Have a special program that might be of interest to ASG members? Contact Barb L. with your ideas. Have a special Snip~Tip? Send it to Renee and we will post it as space allows. Do you need a book or a pattern that is out of print? Can't find that special fabric? Post it here, we have found that ASG members are "sew" helpful!

GRASG - Calendar ~ Monthly Programs   I Join us In 2010 -----We'll Be Kickin' It Up a Notch February 9, 2010 “Lasso The Leather Look” will be our February program.  Dani Cain has worked for Tandy Leather Factory for many years and has acquired skills and much knowledge when it comes to working with leather.  She will share information about what we need to know to make our own garments, bags or other projects using leather as our main fabric and she will bring some of the items she has made to give us ideas.  In addition, Tandy Leather Factory will bring some of their leathers, needles, patterns, books, and catalogs for purchase to help us get started on a brand new adventure!  These items will be available to ASG members at a discount so it will be a great opportunity for each of us to try our hand in a new arena.  Join us in February, pardners! March 9, 2010 Three years ago Bill Voetberg entered the world of sewing.  He began by designing Western shirts and progressed from there to tackle a pig suede jacket; an Austrian style sport coat featuring a leather collar, bound leather buttonholes and dyed leather buttons, which were featured in Threads magazine; and a silk dress with a velvet burnout tunic for his sister.  His custom made shirts have sold for as much as $200 at charity auctions!  Bill will share things he has learned that have transformed his early amateurish efforts into professional looking results.  Join us in March as we feature one of our newer ASG members in “Kickin’ It Up A Notch – Let Me Count The Ways.”   April 13, 2010 It’s Not Over ‘Till the Fat Lady Sings! Laura Brinker, a cutter/draper in the costume department for the Michigan Opera Theatre, will be the presenter for our April meeting.  Laurie patterns any new costumes needed for their productions and constructs the most challenging designs.  She was involved in the costuming of the 2007 production of ‘Cyrano’ which made its world premier at MOT.  She has also done wardrobe work for the Rockettes, the American Ballet Theatre, and movies filmed in the Detroit area.  Laurie will tell you the story that brought her to Michigan Opera Theatre and talk us through how costumes come to the stage – from conception through the construction process.  She will bring some examples to share with our group.  Don’t miss this prelude to our field trip to her workroom at the Detroit Opera House.