2025 - May Newsletter

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT AT OUR ANNUAL GALA!

Tickets and Sponsorships Now Available
Join us for The Sewing Labs' Annual Gala Fundraiser, an inspiring evening celebrating creativity, community, and second chances stitched with purpose. This signature event is more than a fundraiser. It is a heartfelt celebration of our mission to empower individuals through the textile arts.

Sponsor Deck and Opportunities:
To request a Sponsor Deck or learn more about sponsorship options, please email fundraising@thesewinglabs.org

Get Your Gala Tickets!

 

Looking to Take a Class? Check out our Current Calendar!

Looking to Take a Class? Check out our Current Calendar!

Click Here to See Our Current Classes!

 

Your Contributions Help Support our Students and Community!

Your Contributions Help Support our Students and Community!

Click Here to Donate!

 

A Message from the CEO

Dear Friends,

Summer is heating up, and so is the excitement at The Sewing Labs!

We're thrilled to announce that tickets and sponsorships are now available for our annual gala. This is our biggest event of the year and a critical fundraiser that helps fuel our mission. Whether you're a longtime supporter or a first-time attendee, this is your chance to celebrate community, creativity, and impact. Grab your seat at the table, or better yet, become a sponsor and help us stitch together a brighter future.

If you're headed to the Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival, be sure to stop by Booth #1610 and say hello. We'll be showcasing the artistry of our students, promoting our quilting programs and services, and sharing how you can get involved, whether you're a quilter, a donor, or just quilt curious.

And we're not stopping there. Our Summer Workshop Series kicks off this month with a fresh lineup of fun, hands-on classes for all skill levels. It's the perfect time to try something new, sharpen your skills, or bring a friend along for some creative connection.

Thanks for being part of our vibrant and growing community. Together, we're sewing change, one stitch, one story, one student at a time.

With Gratitude,

Robyn Kerkaert
CEO, The Sewing Labs

 

We have sew many workshops happening in June! Click on the links to learn more and sign up for one of our Summer Sewing Fun workshops!

T(ransformation) Shirts: Wednesday, June 11th, 5:30-8PM

This will be a great class aimed at those who want some new clothes, are interested in upcycling, and learning to sew with knits!

Rainbow Roll Up Pencil/Marker Carrying Case: Tuesday, June 17th, 10:00AM - 12:30PM

In this workshop, you'll sew your very own Roll Up Art Supply Case designed to hold markers, colored pencils, brushes, or other creative tools.

Flying with Front Flys: Wednesdays, June 25th-July 9th, 5:30-8PM

Ever wanted to make a Front Fly Zipper? Not sure what a Front Fly Zipper is? It looks way more complicated than it is. We'll show you the tricks to making it a piece of cake to sew.

Mini Mending Kit: Friday, June 27th, 5:30-8:30PM

This mending kit puts the fun in FUNctional and is perfect for on the go sewing emergencies.

Our instructors have been working hard to come up with some awesome workshops for you. Do you have workshop ideas that you would like to see us offer at the Sewing Labs? Let us know by filling out our super short quiz!

Take Our Quiz!

 

Quilter's Corner

Find us at the Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival! We will be at booth #1610 our booth will be located in the Quilt Exhibition South Concourse.

If you want to learn how to use the Longarm to finish your quilts, our next Longarm Quilting Operator Training is on Wednesday, June 4th 10am-1pm.

Speaking of Longarm machines, we have exciting news! We are getting a Gammel retrofit for our hand guided Longarm very soon!

Our Quilt Auction was a great success! Thank you all so much for supporting our Quilting program with your generous bids! If you won a quilt in the quilt auction, please look out for an email from Givebutter.

 

Sign Up

 

There are still spots available for our Summer Sewing Camps for Youth!

Threadventures is filling up! Grab a spot while they last.

 

For confident beginners

Sign Up for July 21st -25th

 

Community Service Sewing: Navigation Bags, Walker Bags and Children's Activity Bags

We have kits available for Cass County Navigation Bags, and Saint Lukes Walker Bags and Children's Activity Bags. Come pick up a kit and lend your sewing skills to a good cause! Kits are available for pick up during our normal business hours Monday through Friday 9am to 3pm.

2025 - May Newsletter

Do you have a sewing-related question? In our new column, 'Ask Zelma,' we will do our best to address your stitching queries.

Zelma can be reached at editor@thesewinglabs.org.

Dear Zelma,

I am just starting to sew my own clothes using commercial sewing patterns, the biggest issue I am having is with the sizing. I feel confident that I am taking my measurements correctly, but my finished garments are coming out way too big. What am I missing? Am I the problem? Please help!

Sincerely,
Pattern Problems

Dear Pattern Problems,

I hear you! This is a problem that many sewists face. There are a few things going on here that I will attempt to break down: Patterns have something called ease built into them, what this means is that there are a few extra inches added to the width of the pattern pieces to help you to be able to move freely in your finished garment. The issue with this is they tend to add too much ease, 4 inches or more, which can make your finished garment come out baggy. I have found this to be especially true with the major pattern brands like Simplicity.

Knowing that patterns do not always fit true to size, there are a few things that can help you determine what the finished size will be. Pattern envelopes will sometime include finished garment measurements, which can be helpful if they tell you how many inches the bust/chest, waist and hips will end up. You can compare the finished measurements to your measurements knowing that you want those measurement to be at least an inch or two bigger than your body measurements for a fitted garment, but if it is a loose or flowy garment there will be significantly more ease built in for the style, which can complicate things.

One way to really know how a garment will fit is to make a mockup. You can make your mockup out of muslin, an old set of sheets, any other inexpensive fabric, or fabric from your stash that is not precious to you. When you make your mockup, you don't need to worry about doing any seam finishes, or sewing it beautifully, the point is to put something together quickly so you can try it on and adjust the fit and see if you need to size up or down based on how your mockup fits.

I hope knowing that you are not the problem helps you feel less discouraged. There are some independent pattern makers out there who do a better job with their sizing than the big box brands. Like anything you buy online, I encourage you to read the reviews and once you find the pattern makers that you like and whose sizing fits your body well, stick with them.

Happy sewing,
Zelma