Mardi Gras beading for the Spirit of FiYiYi Photo credit: John McCusker, The Times-Picayune

For the past several months, two men have sat side-by-side in New Orleans. With containers of beads and feathers in front of them, they tack down feathers; stitch beaded patches; and sew sequins onto an elaborate, many-layered suit fit for a chief. Their chief.

When one man gets stuck on a piece, the other takes it over. It’s all a part of the pride and tradition of Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras Indian Culture

It’s Mardi Gras time! Everyone who knows about Mardi Gras in New Orleans knows there are parades of costumed folk. They know the fun and frivolity. But to get to that, to get to the beauty of the costumes of the paraders, there is sewing. Sewing of beads and sequins and feathers.

These men and other men around New Orleans are sewing patches and designs of Native American and African motifs to make their chief the most beautiful outfit to show off in a parade.

John McCusker / The Times-Picayune Big Chief Victor Harris shows off a beadwork mask underway in his garage.

For some it’s tradition; it’s pride; and it’s tradition of culture to continue. But whatever their reason, it’s beautiful work that is carefully and painstakingly done by a select group of men.

I love to see the care these men put into their work. To watch them defines couture and of slow sewing. There is a care and a love that goes into every stitch. It makes me smile to see the big, burly fingers picking up little beads and sequins with a needle.

“I go in the courtroom in the daytime . I come home and sew at night. This is a beautiful thing and nothing more than to go out there and have the prettiest suit, and have the prettiest tribe and have the prettiest Big Chief when we go across that river,” Spy Boy Dow Michael Edwards of the Mohawk Indians said.

Mardi Gras Indians Sewing Up Suits In Time For Fat Tuesday

To be the prettiest. Isn’t that what it’s about? Such a lovely thought while putting the care into something you’re sewing.

I hope this inspires you to add a little embellishment to your next project. Happy Sewing!

How big was your hair in 1987? Can you say shoulder pads? How many of us had a serger then? We’re going to have a lot of fun looking back at our history and celebrating our time together. Along with the nostalgia fest, we’re busy working on new events, expanded educational programming and sew much more. Get ready for even more fun with your favorite sewing fanatics.

The leader of this energetic group is Celeste, who describes herself as a Home Fashions Fabricator and Sewing Educator, which omits the facts that she also creates great garments and quilts. As if that weren’t enough, Celeste is an active blogger (http://sewmuchfun-creationsbyceleste.blogspot.com) and a marathon runner. It’s enough to leave us lesser mortals breathless.

On a recent visit to a meeting, Susan and I had the fun of experiencing the group’s annual charity auction. The idea is brilliant in its simplicity. Members bring items they no longer need, some sewing-related and some not. “Paddles” constructed of round paper plates (dessert sized) mounted on popsicle sticks with a number written in the center are distributed and a member records bids and tallies the totals owed.  The auctioneer adds wit and fun to the proceedings and bidding sometimes gets very competitive! The hottest item of the evening was a collection of vintage handkerchiefs that one member had in her basement “forever” and didn’t think anyone would want. Not only was this evening fun for everyone, but it raised over $500 to benefit The Sewing Machine Project and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Well done!

The Lindenhurst Neighborhood Group does tireless community service work for many organizations throughout the year. Most recently, to participate in ASG’s national community service project for this year, nine members made 28 blankets donated to Project Linus.

If you live in the area hugging the Illinois/Wisconsin border and you’re looking for a fun group who use their talents and skills to give back to their community, check out Running in Stitches. You’ll be glad you did.

As useful as these can be, if they’re not handy when we go to the iron, how likely are we to search for them or stop to make new ones?

ASG Chicago member-sewing educator Carol Scott has a solution. She cut a set of strips, marked some at the widths she needs and left others blank, punched a hole in each one and put them on a loose-leaf ring. She hangs the set by the ring next to her ironing board so it is within reach whenever she needs it. The metal ring opens and closes easily so she can remove the strips she needs and replace them when she is done.

When I made up my own set, I added long strips of brown paper. Claire Shaeffer explains that brown paper can absorb more moisture from steam ironing and thus is preferred in couture sewing rooms. The rest of my strips are from manilla file folders. Lingerie pattern designer Jan Bones notes that white paper or tag board has been bleached and could discolor fabric when used as a pressing template, whereas that wouldn’t happen with manila file folders. Of course, all template markings are made with a Sharpie so they are permanent.

With these little helpers readily at hand, you can press seam allowances open without fear of making unwanted ridges in your projects and press up hems, pocket edges, inset pieces and other details quickly and accurately.

Five sewing machines, a generous assortment of notions, patterns and sewing magazines are on their way to ASG members in Joplin, Missouri, thanks to the great work of the Palos Heights Neighborhood Group, Flying Needles. These thoughtful ladies collected donations at the ASG Chicago Fashion Show in October and supplemented with their own efforts to help restore the sewing rooms of ASG members who lost so much in last summer’s devastating tornado. Thanks go to Terri and Anna for organizing the project and to Terri’s husband for making it possible to ship all 332 pounds of supplies. To our sewing sisters in Joplin, enjoy getting back to the pastime you love.

Did you ever wonder what the left-hand is doing on the underside as your quilting the top?

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I’m old enough to remember correction fluid and struggling to realign my typewriter to correct a term paper so I didn’t have to retype the entire page. My typing speed was around 60 mistakes per minute in those days. Fast forward to word processing and its magic button, otherwise known as the delete key, which was nothing short of revolutionary. Now my fingers fly over the keyboard and words appear on the screen almost at the speed with which they are formed in my head. It’s all because I know I can correct my mistakes before anyone sees what I’ve written. Granted, the seam ripper requires quite a bit more time and effort than the delete key, but it allows us to undo our sewing mishaps and keeps them a secret. Nobody ever has to know how many times you redid that seam, or that you put the left sleeve in the right armscye the first time or you lost count of how many times you had to start over again with that collar. Only your seam ripper (and maybe the cat) know, and they’re not telling.

Yes, there are lots of clever sewing tools that get all the attention. And, the seam ripper is never going to enjoy the status of the “It” notion everyone is talking about. But in its own way, the seam ripper really does play a crucial role in our creativity, freeing us to experiment and push beyond the boundaries of our current skill level. In my mind, that pretty much makes the lowly seam ripper a sewist’s best friend.

a.  Ask what you’re talking about?

b.  Roll their eyes and ask why you spend your time on such things when you can buy ready-made?

c.  Give you a great suggestion, draw a diagram to explain it, offer to email you a link to a blog that gives a step-by-step tutorial and tell you to call them if you have any questions?

If you answered c, you’re probably an active member of ASG. If you answered a or b, see what you’re missing!

When I finish a project (a pretty rare occurrence for someone suffering from Paralyzing Perfectionism), there is nothing like the feeling of showing it to my sewing friends, who appreciate all the work that went into it. When I’m stuck on something I just can’t get right (see the reference to Paralyzing Perfectionism above!), I know I can count on my sewing friends to come up with helpful suggestions, offer encouragement and, yes, even suggest ways to turn mistakes into design details. Where did I get all those great sewing friends? Do you have to ask?

Walking into a an ASG Neighborhood Group meeting or Chicago Chapter event is always a treat. We come together as a community. We inspire one another. We learn together. We share our knowledge freely. We encourage one another. We enable our mutual obsession. We reassure one another that there are worse fabriholics out there, or someone else has more UFOs (white lies are absolutely acceptable). We speak a common language. And many of us become lifelong friends.

In almost any given week, at least three ASG Chicago Neighborhood Group meetings are held in and around Chicago. Each of these groups has its own unique personality. Each is a sewing circle that welcomes newcomers and long-time members; those who quilt; those who sew home dec and crafts; those who sew garments; and those who think about sewing more than they actually sew. If you are already a member of ASG, you are not limited to any one Neighborhood Group. If you are thinking about joining, you are welcome to attend two Neighborhood Group meetings as a guest before joining.

For the most part, sewing is a solitary pursuit. For those of us who participate in ASG, that solitude is balanced with a strong communal experience and unbreakable ties to others who share the same passion. I look forward to strengthening those ties in the coming year (and, yes, to overcoming the Paralyzing Perfectionism long enough to complete a few sewing projects).

a.squared.w is, though.

What is Tangerine Tango? tsk, tsk, tsk. If you don’t know, that means you haven’t been reading the color forecasts here. “Provocative Tangerine Tango, an enticing juicy orange, is a vivacious and appealing refresher to enliven anyone’s outlook this spring.”

Now, I’ve heard from some of you that Tangerine Tango just doesn’t fit into your wardrobe..either you’re just not an “orange gal” or that it’s too bright for your classic wardrobe. So, why not take up the Tangerine Tango Quilt Challenge and make a cheery quilt?

If you’re a tried and true Chicago Bears fan, you could use the orange as a memorial to the season we almost and could’ve…should have! had before Cutler’s thumb injury.

Line Your Spring Coat with Tangerine Tango

Still not convinced of making a quilt because it’s too fussy? Still want to hold true to making garments? So, why not challenge yourself to add a bit of Tangerine Tango as a trim…perhaps, some piping…or be bold and use one of these tantalizing Tangerines to tango as a lining in a new spring coat.

1. Free Spirit Designer Solid in Tango 2. TaDot Tangerine 3. Lizzy House Jewels in Orange 4. *VOILE* Solid in Tangerine 5. Alice Kennedy Orange Crush Wavy Optical Stripe Punch 6. dear Stella Meet Me at Sunset Stella Dot Orange 7. Half Moon Modern Big Zig Zag Tangerine 8. Kona Tangerine 9. Half Moon Modern Scissors Tangerine

Here’s the simplest reason to try Tangerine Tango: Winter is finally creeping up on us today with a very cold chill in the air. Maybe a little Tangerine Tango will bringing warmer thoughts until the temperature starts rising again. Follow the quilts that will be posted on the Tangerine Tango Quilt Challenge Flickr album; I’m sure that if nothing else, you’ll love seeing what others will be inspired to do with this beautiful, bright hue.

Happy Sewing! Happy Holidays!

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What does 11-11-11 look like to you? Try 111111. Lines? How about corduroy wales. Yep, that’s right, corduroy wales. Just visit The Corduroy Appreciation Club and they will tell you all about it. The CAC is a social organization that meets twice a year: 11-11 and 1-11. Both are dates that closely resemble the vertical lines of corduroy wales. Their slogan is “All Wales Welcome” and mascot is, you guessed it, the whale.

This Friday, November 11, bust out the corduroy in appreciation of a cloth the evokes images of well groomed ski slopes, classic 70s wear, and college professors. “Hail the Wale!”