by Marie Barrese
Ever wonder why some sewists have a stash of beautiful bouclé’s and silks? And usually it’s not just one cut, but several. Some also have the trims and buttons that coordinate with the fabric, and they may even have the patterns needed to complete the garment. What garment you may ask, and why are these items still in their stash?… Read the rest
Tag: Garment Sewing
My “Duh!” Moment Finally Arrived
by Beverly Vance
For the past few years (since my retirement), and especially during our long seclusion while the pandemic wreaked its havoc, I’ve been so thrilled at having so much time to sew that I just kept churning out garments and buying more fabric. Unfortunately, too many of those makes are orphans – they don’t go with anything else.… 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
March Madness and March Sadness

Plano ASG member Melanie Fredrickson has three great loves – family, sewing and sports … March Madness basketball in particular. But time is at a premium so how could she bring all three of her great loves together? How could she get quality time with all three?
The perfect answer to this question emerged when Melanie’s son gave her a surprise birthday gift in 2017. … Read the rest
Fireside Chat with Emily Hallman about Capsule Wardrobe Planning
We spent about a half hour with Emily Hallman talking about color, style and the joy of sewing your own wardrobe. She publishes a capsule wardrobe blog and has over 40K followers on Instagram, both an enormous source of inspirational eye candy! Emily describes herself as a shoe lover, bookworm, dog mama, fashion enthusiast, and sewist.… 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
Measurements Matter

One of the best parts of being a Member of the Plano Chapter of ASG is learning from other members. I made a personal goal to learn to sew my own clothes. I quickly ran into fitting issues and learned that I needed help. I brought a blouse that I was working on to the Designing Divas neighborhood group, and two wonderful ASG members offered to help me with fitting.… Read the rest