Senior Girl Scout Troop 4715

The Textile Arts Interest Project Patch

Laura, Karen, Brittany, and Maria - complete

Crystal, Callie, and Jessie - partial

Skill Builders

#2 Our friend Alicia Long, who is a weaver, came with us on a camping trip October 21-23, 2005. Alicia helped us to use natural dyes to dye pillow covers. The dyes we used were alkanet (the funny grey that wasn't supposed to be grey), brazilwood (the red/pink) and osage orange (the yellow). We made extra pillow covers for Jessie and Callie, who were not able to come camping.

#3 Laura is really good at crochet. During the October camping trip we learned to make Granny Squares, which are harder than they look. Each of us made one, and we are thinking about creating an afghan to donate to a hospital, but it may be too big a project for us to complete. In January Laura competed in a Fastest Crochet contest at our neighborhood Michaels. She won first place in fastest crochet and second in fastest knitter.

#5 At our October 7, 2005, meeting we made quillows from fleece fabric to send as midterm comfort to the girls in our troop who graduated last year and went away to college this fall. We used quilting techniques to make the quillows, which originated as a type of quilt. Rotary cutters and mat were used to cut the fabric, and we used a quilter’s sewing machine to sew the pocket to the body of the fleece blanket. Several of us had never used a sewing machine before, but this turned out not to be too hard. Everyone was present and everybody helped.

Technology

#3 On May 6, 2006 we visited Susan Nease of Nease’s Needlework in Decatur. Her shop is devoted to hand crafts, and we talked with her about how technology has transformed even such hand crafts as knitting, needlepoint, and crochet. We also learned a lot about technology and politics in the yarn industry. Karen, Brittany, Laura, and Maria were present, and we met a new friend, a Juliette named Katie.

Service Project

Our We decided to make plushies to donate to DeKalb County Fire Station #19, which

Own is in our neighborhood. The EMT’s use them when an injured child is being transported. During our Misty Mountain camping trip February 10-12, 2006, Crystal, Laura, Karen, Brittany, Callie, and Jessie made fifteen bears, bunnies, and puppies, sewing them either by hand or machine from several patterns, stuffing them with fiberfill, and decorating them with eyes and bows. Maria had to miss the camping trip because she was staffing a youth retreat at Camp Mikell, but she made another bear for our donation. Captain Boozer at Station 19 says that the EMT’s would be happy to have our bears, and Callie, Laura, and Maria helped bring our critters to the Station on Friday, April 28, 2006. We took pictures that we will send in to the Council Office

Career Exploration

#3 Each of us has taken home her natural-dye pillow cover, and each of us has different plans for decorating it further. At our April 14 meeting we had a pillow fashion show to see what techniques everyone is using. Karen has chosen appliqué. Maria is doing embroidery, Crystal and Callie are using digital photos printed on fabric with a laser printer and applied to their pillow covers. Britanny is going minimal with a tiny design in the corner, and Laura is going maximum with a ruffled edge trimmed with lace and braid and a digital photo transfer.

#4 During our October 21-23, 2005 camping trip, Alicia Long told us about her education (she is ABD in Chemistry) and how it contributes to her textile arts. While we were dying our pillow covers, Alicia also dyed some yarn that she will use in other projects. She has had booths at crafts fairs, and she told us how much work goes into creating the projects, packing them, setting up booths, and dealing with customers.

When we visited Susan Nease on May 6, we asked her how she became a needlework shop owner, how she learned to run the shop, what she does to stock the shop, and how she handles sales. Her shop does a lot more than selling yarns, instruction books, and kits. Not only does she do finishing work and framing for her customers, but she holds classes and other social-business events, advises clients, and trains her staff.

During our February 10-12, 2006, camping trip we learned about a crafts business that has been started over the past two years by one of our college adult members. Anne Callaway makes costumes for people at Berry College and in her LARP group. She’s made several for herself, her brother, and various friends who buy the materials and hire her to sew what they want. She also makes "sleeves" for the foam covered weapons they use in the LARP events.