AUGUST 2026 MEETING

Meetings will be held at
Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11TH

1 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.

Mary Kay (Eckberg) Rott

I am a Wichita native and a graduate of Bishop Carroll Catholic High School and the University of Kansas. I learned to sew in my 20’s and my favorite is using scraps to make something from “nothing”. My grandparents were all involved with textiles and I think I inherited my love of fabric from them.

I have been a GoCreate Textiles Mentor, teaching others to use the computerized Gammill-Statler, since March 2019. My husband Chris and I have been married for 46 years and are blessed with five children and 17 grandchildren, ranging from 21 years to just 6 months old. My favorite thing is watching a quilt top that has waited patiently to be finished and finally come to life—especially when it is a cherished family heirloom. We look forward to sharing our obsession with scraps and what we do with them with all of you.

Therese Wescott

I grew up in Wichita, and my earliest memory of sewing, probably at age six, was tying the threads off on my mom’s sewing project. I remember thinking: “couldn’t these threads be longer?!” My mom was always happy to let me experiment with the sewing machine and her scraps.

After making doll clothes for years, I moved on to clothing and added to my knowledge through a generous teacher in 4-H. When you sew garments, you generate scraps, and I was always interested in using these “free” materials.

I’m married to my husband of almost 47 years, Mike. We are blessed with six children, all married with families. We have 21 grandchildren; the oldest is 16 years, and the current youngest is one month, and another on the way. All reasons for more sewing! Mary Kay and I met shortly after our husbands had finished grad school, more than forty years ago. I have known her longer than I have known half of my children! Both of us had small children and not much money to spend. We had dinner and family time together; we shared ideas on creating gifts and activities for kids. After our children were older, we began sewing together, on most Tuesdays, probably for the last 12-15 years.