The most northerly reaches of the ASG Chicago Chapter is home to the aptly-named Neighborhood Group Running in Stitches. They get together in Lindenhurst on the first Thursday of every month at 7:00 p.m. One definitely does need to run to keep up with its members.
The leader of this energetic group is Celeste, who describes herself as a Home Fashions Fabricator and Sewing Educator, which omits the facts that she also creates great garments and quilts. As if that weren’t enough, Celeste is an active blogger (http://sewmuchfun-creationsbyceleste.blogspot.com) and a marathon runner. It’s enough to leave us lesser mortals breathless.
On a recent visit to a meeting, Susan and I had the fun of experiencing the group’s annual charity auction. The idea is brilliant in its simplicity. Members bring items they no longer need, some sewing-related and some not. “Paddles” constructed of round paper plates (dessert sized) mounted on popsicle sticks with a number written in the center are distributed and a member records bids and tallies the totals owed. The auctioneer adds wit and fun to the proceedings and bidding sometimes gets very competitive! The hottest item of the evening was a collection of vintage handkerchiefs that one member had in her basement “forever” and didn’t think anyone would want. Not only was this evening fun for everyone, but it raised over $500 to benefit The Sewing Machine Project and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Well done!
The Lindenhurst Neighborhood Group does tireless community service work for many organizations throughout the year. Most recently, to participate in ASG’s national community service project for this year, nine members made 28 blankets donated to Project Linus.
