Bedford Glen Accessory Contest

While I was attending the SAGA Retreat in Bedford Glen as a student, I did take time out to do a little work and one of the things I did was take a photo of the Accessory Contest Winners.

Congratulations to everyone who took time to enter, but a really big congratulations to the winners!

Pictured above are:

Ingrid Chan (California), Second place winner for her smocked clutch bag.
Judy Simpson (Maine), First place winner for her smocked sewing purse.
Chris Sykes (California), Third place winner for her embroidered sewing hussif.

SAGA Bedford Glen Retreat

I know, it has been a couple of weeks since the first SAGA Retreat of 2017 held in Bedford Glen, Massachusetts, ended but as I said in my previous Blog post, I have been a little busy with another important project-the next issue of SAGANews! Anyway, that is all in hand and so I have time to get back to the Blog.

Wes working hard in his class-Fitting for Boys

The Bedford Glen Retreat was wonderful, not least because I got to take classes all weekend, but also because it was a fun, relaxed event. The hotel hosting the event was very nice and the food was great. The rooms and lighting were all excellent and being a smaller event, the attendees got to mix and mingle a lot.

I chose to take classes with the same teacher for the whole weekend and Cindy Foose was the lady who put up with me! Being in the same classroom meant I could leave some of my heavier items there overnight (the classrooms are always locked during breaks and after class).

The classes I took were really well presented with lots of good information, some of it basic (that sometimes gets forgotten) and a lot of it new. Cindy provided very comprehensive notes and there was little need to add to them. As our classes were small in number, we got to do a few extra things, like make samples of techniques for our notebook, which helps imprint a technique in my brain!

The first class I took was on constructing for boys, something that doesn't always get covered in the heirloom sewing world. The techniques learned in the class will help me not only with boys, but also items for girls. ( We got to make samples, and the completed shorts fit Wes, my SAGA bear mascot!).

A pair of shorts in the making for Wes (with teacher Cindy Foose in the background)

The other class I took was to construct a dress from a new pattern Cindy has designed. Again the class handout was very informative and added a lot to the general construction sheet that came with the dress pattern (which, along with everything to make the dress, was included in the kit). Could you make the dress just using the pattern instruction sheet? Yes, you could as it covers everything very concisely. Taking the class added a lot more detailed construction and the chance to make changes to the basics. It also gave us the benefit of the designers hands-on knowledge and to view several garment made using the same pattern.

Wes wearing his new shorts and modeling a collar made from a man's hankie borrowed from Cindy Foose.

Again, the smaller class size gave us time to not only work on samples for our notebook, but also on our actual garment and I came home with an almost completed dress. Many of the other students did complete their dresses. I was just a little tired on Sunday morning to want to work directly on my garment, so I made some samples of techniques instead. (That will teach me to spend Saturday night drinking champagne and eating chocolate with my friends until all hours!).

Wes, worn out from all the fun at the Bedford Glen Retreat

As well as taking the classes, there were the lunches and dinners together with everyone attending and Saturday night, the banquet and raffle baskets! The Hospitality room was open all day and this is where the baskets could be viewed, along with the donations to Wee Care. The Accessory contest entries were also displayed in Hospitality and nearly all attendees took the time to view them and vote. Congratulations to the winners!

And to round the event off, Mother Nature decided to play an April Fool on us and snow! Of course, this is nothing to those of us that live in New England, but for some of the attendees and teachers this was treat!

Snow on April 1

So, with the registration date (May 1 at 10 am Central time) for the next SAGA Retreat in St. Louis fast approaching, if you are on the fence about attending my advise to you is get off the fence and register! You will be glad you did.

Wes with his girlfriends at the banquet

Break Time Over!

Sorry that there hasn't been a SAGANews blog up-date for a while but I have been busy with one thing and another.

The 'one thing' I have been busy with is the next issue of SAGANews (Volume 38 Issue 2) which will be going to layout soon, then printed and  mailed out to members by mid-May (hopefully!).

This is our Wee Care issue and is filled with lots of ideas for Wee Care items. I know that Wee Care is special to most of our SAGA members and hope that this issue will inspire everyone.

The issue will also contain information on the ladies who are candidates for election to the SAGA Board. Thank you to those ladies who will be volunteering their time to work together for the membership and oversee the everyday running of the organization. Please take the time to read their statements and also to complete and return your Proxy (which will be in this issue) if you are not attending the Annual Meeting to be held at the SAGA Retreat in St. Louis. Voting for the Board will be electronic and you will receive an email with detailed instructions. If you do not have an email address or know a member who does not, please contact the SAGA Secretary, Sally Rifenburg (secretary@smocking.org) who will mail a ballot paper.

The 'another' thing I have been busy with was attending the SAGA Retreat in Bedford Glen and actually taking classes! More about that in another blog post.

So, after the short break, the SAGANews blog is back and you can look for regular posts again!

SAGA Bedford Glen Retreat will soon be here!

It is not long now before I will be attending classes at the first SAGA Retreat of 2017 in Bedford Glen, Massachusetts! I am excited as I will actually be taking classes- something I don't always get to do as I am busy working taking photos and such for SAGA and SAGANews.

As this is my first time taking classes in a while I looked back at some past blogs to remind myself what items I might need to remember to pack. I thought I would share the list with you today so if you are attending here is a reminder of some things you might find useful:

1. Basic Sewing Supplies

2. Writing materials and tools.

3. Name labels for your raffle tickets (or I will have some you can use :) )

4. Tote bag (especially useful for market).

5. Sewing Machine-If you are taking machine classes and don't forget the power cord and foot; machine presser feet; needles; bobbins; manual; wheels to get it to and from class.

6. Chapter raffle basket.

7. Wee Care items to donate.

8. Table favours-if your chapter offered to donate them.

9. Any pre-class homework?

10. Light and magnification.

11. Spare glasses.

12. Camera

13. Your Retreat Contest entry-Accessory.

14. Your Artisan card.

15. Name Tag (if you have one).

 
15. A smile and money for market!

The New England Quilt Museum

Another suggestion of a place to visit in the area near the SAGA Retreat at Bedford Glen is the New England Quilt Museum, Lowell, Massachusetts.

http://www.nequiltmuseum.org

The museum is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 AM - 4 PM November - April

It was almost 30 years ago that a group of enthusiastic New England quilters began to dream of establishing a regional quilt museum. That dream became a reality when the New England Quilt Museum board of directors met for the first time in June 1987. Now, as its 25th Anniversary year has come and gone (in 2012), it seems miraculous that the museum exists and has survived and grown, fulfilling the mission first conceived by its founding mothers.

Over the years, as the museum sought a permanent home, endured water floods and also risked drowning in red ink, there were times when it seemed the dream might die. Still, it has endured, but only because of the support received from the museum's constant friends and members.

The museum is located in historic downtown Lowell, Massachusetts. Master craftsman Josiah Peabody built the Lowell Institute for Savings building in 1845 in the classic Greek Revival Style. The structure boasts an unusual rhomboidal footprint, with curved corners and an ornate wrought iron balcony along two sides.

Today the 18,000 square foot space holds exhibition galleries, a library and resource center, classrooms, a museum store, staff offices, support areas and storage for the more than four hundred antique and contemporary quilts in the permanent collection.

THE QUILTED CANVAS
The Crit Group: 30 Years and Still Quilting
January 11 through April 29, 2017

​This exhibit of works by five artists in fiber is a unique insight into the relationships of a critique group. Judy Becker, Nancy Crasco, Sandy Donabed, Sylvia Einstein, and Carol Anne Grotrian have been meeting each month for thirty years to support and sustain each other as artists. Nancy Crasco states, “the focus of our gatherings is always about the work: assisting with aesthetic and construction concerns, sharing opportunities to exhibit, discussing current trends in fiber, and providing the impetus to continue creating.”  All of the artists have gained national recognition and have exhibited widely in the United States and abroad.

Each of the artists has a distinct style which is acknowledged and encouraged by the others.  They agree that the scariest outcome of a critique group would be to have their works be similar.  Each artist has a different source of motivation or inspiration and employs a unique manner of working.

Historic Deerfield

Are you attending the SAGA Retreat in Bedford Glen?

Maybe you are going to have a little extra time, either as you travel to the site or on your way home? Maybe you can visit one or two places nearby?

Here is one interesting place to visit- Historic Deerfield

www.historic-deerfield.org

Historic Deerfield Inc., founded in 1952, is an outdoor history museum that focuses on the history and culture of the Connecticut River Valley and early New England.  It has a dual mission of educating the public about the lifestyles of the diverse people who lived here long ago and of preserving antique buildings and collections of regional furniture, silver, textiles, and other decorative arts. First settled in 1669, Deerfield is one of the few towns settled by English colonists along the eastern seaboard that retains its original scale and town plan. Visitors are offered guided and self-guided tours of 12 antique houses ranging in age from 1730 to 1850. Eleven of these houses are on their original sites.

This is one exhibition that might be of interest to SAGA members:

Celebrating the Fiber Arts: The Helen Geier Flynt Textile Gallery (2017)

January 01, 2017 - December 23, 2017 | 9:30 am - 4:30 pm 

Historic Deerfield’s costume and textile collection has long been considered one of the finest in America.  Begun by the museum’s founder, Helen Geier Flynt, the collection features a vast array of costumes, needlework and domestic textiles which are displayed on a rotating basis.  Newly installed in this permanent gallery for the season are 38 exciting examples of American and European clothing, accessories, textiles and needlework from the 17^th century through the mid-20^th century. 

Some of the current highlights featured include a dramatic, mid-18^th-century gown, whose fabric was woven in Lyon, France’s renowned center of silk-weaving.  Yards of expensive brocaded silk were draped and sewn to create a gown whose considerable width was supported by panniers or side hoops worn under the garment itself and tied around the wearer’s waist. 

A man’s early 19^th-century wool coat is displayed in an unconventional, horizontal orientation for visitors to get a better sense of the skills involved in tailoring the garment.  Padding, interfacing and stitching will all be seen to better advantage from this diagrammatical presentation.

Also on view is a recent acquisition by the museum, a modest pictorial needlework wrought by Violet Forward Scott (1786-1853) of Belchertown, Massachusetts in the late 1790s (pictured).  This piece represents an important step in Scott’s education.  It was likely her first attempt at a pictorial needlework that required her to develop the skill of composition, beyond the practice of count-stitching alphabets and numbers in horizontal rows onto a grid of warp and weft.  This example also incorporates watercolor and gouache, probably executed by the instructress or an outside professional.    

 A vibrant red whole cloth wool quilt is just one of the new items on view in the gallery’s quilt and coverlet rack.  This example’s all-over uniform geometric quilting pattern is indicative of styles from first half of the 19^th century, while its cut-out corners – a design feature seen on the bottom corners of some quilts to accommodate its use on a four-poster bed – suggest a New England origin. 

See these and other outstanding textiles thematically arranged according to their natural fibers: silk, wool, cotton and linen. 

 This exhibition is made possible in part by a grant from The Coby Foundation, Ltd.