February 13, 2025 ZOOM
Introduction
Leah opened the meeting with a land acknowledgement.
Housekeeping
Leah provided a brief overview of the calendar of meetings, noting that next month’s meeting returns to in-person and hybrid (hopefully no snow storms!) and noting that March doesn’t follow the usual schedule and will be the third Thursday due to March break.
Workshops
Feb 15: Leather Mitt Workshop - full!
Bring a thimble, and a pair of pliers if you have hand or mobility issues to get the needle through three layers of leather.
March 15 - Free Free Fit workshop with Paddye Mann, local renowned sewing expert.
Doing slacks sewing support group and third meeting will be the fitting session.
Start at 10am, everyone show up and can watch everyone else. She will stay however long it takes.
Registration will open up and will send out via email.
Last call for Hintonburg Fabric Flea market.
Members can pay for full, half or third of a table. No finished products.
Sew-Ins & Events
In person on April 19. Not on the square store yet.
Zoom coming up on Sunday (Feb 16) and another on March 23.
Community Events
Stich, Hook & Knit social on Tuesdays, run by member River. Link to register: www.ottawaeastcag.org/stitch-hook-knit-social
Art social at the National Art Gallery
Bring any type of art, fourth Sunday of every month
Free childcare! Ages 18 months - 10 years
Meeting - Hari Kuyo: A Practice of Gratitude
Annual festival in Japan. A specific practice of gratitude for sewing.
Today’s talk will look at the festival and also the core idea of gratitude.
Four aspects of Hari Kuyo
Honouring the broken needles: The festival pays homage to the sewing needles that broke during the past year, recognizing their invaluable contribution to the craft. With animism, needles are a being to thank.
Praying for improvement.
Symbolic rituals. Broken needles placed in tofu where it is safe for the needle, not just for people. They have festivals in both big and small temples and personal altars.
Ancient traditions and belief systems: Hari Kuyō reflects the animist tradition of attributing souls to objects, showcasing the deep-rooted cultural beliefs and practices of the region.
The blessings from teh broken needle will go back to the person who used it.
When you think more deeply of things you’re using it can bring a deeper level to your practice.
Honouring our tools provides a tangible outlet for your gratitude. To look at your own efforts or serendipity that it has brought to you, important for your mental health.
Thinking more carefully of what we are buying and how we are using it, we can take ourselves outside the capitalist mindset, realizing that you and your sewing needle are a team, being grateful that you know how to use it, you can replace it when you need to, dispose it safely,and pull together ideas to ground yourself in your practice.
So next time you break a needle trying to sew a zipper into jeans, taking time to acknowledge relationship in to your tools, not just getting angry, taking time to reflect can help our mental health.
Personal rituals can be incorporated to practice gratitude for the tools we use, don’t need to wait for a festival.
In the chat, a member noted that they were SO happy to think and talk about my Sewing Machine this past weekend, and then to book an appointment for it to be.
Laura-Lee puts stickers on her sewing machine.
In the chat others noted that it can be practiced through making sure scissors are sharpened, not cursing at* the machine, keeping tools in good shape, using the right tools for the job - e.g. hand sewing needles are important.
Renee made a magnetic ceramic dish (by putting magnets in the clay) to collect old needles and then dispose in a sharps container. Another member used scotch tape and disposed of them in a can.
Leah noted that the Guild used to bring a sharps container to meetings.
Kim noted that you can put them in an old pill bottle and put them in the garbage. She also tapes half used needles with washi tape on the machine with what kind they are to use again.
Laura mentioned that most City of Ottawa facilities, like the library, have sharps disposals. However, Johanna noted that they don't like them in the biohazard sharp containers because those are disposed of in a particular way that I think is expensive and not necessary. You can put them in anything puncture proof and throw in the garbage.
Another member uses a thrifted salt shaker that I put my broken needles and pins in. Eventually I'll seal the top and put the container in the trash.
Sewing SOS
Breanna is making a midi-pencil skirt. Can’t find a pattern online, so is making her own. The back looks good but the front is puckering it. Darts? Making it out of a rigid cotton.
Laura-Lee made a Sew Over It Ultimate pencil skirt that was puckering even with darts. Turns out she needed to lengthen the darts. So play around with the placement and length of darts.
France likes Burda patterns - instead of having vertical darts, it has a triangular piece so it will mold to the front better than vertically.
Breanna wonders if horizontal/triangular darts might work better than vertical.
Discord.
Chloe asked about adjustments to pants riding down. The suggestions were adding a yoke or a full seat adjustment. There’s too much fabric - they ride down both standing and sitting. Went back to her tailor yesterday and will try her suggestions. Leah pointed out that Paddye would be a good resource. France noted that the crotch length is not related to height - so the pattern could be too short even if drafted for someone taller. Tailor suggested shortening the back crotch curve at the tip and too much fabric at the back, narrow thigh.
Richard asked for ideas on keeping a button down shirt closed before buttons added. Suggestions included double-sided tape, safety pins and staples (but worries about creating runs in the fabric). Basting the placket closed is another option.
OGGPOM - Grateful for you!
Make time to reflect on your tools, and thank them for their help. Organize, clean, and sharpen the tools you use and think about how different tools serve you in your sewing goals.
Sew & Tell
January OGGPOM - Hidden Treasure
River - colour blocked sleeves, used entirely from remnants in her stash.
Aminime - test bathing suit, the Poppy by edgewater avenue with shelf bra. Without bra, it’s reversible. Used fabric from Kate’s stash.
Jessica - copied a dress with Coco (take workshop! It was fantastic) but realized that the side panels are put on wrong when she went to hem. Left Hand side photo - the Tie dress with the sleeves. Reversible.
Margie - made at the Art Gallery event, drafted her own pair of underwear and used remnants from her stash.
Chloé - pants. Latest on her same pattern. Wool with black and pink zigzag, a bit scratchy - needs an underlayer. From Atex fabric in Vancouver. Hidden button up fly. But a bit thick with all the layers of wool. Added triangles in side seams so fabric would collect at sides, so the back is smooth.
Next meeting - March 20, 2025 (back to hybrid!)
