ASG Conference 2008 - Part 1

The conference this year was in Chicago and was probably one of the best ever. I got into very few of my first choice classes but that did not stop me from enjoying those classes I did get to attend. The conference started Thursday evenng with the opening of the vendor area. After a full day poking around Chicago I was unprepared to spend much time fighting the crowd to really see what was being offered. There is always an elcelctic mix of vendors, from the Toronto based Wool House to a small booth for Melissa Brown's 'Fitting it all Together' Newsletter. I lasted about 10 minutes but others spent the whole two hour preview time shopping until they dropped. I did hear that there was some excitement at Louise Cutting's booth of wonderful fabrics when a couple of shoppers argued over who would get a particular piece of fabric. Chill pills were distributed and shopping continued uninterupted.

The next day the real business of the conference began. One thing about ASG, the food is usually fabulous and is included in the price of admission. Friday morning's breakfast included presentations for things like Chapter and Member of the Year. I missed most of the presentations as I slept in a little but I heard that niether the Houston Chapter nor its members received awards. My first class was with Melissa Brown on 'Embellishments to Flatter Your Figure". I left class early as it didn't seem that she was saying anything more than 'don't put bullseyes on your boobs'. I was still recovering from a bad bout of allergies so that may have colored my view a little. Tammy O'Connell taught my next class. It was called 'Leather Logic' and we spent most of the time learning about natural and synthetic leathers and their uses. We also made a little suede flower just to get a little feel of working with suede. I first ran across Tammy at the International Quilt Festival a few years ago and I was amazed how her business has grown. Lunch included a speech by Patti Palmer as the Keynote Address. It seemd like it was one big advertisement for her work and her daughter's new venture. I bailed on this one as well so I could take a little nap.

After lunch I attended a lecture/trunk show by Linda Macphee of the Macphee Workshop. I love Linda and have followed her for about 15 years. Unfortunately, most of what she showed and talked about I have seen and heard before so the whole thing sounded like one big commercial for her products. Also, although Linda does have a loud voice, I became exhausted just trying to hear her asides to other members of the audience. Note to self: the next time a teacher rejects a mic, bail immeadiately before your head bursts from straining to catch every word. Dinner was on our own and the day ended with the member style show. Several Houston Chapter members showed some terrific garments. I left a little early as I couldn't calm my cough but I understand that all the garments were photographed. When they get posted I will direct you to some of the best garments.

Saturday began with a wonderful breakfast buffet and I pigged out on eggs, bacon, home fries and croissants.YUM! My first class that morning was with Marla Kazell. The title of the talk was 'Fabric Collage Jacket' and I have no memory of it. I must have been dozing after that huge breakfast. The next lecture was by Londa Rolfing on Design Principles. I loved this class as she presented a lot of information we should know in an entertaining and insightful manner. We had a professional make-up artist in the audience who added a lot of good information as well. One tidbit I remember is that you can't go wrong wearing a garment that matches your original hair color ... who knew! Most of her garments use sweatshirts as the base for incredible embellishment and they all should be in my closet!

Well, that's all for now. Tomorrow I will try to sum up the rest of the conference.

Stay tuned!