Sunday, June 1, 2008

June 21 Projects

New Days and Hours: 1st Saturday of every month, we will cut out fabric. No sewing, just cutting. The 3rd Saturday of every month, we will sew, sew, sew!! New Hours from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm on both the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month in my home.

FREE FABRIC!! On Sunday, June 22 from 1:00 to 3:00 at the Trinity United Methodist Church in Hummelstown, we will have free fabric available to everyone, especially those who sew for charity!! Please come and bring some friends! We have donations of fabric that aren't appropriate for our projects that we'd like to share -- if you have fabric you can no longer use, this would be a great place to get it into the hands of other sewers who would love to have it. Whatever is left over will go to the United Methodist Mission Central, and will be distributed throughout the U.S.

SEWIN' SISTERS SOWING IN THE SUN. Saturday, August 16th from 11:00 to 3:00 we will have our 1st Sewin' Sisters Sowing in the Sun. We will set up our machines and sew in the beautiful sidewalk area in front of the Swatara Township building, 599 Eisenhower Blvd. We hope the media will be there to draw attention to what charity needle arts groups are doing in our region, and recruit new sewers and volunteers. Even if you are unable to sew that day, we hope you will come and hang out with us! There is NO RAIN DATE. If it is raining, we'll sew in my home as usual.

JUST SEW YOU KNOW: Sunday, August 17th from 9:00 to 11:00 a few of the Sewin' Sisters will host the coffee hour at Trinity United Methodist Church as a thank you for their constant support of our ministry. They have graciously allowed us to use their facility many times, at no charge, and have even set up all the tables and chairs for every function we've had there. They have put information about our events in their church bulletins and newsletters. They truly embody what a community church is all about. In this small way, we hope to recognize the Trinity United Methodist Church for all the help they have been to us over the past two years.

SEWING MORE SMOCKS. In June we will continue to concentrate on sewing smocks for the Salvation Army's various arts and crafts projects. We use men's long sleeved button down shirts. Cut off the collar and neck band, bind the neck edge with bias tape, cut off the cuffs, finish the edges of the sleeves, turn up the cuffs 1/2" to form a casing, and insert 1/4" elastic (9" long), lap placket and stitch closed. VERY simple and quick to do. We will also continue to sew summer weight baby blankets for Morning Star, and walker bags, and wash cloths for Salvation Army's Senior visitation programs.

The Bethesda Mission needs 88 twin bed blankets before the weather turns cold. Through our partnership with Salvation Army, we will be able to fill this need by using the bedspreads donated to them by Hershey Hotel. We will need to get started on this project by July. So please stop by and pick up some bedspreads and I'll show you what to do. It's a VERY easy project, though it will take a lot of thread.

WE NEED 1/4" elastic and single fold bias tape in all colors to make the smocks for Salvation Army. We also need lots of forest green thread to make the blankets for the Bethesda Mission. If you have some you'd like to donate, we'd love to have it! Thanks!

We are finishing up the drawstring bags for Hershey Medical Center's Pediatric Bereavement Program. We hope to deliver them by mid-June. Thanks to all of you who have sewn these bags and prayed for the families who will receive them. Also, this week we will meet with the Director of Volunteers at Pinnacle Health to get their feedback on the two fabric books we designed and created to be used by stroke and head trauma victims. We are very proud of them, and hope they get a "thumbs up" from the folks at Pinnacle Health. We'll keep you posted . . .

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Marvelous May's Amazing Total: 739

May 2008: Morning Star: 54 baby washcloths, 15 baby gowns, 17 infant pants, 4 baby blankets, 10 pair pjs, 212 bibs. Salvation Army: 44 adults/child’s smocks, 3 child’s smocks, 24 disaster bags, 8 child’s aprons, 31 summer camp tote bags, 4 dishcloths, 1 washcloth slippers, 10 wash mitts, 24 dishtowels, 72 washcloths, 20 child’s pj sets, 10 nightgowns, 1 child’s pants & top set, 1 girl’s long sleeved shirt, 6 duffel bags, 59 bibs, 1 child’s jacket, 4 shirt/pants school clothes sets, 3 hot pads, 17 baby nightgowns, 9 personal care bags with shampoo, etc., 10 walker bags, 3 hooded sweaters, 4 summer blankets, 2 little girl’s dresses, 6 towels, 6 baby quilts, 6 pair socks, 2 pair gloves, 1 winter scarf, 2 pair child’s pj pants, 1 woman’s blouse, 2 winter hats, 17 child’s ponchos. U.S. Army in Iraq: 8 curtain panels for office. Items donated: 739

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Sewin' In the Car Is Good For Your Marriage!

Today we had to go to Chambersburg. Even though my husband was driving, I face that section of RT 81 with fear and trembling. (I know I'm not the only one who feels that way!) But it was a breeze today. I took my little Janome Sew Mini, hooked it up to the inverter, plugged it into the cigarette lighter, and sewed the whole way! I put the sewing machine on a tray on my lap. Of course that machine is slow, but I didn't care -- it was better than watching those trucks and crazy drivers who like to get a bit too up close and personal for my taste!

Art loved it because I wasn't screaming my head off, or loudly sucking in my breath each time another driver whipped in front of us, or roared up behind us riding our bumper. I got 11 draw string bags finished!!! (All but the drawstrings because I didn't want to fuss with all that ribbon all over the car). Art thought it was a blast, too, and at one point looked over and said, "You're running out of thread." Now isn't that the best husband in the world! He acted like it was the most natural thing in the world for his wife to sit happily beside him, sewing on her machine, while the traffic roared by, as he fought the asphalt dragons! I highly recommend sewing in the car -- it completely eliminates the "side seat driver" routine. I didn't even miss it that I didn't have breaks on the passenger side of the car!! (Are you laughing!!!)

The only thing that would have made it better was if my little Sew Mini was pink. Or maybe a Princess model will come out one day . . .

Happy Mother's Day to you all!!
A mother holds her children's hands for just a little while . . . their hearts forever.

Monday, April 28, 2008

We Need 130 Men's & Women's Button Down, Long Sleeve Shirts By May 17th!! All Sizes, Any Condition!!!

We need about 130 more men's or women's long sleeved, button down (or Western Style snaps) shirts for Salvation Army's smocks which are used for their Senior Adult Arts and Crafts program, Kid's After School program, and for their Summer Day Camp which starts in June. Please put a notice in your church bulletins, on your bulletin board at work, at civic centers, your gym, or wherever else you can think of. June is only one month away, so we need these shirts ASAP! By the way, the kids absolutely love the smocks we have delivered so far! The smocks will be given as gifts to the kids and adults, so we will need a steady supply of these shirts. Thanks sew much!

Hotel Hershey, via Salvation Army, has dropped off HUNDREDS of high quality, high thread count white bed sheets, pillow cases, and 16 high quality bedspreads. These will be perfect for homeless blankets; the sheets can be used inside baby and lap blankets instead of batting. The sheets will also make fantastic aprons, especially if you use brightly colored thread. Gorgeous summer baby blankets can be made by sewing 2 pieces together, top stitch with pretty thread, and add lace or trim to the edges. Great walker bags, too.

Thanks again for continuing to support the Greater Harrisburg Area through your needle arts!

Friday, April 25, 2008

The Cry of My Heart -- God Bless America

God Bless America
Irving Berlin, 1918

God, please bless America so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

I love this land, Lord. How many people does it feed? It's so pretty this time of year with the flowering plants just coming up, and the trees full of blossoms. It’s wonderful to sit quietly on the porch and hear the birds in full song.

Stand beside our nation, Lord. Remind us that you know what’s going on, because we sure don’t. Guide our elected politicians, God, and those who are appointed to positions of trust in our government in all godliness and trustworthiness.

And guide our business barons to deal honestly and justly with our resources and money. As we begin to go through the night of the economic disaster that many believe is immanent, we know that you are not ignorant of our plight.

Shed your Light upon unfair dealings, and unscrupulous leaders who have our future in their hands. Only your loving Light can change the course of events to come, and we ask that you guide us to know how to provide for our families, and have enough left over to continue being our brother’s keepers.

From the extended cold and wet season the mountain states are dealing with, to the torrential rains, floods, and tornadoes the prairie states are slogging through, to the east and west coast shorelines fighting unpredictable weather and fires, we ask that your Light shine down on us and deliver us from evil.

God, Bless America. This is our home. It’s sweet to be able to worship wherever and whenever we want to. Thank you for that freedom. God, bless our homeland so that our children and grandchildren can lead a quiet and peaceable life, in godliness and honesty. Thank you for hearing our prayers. Amen. (I Timothy 2:1, 2)