On April 10, our chapter hosted Rae Cumbie of Fit for Art Patterns in a virtual class and trunk show.  The topic was Innovative Piecing Techniques for Quilted Jackets.  Rae showed a variety of quilted jackets and the innovative piecing techniques used to create these unique Tabula Rasa Jackets. Techniques included sashing, foundation piecing, strip piecing, raw edge collage and more in relation to the design and construction of 2 and 3 layer quilted jackets.  We look forward to more virtual seminars, in addition to in person speakers in the coming months and years.

In June, the chapter met up on the Illinois side of the river in the town of Wood River.  We toured Sandy's Costume Shop, had lunch at Madison's Tea Room, and visited Patchwork Plus.  We had a great time visiting with Sandy at her costume shop.  She entertained us with some interesting stories about her shop and showed us hundreds of costumes.  Afterwards, we went to Madison's Tea Room where we were treated to a buffet lunch and delicious desserts.  We also had a Hat Parade there where we showed off our special hats. 

On October 19, fifty-nine ladies attended our chapter’s annual meeting and fall fling.  In the morning our own member Helen Wall treated us to a trunk show of 25 wearable art garments that have won recognition at sewing competitions she has entered.  
Our second presenter was local art quilter Jane Unger.  Jane explained the difference between bed quilts and art quilts (art quilts do not have a pattern and are made with layers and layers of fabric and embellishments), then showed us a multitude of quilts that she and her students have made.
Special thanks to the Sew Amused Stitchers and City Sew-Ers neighborhood groups for hosting the annual meeting!

The Make It and Take It event, hosted by the Fenton Daytime neighborhood group, was a fun and productive day.  By lunchtime, we had a shawl apron taught and a spring flower pincushion completed.  After a boxed lunch from Viviano’s, we started on a quilted table runner and a lined market bag with pockets. Throughout the day, there were tables with kits, instructions, and help to make three ornaments and a velvet pumpkin. Participants could stop and do these projects between the others or if they decided to finish a particular project at home.  (Members:  See more photos in the Members Only section here).

In September, our chapter hosted beloved sewing instructor Pamela Leggett.  She started on Friday night with the Design Details workshop, which included techniques for hems, pockets, and wrapped collars with perfect points, serger French Seams, and a lot more.  Saturday morning she inspired us with easy pants and skirts fitting. Her methods eliminated a lot of the measuring we used to do and refined the fit with just a few pointers.  Her pants pattern comes with two backs, one regular and one for a flat back.  She followed this up with an inspirational trunk show. Her garments were eye candy to behold!  After lunch we were inspired by her Pattern Hacking program.  She had many ideas for taking an existing pattern and changing it, such as taking a Tee Shirt pattern and turning it into a cardigan.  We learned a lot, and enjoyed each other's company!

Our annual meeting was held October 20 at the Maryland Heights Center.  This year's event was hosted by the Fashion, Fabric, and Friends neighborhood group and featured boxed lunches from McAlister's Deli and an entertaining and informative workshop by image consultant Nancy Nix-Rice.  Nancy's workshop explained how to choose clothing and accessories that complement us as individuals and make us feel great.  We even had a hands-on opportunity to drape ourselves with different colored scarves and advise our table-mates on which colors and values connected with them.  With her background in textiles and sewing, Nancy was able to advise our particular audience on how to translate these principles into wardrobes featuring handmade items.  Find all of Nancy's fabrics, plus accessories and books at her website:  https://www.nancynixrice.com/shop.