  President’s HighlightsJune, 2026 SUMMER TIME! SUMMER TIME! LEARN New Techniques Time!  SUMMER WORKSHOPS** Please note a few changes and dates – Saturday, June 20 – Quilting Basics – taught by Tiffani Standridge and Sharon Merlo – $20 members/$50 nonmembers plus optional kit fee. REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!! – Saturday, July 18 – Hand Embroidery Basics – POSTPONED – Friday, August 21 – * NOTE THE CHANGE IN DATE* – Bag Making Basics – taught by Cathey Jordan – $20 members/$50 nonmembers, plus supplies- Saturday, September 26 – Umbrella Making Workshop – taught by Tammy Moberg and Roxanne Carder – $20 members/ $50 nonmembers, plus kit fee  Tiffani and Sharon’s Love of Quilting!!! |
Category: Miscellaneous
Boott Cotton Mill Museum
by Markita Hall-Gumble
In June 2023, PatternReview.com held their in person event in Lowell Massachusetts. Besides getting together with the sewing tribe, we visited the Boott Cotton Mill Museum and the New England Quilt Museum.
The Boott Museum is part of the National Park Service and is so worth a visit, as it documents an important part of textile history in America.… Read the rest
What Sewing Machine Should I Buy?
Debbie Ramseyer told me that she belongs to a facebook group for sewists and a newbie asked the question, “What Sewing Machine should I buy?” Debbie responded with the following list of questions:
Look at this the same way you would if buying a car.
1. First, and most importantly, what is your budget?
Learning Batik in Bali
by Markita Hall-Gumble
I spent almost 4 weeks in Bali. I had so many textile experiences while there, including 3 different batik classes. First, what is batik? In a simple answer, batik is a form of printing on fabric using wax as a resist. Batik has a rich history and it’s origins are over 2000 years old.
To Box or to De-Stash?
by Maria Quian
After many years of just dreaming about it, the right house came along. My current house is in Texas and I am moving to Colorado. It is a now or never situation for many reasons.
But in life, all good things also come with other not so good things we must do.… Read the rest
Looking Back at Native American Heritage Month
November was Native American Heritage Month. Celebrating belatedly with Plano member, Debbie B as she shares her journey into her heritage and learning to make Choctaw apparel. Enjoy this 30 minute interview!
Learn more about the Choctaw heritage on their Main Website and their YouTube Channel. See more about the traditional dressmaking process here.… Read the rest
Ginny and the Vintage Sewing Center
Don’t you just love unexpected surprises?! Well, GOOD surprises, that is. Plano ASG member, Ginny Stein, shared a very pleasant, unexpected surprise from her trip to Tulsa earlier this year. We think you will enjoy it!
On a trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma the last weekend of February, I enjoyed an unexpected surprise.… Read the rest
After the Masks
When COVID sent us all inside, our minds were consumed with questions like
WHAT NOW?
We needed something to combat all kinds of feelings. Fear. Boredom. Lack of purpose. And we had to find the solution to those feelings within the confines of our own homes.
Because we sew, many of us found the solace we needed right inside our sewing room. … Read the rest
Using your iPhone for Fit
Sometimes we find the best sewing tools in the most unlikely places! Watch this 5 minute video and learn 3 ways you can turn your smart phone into your very own fit advisor.
Click here to see the tripod I used. I love that it has bendable legs!
… Read the rest
Plano ASG meets Jenny Rushmore at Cashmerette
When Jenny Rushmore saw a gap in the options pattern companies offered curvy sewists, she didn’t sit back and accept it. She started her own company and filled it! We recently had the pleasure of a fireside chat with her and heard about her journey through building her company, Cashmerette and co-founding the Curvy Sewing Collective.… Read the rest
Plano ASG meets Heather Lou at Closet Case
We recently had the distinct pleasure of spending a half hour with Heather Lou, founder and director of Closet Case Patterns. Heather has taken her business from her first pattern, the Bombshell swimsuit back in 2013 to the extensive line of 23 patterns, 7 supply kits and 4 online classes she offers today.… Read the rest
Behind the Scenes with Claire Cochran at Stitch Buzz
If you are a garment maker, you have very likely either made a cardboard template or wished for one many times. When Claire Cochran of Stitch Buzz felt that way, she invented a permanent one! In 2011, Claire launched her business with just one specialty ruler. Watch this 20 minute interview as she takes us behind the scenes into that journey.… Read the rest