Annual Report 2008 and More!!!

This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. Psalm 118: 23

Check it out! Total pieces donated in 2006 was 252; in 2007 there were 2,500 pieces donated; and in 2008 we donated 6,743 pieces!!!! I have no idea how we did this in 2008. In September one of our Sewin' Sisters fell down concrete steps and was out of commission for a month. In October another Sister had major surgery on her foot and hand and was out for six weeks; another had foot surgery and immediately after a 6 week recovery, fell down a full flight of steps and will be out another 6 weeks. Another had open heart surgery and valve replacement, again out six weeks or more, another with severe arthritis who could barely move for several weeks, yet another was out with wrist surgery and other medical difficulties, and I've been in and out of Dr. appointments for me and for my son, Stephen, since October. That's half of us unable to sew for for a long time. Yet everyone else stepped up to the plate and filled in the gap for us, making the total pieces donated in December 628! I don't know how we reached these numbers -- it must be the Lord's doing, and it sure is marvelous in our eyes!

Think about it! We can conservatively say that over 6,743 yards of fabric, and miles of thread were donated to the Sewin' Sisters Sowing this year! Whew! That has to be the Lord's doing! It sure is marvelous in our eyes!*And study on this: if the median price of raw fabric (not including notions or labor) is $4.00 per yard, that makes a very conservative estimate of $26,972 worth of hand made soft goods donated by a core group of 15 women to the Harrisburg area charities! However, if you take the raw fabric amount x 3 (standard business practice of figuring out retail price) you have a conservative retail value estimate of $80,781 donated to our community! There is no way we could ever do this on our own! It's got to be the Lord's doing! And it's really marvelous in our eyes!

Are you mind boggled yet? Our 12 year old math-wiz Sewin' Sister figured out that if you lay the lap blankets we made this year end to end, they would stretch from my apartment in Paxtang all the way to the Union Deposit Mall! Astounding, eh? Gotta be God! It would be really marvelous to see that!

We truly thank each one of you who have contribute fabric and notions this year. We could not have touched so many lives without your help. Since we are self supported, and none of us have money to throw around, our ability to ease a bit of the suffering in Harrisburg is because of you! It's got to be God that led you to us to help us help others! What marvelous connections He has made for us this year. We had to see it to believe it! Thank you, thank you!!!

And now for the rest of the story -- Art and I have sent our application and audition DVD to Extreme Home Makeovers to ask them to build us a completely handicapped accessible, one story home, with a gigantic room to create a "charity sewing headquarters" for the needle arts community. Nothing like this exists in our region, and we believe it is sorely needed! Most needle arts groups have been kicked out of one meeting place after another because free space is a not a concept that retailers embrace. We would make this room available to any needle arts group who sews for charity at no charge! If you'd like to support our efforts in being chosen, please write to the following address and tell them why you believe that choosing us would benefit us AND our entire community, and why we deserve to be chosen. The address is: : Lock & Key Productions, c/o Family Casting, P.O. Box 38670, Los Angeles, CA 90038. Please call me if you have any questions. Thank you SEW much!!! If we are chosen, we will know that is was the Lord's doing, and boy howdy, it will be marvelous in ALL of our eyes!

SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, March 21, 2009 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm we will have our annual Sew Much for Charity event -- this year combined with a fabric swap! More on this fantastic event in next month's project sheet.

News on my brain tumor: We went to my neurosurgeon yesterday. My 2nd MRI shows that the tumor has not changed! That means it hasn't grown! Thank you for your prayers, and keep 'em coming! We need 'em!