Coming Soon!
Piecing at its best.
Colors can be mild to bold. Fabrics from cottons to silks.
This charming design can be relaxed & casual or quite sophisticated
depending on your fabric choice.
Available January 30, 2010
Fiber Art Fiesta 2009 – Albuquerque, NM
To all you ladies living in or near Albuquerque NM…..come join us at the Fiber Art Fiesta 2009. It is being held at the fair grounds. This is really a fun gathering for all the fiber arts…quilting, weaving, fabric painting/dying, sewing, doll making, beading, and much more. It is held every other year & it is a “must” on my schedule. I will be doing a trunk show so you can see the patterns made up in garments….so much more fun than looking at pictures. Get together with friends and come spend the day. Hope to see a lot of you there.
Spring Class in San Diego
I hope everyone is having a great Spring. I just finished my first all day class here in San Diego. It was entitled “Why Did She Do That & How Did She Make It Work?”. Everyone left with LOTS of notes and now want a hands-on workshop. I am already working on new dates. There is so much the pattern companies & sewing books just don’t tell you. My classes are as much about seeing & touching as they are listening to me lecture. If you are interested in classes let me know & tell me where you live. I am always on the look out for new locations. Let me know if you have questions & tell me what you are doing. I would love to hear from all of you.
Space Available at the April 24th Class
The Class “Why Did She Do That & How Did She Make It Work?” is available for you ladies in the San Diego area – If you are having trouble getting started….this class is for you. There has never been a better time to get back to sewing!
There are 5 or 6 spaces still available for the April 24th class. If any of you are interested let me know and I will send you info.
Pattern Correction for #26 Sedona
I just got back from the BIG sewing show in Puyallup, WA. It was nice to see a lot of old friends. I have been going to that show for 12 years! For the people that purchased this pattern at the show….there should have been an instruction correction included. In the rush to ship this was left out.
The fabric should be folded at the center back. After cutting out the vest the other half of this center fold (marked “center front” by mistake) will then be cut open. This is actually the front side seams of vest. This half of vest turns over to the other side of fabric & becomes the sides of vest. In the next printing the instructions will be corrected. This vest is really just one piece of fabric, but it twists so front body is the wront side of the fabric. There are only 2 seams & then finishing the edges.
If any of you have further questions let me know.
Looking for Park Bench Patterns at a Class or Show Near You?
We just got back from the Folsom Quilt Guild show here in CA. What a great group of ladies! I am hoping to do more smaller shows here in California this year. If your group is having a show & has vendor space please let me know. We have decided this year is a good time to stay near home….
A lot of ladies expressed interest in classes so I am going to try to find locations so class planning can get started. If you are interested in taking classes from me get on the e-mail or mailing list so you get info as it comes out. Also tell me what classes you would like to see.
I am off to the post office…then I start planning for the big Sewing & Stitchery Expo coming up in Puyallup, WA on Feb 24-Mar 1. I will be doing a trunk show. Come by and see our new samples.
Join us at the Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival in Phoenix, AZ
If you live near Phoenix plan on coming to the Rusty Barn show this coming Thur-Fri-Sat. I will be doing a trunk show at 2:00 each day. If you are wondering about the Park Bench patterns this is your chance to see the garments. Also I will be doing a lecture at 12:00 each day – “One Jacket For All Seasons”. I will show samples of jackets using several patterns from the Park Bench patterns. Hope to see you there!
Road to California Recap
We just got back home from the Road to California show in Ontario CA. The quilts were outstanding and the vendors were many…lots to see.
Thanks to all of you who came by the booth. I always enjoy talking to you and hearing what you have made and how it turned out. Also thanks to the ladies who attended my class “Cherished Treasures”. I hope you are all now getting out those linens, laces, obis, etc. & are planning a design for your next sewing project.
Our next stop will be January 29-31 in Phoenix at the Rusty Barn show. I will be doing a short trunk show & a short lecture class. You can check their web site for more info. I would love to see all you there.
Where to Find Fabric for #23 Mexico Holiday
I just got another call asking where to find fabric to make the appliqued jacket in Mexico Holiday-pattern #23. Most of the original vintage jackets were made using wool broadcloth. I just received another wholesale order from the Pendleton Woolen Mill Store in Portland, OR. This would be an excellent place to start looking. The phone number is 1-866–865-9285 or 1-503-535-5786 and ask for Julie Fisher. I am sure she could help you. This is a great little jacket. It is easy to size & quick to sew. It can be made with or without the appliques. If anyone has made it let me know how it turned out.
Fabrics to Use with #17 Williamsburg
In my samples there is one jacket made from blue corduroy..very soft. Many of you have asked where to get this type of corduroy. I had this piece in my stash for a while and don’t remember where I got it. Remember when you see a fabric you like…..buy it then….you won’t see it again.
This fabric is cotton with a wide wale..very soft. The poly blends are not as soft. Generally I would not recommend buying acrylic, but when made into corduroy it has a nice hand. Look on line or check with the mail order sources. Ask if they have what you want & ask if they can send you a sample. Also check with stores that sell fabric for home dec. They sometimes have cotton corduroy as well as cotton velvet. These fabrics have worked well for some of my jacket projects.