Sewing Classes at Asilomar in 2005 with Jane Foster

Jane Foster is a sewing teacher in the San Francisco East Bay Area.  Her studio is in Walnut Creek, CA.

Jane, Sharon, Ellen, Vicki, and Betty all enjoying being together. 

Betty had a great time at our retreat.  She made a colorful blue/purple jacket, worked on a star quilt, finished up some projects, and got instruction on her new serger.  She really had a great time!!  What a wonderful world we would have if everyone had such a big heart.

Cotton batik with raw edges. 

Sharon worked on a green/blue wedge shaped vest inspired by Yvonne Porcella.  Jane's fitting and design expertise made this a real fun piece.

She also made a red vest that turned out wonderful with the help of everyone.  Vicki helped select the trim, Jane helped placing the trim, and Debbie S used free motion stitching to sew it on.   So wonderful to have everyone willing to share their talents and bring about a stunning result! 

Also note the design and cutting tables behind Sharon. 

 

Jane was able to get a wonderful sewing room for us.  The Surf and Sand building is not always available.  It has a large room with 3 walls of windows and is surrounded by a wooden deck.  We enjoyed seeing a doe and her two babies eating the vegatation right out from the windows.  Some of the tables had views of the ocean.

 

 

Carrie worked till late at night on all her projects.  Below is the finished piece she made from an antique silk kimono.  She applied silk circles of coordinating fabrics, and ran bias bands through and around the circles in a technique inspired by the work of Koos Van Den Akker. 

Meals were all served in a dining hall that could accomadate 850 people.  Here Vicki is serving up soup.  After the main course, each meal had delicious deserts.  We sometimes took a tray of them with us for our evening snacks....especially when they were chocolate and Traci was there to get the waiters to give us a carry-out box!!

 

 

Traci was one of the early risers...often busy sewing before breakfast....and then staying late at night.  She took a break though to go running by the ocean in the afternoons.  What energy!  Her laugh made us all smile.

 

 

 

She made several garments including a beautiful blue silk fitted jacket.  Look now nicely Jane made this fit.  This jacket was difficult for a beginning sewer, but Traci persevered and it looks great!

Jackie is truly amazing.  One of her first projects was to remake a maternity top made from a beautiful blue silk.  Jane helped her with the redesigning and fit, and within a few hours she had a new blouse that was really good looking.  Then she decided to make a bias skirt, but didn't have a pattern.  So Jane gave us all a lesson in draping to make a bias skirt using Jackie's dress form.  Very interesting to watch.  Again, in no time at all, Jackie has a new bias skirt.  Jackie's attention to detail is very interesting to observe.  Look at the Chanel jacket on her dress form that she finished at Asilomar.  Perfectly fitted by Jane, this garment looks like it cost a million dollars!  Jackie not only can sew fast and professionally, but she also brings joy to the group.

Debbie made a "snippet" bouquet of flowers the first evening at Asilomar.  She ironed Wonder Under to the backs of some fabric pieces, snipped off sections, and when everything was placed, just ironed it down.  Debbie appreciated Jane's suggestions on design.

Debbie is another lady that takes a project, and within a short time it is done and she is on to other things.  What a fun lady to be around, and so willing to share of herself.  She sure added a spark to the group.  And what a beautiful smile!

We went to a fabric shop in Pacific Grove called Back Porch.  They had a quilt exhibit there, including a quilt by Rosemary Eichorn and several other people.  Debbie saw a Lone Star quilt, and decided to make one.  After a bit of figuring out sizing and fabric, she sat down to cut it out and sew it up.  All this piecing and perfect 1/4" seams, and matching seams was nothing to her.  Within a morning she had the quilt top made.  And it was beautiful.  Here it is.

Look at how the purple fabric with the circles by Kaffe Fasset adds to the overall interest of the quilt.  Debbie experimented and found this fabric couldn't be omitted. 

Ellen worked on a summer weight cotton jacket that just suited her.  Several other people tried on her jacket, and it was interesting that it looked good on all of them, but it took on a whole new character on each new person.   Watch for the picture.

Group photo in dining hall of ladies sewing with Jane for 3 days.  Sally, Laura, Vicki, Vicki, Sharon, Debbie, and Jackie. 

Jane, Vicki, and Sally

Sally and her friend Vicki brought their bikes to Asilomar, and were able to fit in a few bike rides in between their sewing time.  Sally is keeping in shape for a triathalon she is entering, and this really paid off when she put on a beige silk dress with white polka dots and spaghetti straps she made.  The dress was form fitting to the hips and then flared out.  She looked so beautiful in her dress, and is considering making a shawl to go with it from some white silk she got at Thai Silk on the way down to Asilomar.  Sally also worked on a reddish jacket with an oriental influence.  Hopefully we will get some pictures of the finished pieces.

Vicki thoroughly enjoyed being at Asilomar.  She worked on several new tops, cut out some projects, and started a new pair of slacks made out of a slinky fabric....and this was all in between bikes rides and walks along the beach.

Debbie, Vicki, and Laura

Vicki made a silk summer dress that is unbelievably beautiful and beautifully made.  The precision sewing is something you really have to admire.  Jane gave Vicki a lesson on sewing on buttons.   Vicki put the buttons on perfectly.  Each stitch is in the right place, and the threads on the back loop are perfectly lined up...all parallel to the next thread!!!  Amazing.    All the top stitching, bias tape, etc. is so well done.   There is not a stitch out of place.   Every detail was examined and perfected.  Of course Jane fitted the dress to Vicki so that it is indeed a work of art.  And Vicki looks so pretty in this dress too.  It is just perfect for her.  You can see that how Jane influenced Vicki on fabric color is working out wonderfully.  So great to see all the techniques Jane teaches come together in one garment so beautifully.