Marti Kellogg describing her “Celebrate” wall hanging (photo by Connie Hogan)
Ellen Brittingham
Sew-N-Sews members have been busy working on charity items for pets and for children, as well as meeting in groups to learn new sewing projects and generally enjoying the company of each other. Our scheduled days in the Sewing Room at the Arts and Crafts building at Oakwood are usually filled with members working together.
The Sew-N-Sews general meeting for March was held on March 8. Included in the business meeting was the regular “Show and Tell” session. Members showed items they had sewn or otherwise created on their own or as part of a group. We saw a supply tote made as part of a group using the member’s scraps from her own “stash.” One new quilt was shown, a member showed several craft items made to sell at a craft show using her own leftover supplies, and a large tote was created by a member and decorated with embroidered fashion characters. The bag will be donated for a fundraising event benefiting the East Valley Assistance League. The group of seven members who completed the necktie purse class displayed their varied purses. Another member wore her skirt and top made from embroidered knit fabric she had picked up at our free stash table, which is available at most monthly meetings.
The program for the March general meeting was a trunk show by one of our own members, Marti Kellogg. Marti is a fiber artist living in Sun Lakes. She was educated in teaching and interior design and ran a furnishings store in Seattle where she lived most of her life. She loves to make quilts for a blended family with 12 children. She showed us a simple way to hang quilts for display. She brought 50 full-size quilts and about 25 small wall hangings to show. Her quilts were varied and unique. She uses some of them to teach different techniques to create beautiful pieces of art, as well as comfortable bedding. Several member assistants from our group were kept hopping trying to hold up Marti’s examples and keep up with her quick-paced explanations.
Guests are welcome to join us for two meetings before joining. The new member fee is $25, which includes a name badge. Membership is open to all Sun Lakes residents. We meet the second Wednesday of each month in the Navajo Room at Sun Lakes Country Club, at 1 p.m.
If you would like more information, please email [email protected].