We are delighted to welcome Sara Trail to our guild this month for a two-part online workshop and lecture! Sara Trail learned to sew at the young age of four, and is now a successful author, sewing teacher, and pattern and fabric designer. At age 13, she wrote a nationally published book, “Sew with Sara” that teaches teens and tweens how to sew cute clothes and accessories for fun and profit; then at 15, she starred in a nationally published DVD, “Cool Stuff to Sew with Sara.” While attending UC Berkeley, she created a quilt in memory of Trayvon Martin and her love for sewing and passion for social justice intertwined. After graduating from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, she founded the Social Justice Sewing Academy (SJSA) to be a platform where youth create art that engages and educates communities.
SJSA “Artivist” Workshop: What issues are important to you? How do you represent your ideas in textile art? Join us for a two-part workshop series with the Social Justice Sewing Academy! On July 10, Sara will lead us in learning about issues, engage us in meaningful conversation, and inspire us to use textile art to communicate our ideas in fabric. Then we’ll have a week to design and make a quilt block representing an issue important to us OR to make a quilt block using one of the free patterns provided on the SJSA website. These blocks will be made into a community quilt using the same process that SJSA uses in their workshops with students around the nation. Your block will be embroidered by volunteers, pieced into a quilt top, quilted, and shown. You will write an artist’s statement to accompany your block on it’s journey.
On July 17, we’ll gather to continue to learn and discuss, offering each other feedback on our block concepts and getting started on the construction. We will talk more about the community quilt process and other projects that SJSA offers. You will have one week after the second meeting to complete your block and submit your artist’s statement. You will then be assigned an embroidery partner to mail your block to.
The workshop is open to as many as 60 participants, so there should be plenty of space for everyone, but it will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis so don’t wait too long to sign up! It’s open to current Chicago Modern Quilt Guild members AND non-members/guests, so please share and invite your friends.
When: Saturday July 10 and Saturday July 17, 2021, from 1pm-4pm CDT
Registration fee: $15 or $20 (Pay the amount you are comfortable with.) The entire fee will be donated to the Social Justice Sewing Academy
Location: Zoom SIGN UP HERE!
Lecture: On Sunday, July 18, during our regular guild meeting, Sara will discuss the Social Justice Sewing Academy and the organization’s work using textile art as a vehicle to empower youth and give a voice to their stories. Non-members are welcome to attend the meeting and lecture for a $10 fee. Contact membership@chicagomqg.com if you’d like to attend as a guest.
All meetings are 2-5 pm on the third Sunday of the month, unless otherwise noted.
This month’s meeting is on JULY 18, via Zoom.
Meeting location:
Rush Oak Park Hospital
Centennial Room
520 S. Maple Ave Oak Park, Il 60304
A list of our meetings can be found here.
Not a member, but would like to be? Click the button below to join our Guild!
We hope to see you there!