Sew-N-Sews

Speaker Lori Schrage from 35th Avenue Sew and Vac, Chandler

Ellen Brittingham

The Sew-N-Sews general meeting for February was held Feb. 8. Several visitors and five new members joined the existing members. We were reminded of the several special interest groups that meet each month. There are three regular charity groups that meet each month. They are Pads4Paws, Walker Bags, and the Children’s Charities. Sew and Craft groups include: Embroidery, Die Cutting Machine, Stitch & Chat, and Featherweights. Another group, Sew Social, meets to go to lunch together. A new group, Sew What, explores different applique techniques.

Patty Hutson told us how generous people have been for the Children’s Charities group. One man at the fabric store donated $50 when she told him about the fabrics she was buying for the Easter baskets for underprivileged children. The Easter baskets, made by Connie Hogan, were on display at the meeting. They were beautiful.

During Show and Tell time, several members displayed items they had recently made. These included a man’s shirt and a table runner, which was embroidered using the special stitches from a regular sewing machine, not an embroidery machine. One member was wearing a Nordic-looking sweater she had knitted.

Our speaker for the day was Lori Schrage from 35th Avenue Sew and Vac, Chandler. She spoke about choosing the right sewing machine for your wants and needs. She pointed out uses such as embroidery, garment sewing, quilting, and making heavy-duty bags. She recommended videos one can download to learn more about different sewing machines. She reminded us to consider the quality of the needles and the thread we use also.

Our next meeting will be March 8 at 1 p.m.

Guests are welcome to join us for two meetings before joining. 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].