The World of Sewing Literature

The Last Runaway
by Tracy Chevalier

Honor Bright, a modest English Quaker, moves to Ohio in 1850–only to find herself alienated and alone in a strange land. Sick from the moment she leaves England, and fleeing personal disappointment, she is forced by family tragedy to rely on strangers in a harsh, unfamiliar landscape. … Read the rest

Ice Dyeing – Way too Cool!

by Debby Bowles

We arrived at Fiber Frolics Art Studio in our grubbiest paint clothes, with our prewashed fabric, ready to learn a whole new way of dyeing – Using ice.  Martha, the studio owner, walked us through the process step – by – step.

First, we presoaked our fabric (about two yards worth, except for one – she brought her hoodie to dye!)… Read the rest

Sewing Podcasts

Welcome to the Clothes Making Mavens podcast. Helena and Lori are two women who love to talk sewing but have exhausted the good humor of their non-sewing friends and family, so they now talk to each other! From across the continent they Skype to discuss their obsession with garment sewing. They also interview other like-minded sewists and delight in the wonderful international sewing community.

… Read the rest

These Spring Dresses Won’t Last Long!

Check out these floral dresses at Northpark. Fleurs de Villes Exhibition

Dallas welcomes the exquisite Fleurs de Villes ARTISTE exhibition, a floral spectacle making its Texas debut at NorthPark Center through March 24. This world-renowned show presents 15 unique fresh floral mannequins, each crafted to celebrate the rich arts and cultural scene of Dallas-Fort Worth.… Read the rest

Spotlight on ASG Members – Joanne Jensen

This is the first of a series designed to help us know each other better and what better place to begin than our new president, Joanne.

Joanne was born in Queens, NY, and shortly after her family moved to the original Levittown on Long Island where she grew up.  Joanne is the oldest of three daughters. … Read the rest

Barcelona, Shoes, and Ribbon Foreword

Markita loved to travel and to share her experiences. Even though she is no longer with us we wanted to share this last post that she wrote for us.

Barcelona, Shoes, and Ribbon

by Markita Hall-Gumble

My friend Kim – @quiltaholicsanonymous and I have been on a shoe adventure.  Kim the amazing quilter didn’t stop with 2 pairs of SneakerKit shoes. … Read the rest

How to Print on Fabric

by Nia Kelley-Jester

Materials Needed:

• Freezer Paper
• Laser or Ink Jet Printer – For this example, I used a Brother Laser printer and white muslin. Personally, I haven’t tried this process with an ink jet printer since I don’t own one, but it is reported to work. Disclaimer: Please test your materials.… Read the rest

Bali #3 Foreword

Markita loved to travel and to share her experiences. Even though she is no longer with us we wanted to share this post that she wrote for us.

Bali #3

by Markita Hall-Gumble

To recap, in July 2023 I visited Bali Indonesia for textiles.  This post is about a side trip organized as part of the Wacky Jacky Bali class. … Read the rest

Double Ikat Bali

by Markita Hall-Gumble

The last stop in Bali is the ancient village of Tenganan on the east side of the island of Bali.  The villagers are called Bali Aga or original Balinese.  To visit the village, you take a car to the outside gate of the village.  There is an entrance fee, which provides you with a local villager as a guide. … Read the rest

The World of Sewing Literature

The Dress Diary of Mrs. Anne Sykes

by Melanie Kindrachuk, Librarian & Sewist

If you are interested in history, clothing, textiles, and material culture, you’ll love this one. The author was given an unusual scrapbook, which was full of snippets of fabrics from across the lifetime of Mrs. Anne Sykes, stretching from her wedding day in 1838 onwards.… Read the rest