Greece resident Kathy Healey is the current President of the Rochester Chapter of the American Sewing Guild. A member of the guild since 1991, Healey is one of seven daughters, all taught to sew by their mother. She started sewing at the age of eight, and has enjoyed a lifelong love of the art form. Healey has a Bachelor of Science degree in Consumer and Family Studies from Buffalo State College, and a Masters of Science in Health Science from the College at Brockport.
After Healey’s kids were raised, she decided it was time to get more involved in the sewing guild, she said, “I was just getting more involved and then the pandemic started. I learned all about Zoom meetings and the value of staying in touch throughout the pandemic.”
According to their website, “The American Sewing Guild (ASG) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to people who believe sewing is a rewarding and creative activity.” The Rochester chapter of the American Sewing Guild is one of many chapters that make up the organization which is supported through membership, and is committed to their mission of advancing sewing as an art and life skill. ASG offers something for every level of sewing experience, with both in person and virtual meetings, classes and events, on a local and national level. Membership benefits include local meetings, a video library, weekly emails, shopping discounts, online classes an annual conference and more. This year the Annual Conference will be held June 30-July 3, 2022 in San Antonio, Texas.
Locally, the Rochester chapter of ASG consists of several Neighborhood Groups and Special Interest Groups including Byron-Bergen, Brighton-Henrietta, Gates, Greece, and Webster. Special Interest Groups include an Embroidery Group and the Great Garment Group. Members are welcome to attend any neighborhood or special interest group meeting.
Another function of the ASG groups is community service projects. Kathy Healey said, “During the pandemic we continued to meet on Zoom. We made kits to make masks. To keep our distance, I put two bins on my front porch, one with the kits and when members completed the mask kit, they placed the finished masks in the second bin. They were then distributed to frontline workers. Each group decides what their community service project will be. We have made ice pack covers for Golisano Children’s Hospital, duffle bags and pillowcases for the Villa of Hope, chemotherapy hats for cancer patients, and we made 50 skirts for Afghanistan women refugees that were donated to clothing closets. The Afghan women were not able to find skirts that were long enough to serve their purpose, we were able to make just what they needed.”
The individual groups are also involved in teaching the art of sewing to the younger generation, it is very important to pass on the skills that they have learned to young people. ASG groups meet once a month with area 4-H groups.
Each year the ASG Rochester Chapter hosts a “Stitch Camp” where women spend an overnight working on projects of their choice. “I have been in the group for 30 years, and yet, I find I am still learning from the other members each time we gather. At Stitch Camp we are able to share our ideas, learn about each other’s sewing machines and projects and enjoy the company of like minded friends,” Healey said.
The Rochester Chapter also hosts an Annual Fabric and Notions Sale, which this year will be held on Saturday, April 9th. They also publish a newsletter called The Fabric Bolt reporting on the individual groups, their projects and current sewing trends and new ideas.
The ASG Rochester Chapter currently has 113 members that come from all over Monroe and neighboring counties. Membership benefits include unlimited access to a library of over 150 online sewing classes and projects, discounts on sewing products and services, articles, weekly email newsletters and more.
For more information on becoming an ASG member visit www.asgrochester-ny.org.
Greece resident, Kathy Healey, is the current President of the Rochester Chapter of the American Sewing Guild.
