Claudia Hermansen
As Thanksgiving approaches, I am thankful for all the SaddleBrooke sewing groups. There are many, but here are the few I am involved with.
Craft Room 4 is buzzing along with sewers on Monday mornings and afternoons, Tuesday mornings and afternoons, and Saturday afternoons, led by Judy Hans who taught free sewing lessons at several local schools to both girls and boys from third grade through high school in the Teens Sew Cool program.
The Needlecraft Group, which meets on Mondays and Saturdays from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., is where you can participate, teach, and show off a finished projects using needlepoint, cross-stitch, hardanger, hand embroidery, knitting, or crocheting, or learn something new.
The Sews and Sews have been very busy making large, sturdy, pretty bags for charity organizations that help homeless women and new immigrant women and children. They make stuffed animals for the children to hug and love in their new environment.
In the past two months, Judy was able to take 20 bags to Sister José Women’s Center for homeless women needing something to hold clothing and personal-needs items. She also took six bags and 10 stuffed animals to IMPACT and 15 stuffed animals to Casa de los Niños for foster children to hug and keep as their own. Twenty-one more animals will be going to Theresa Collins for distribution at the Pima County Health Department! Judy’s small army of sewers has been busy! If you have time on your hands and want to learn (or relearn) sewing skills and be helpful to others, come join us. We have the sewing machines, materials, and all supplies necessary to have fun doing for others. Sew (pun intended), come and join a group of friendly women as they sew, stitch, laugh, and share life’s experiences.
For more info on the above three groups, contact Judith Hans at 520-818-3285 or [email protected].
The SaddleBrooke Machine Embroidery Club meets twice a month on the second and fourth Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon Machine embroiderers meet to discuss what they are doing with their big machines: making gifts for family, home decorations, and charity groups. Sometimes they have a demo using a small, home-type embroidery machine, but they always have Show & Tell, and they discuss the new innovations in design, fabric, stabilizer, thread, and the increasing size and technology of newer, expensive home embroidery machines, which are too heavy to bring to the club. The technology now includes using printers and fabric cutters for applique and quilting! The technology keeps our brains healthy by learning new techniques.
This group is eager to welcome anyone interested in learning the skill of machine embroidery and getting assistance with software, design digitizing, and new products on the market. Most of our members are also quilters and belong to the SaddleBrooke Friday Quilting Group, which meets every Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. Who knew one could sew quilts on an embroidery machine?!
Christmas is just around the corner. Learn how to make beautiful gifts from your heart and machine.