#SewToShare - Personal Progress: June 2015

Well, I'm trying to chip away at my summer goals list.....slowly, but surely!

Cook more, especially with my children.

Sew curtains for my youngest daughter's room. (FINALLY!!!)

Fresh paint for several rooms in our home. In Progress....and more added!

New skirts for my girls.

Sew "Busy Bags" & Totes for the foster closet. In Progress, A BUNCH!!!

Read some chapter books aloud to my kiddos.

Gifts for our local Animal Shelter.

Participate in library events.
Sort my patterns. ALL of them! 

Visit the zoo.

Help my youngest daughter, now 5, sew her first "something".

Create a pattern/tutorial for a special medical comfort item.

Sew some adult sized bibs for my grandfather.

Make new oven mitts, potholders and such for our kitchen.

Go on a picnic.

And, take a few naps! ;) Never Enough!

Hmmmm. 

Seems I've added waaaaay more than I've finished! ;) Oh well!

Update my 10 year old's scrapbook.

Rip the carpet from my stairs, sand and paint them. 

Take of the giant mending pile. 

I'm sure it will continue to grow....

Here's a few pics to share with you of my cutting progress. Since I tend to do my donation sewing in "batches", I've done a BUNCH of cutting!!!! These are the piles prepped and waiting for me to stitch...

A few remaining ballerina dolls I found under some other items.

A bunch of bibs.

I got carried away cutting "Busy Bags" for the foster care closet and these are the ones all set to start sewing. 

The below stack still needs a bit of fusible fleece interfacing....I just ran out. TWICE! lol!

A nice stack of security "blankies" that I'll get to at some point to maybe go with the bibs. 

 And more Teeny Tears diaper gifts than I can count! I think I may end up doubling my original goal of filling 1 bushel sized basket! :)

A bit more family sewing is on the list for the day. Prepping some PJs for my girls headed to camp, and some super hero pillowcases & valances for my boy's newly painted and decorated super hero bedroom. The fun never stops! ;)

How's your summer sewing going? 

Any "Sew To Share" goodies to tell us about?

2014 - 3rd Quarter Project Announcement

2014 is truly flying by! 

Don't know if it's our new quarterly schedule or what, but WOW!

Here we are with the kick off of the 3rd Quarter Project!!!

This is going to be another fun and simple to sew project that I hope many can and will participate in! With summer and back to school times falling during the 3rd Quarter, I wanted to be sure that sewing to share would be an easy thing to fit in, and I think we've found the perfect project!

If you know much about me from this blog or otherwise, you know that sewing for children is something very special to me. Using my love of sewing to help support and encourage a family, even more! 

Our family really appreciates living in a community that provides a Crisis Pregnancy Center to help struggling or surprised mothers and fathers prepare for their unexpected bundle. Being a large family, we understand the excitement paired with stresses, uncertainties and general feelings of being overwhelmed that planning for a new baby can bring....and we understand those feeling are all magnified when a pregnancy wasn't planned at the time. We also know full well the blessing a baby is to a family, and if we can be any part of the support and encouragement that shines light and hope on that, well, what a beautiful and encouraging opportunity for us as well! This is part of what makes us so very grateful for the active work and support of the Crisis Pregnancy Center.

Some of the incredible services provided by our local Center include free pregnancy tests, educational classes and training, a 24 hour  helpline, as well as, a care closet that helps provide everything from maternity clothing, baby/toddler clothing, diapers, formula, baby gear and more! All things that can help relieve some of the stress and financial pressure of an unplanned pregnancy.

For the 3rd Quarter Project, we will be making bibs, burpcloths and blankies to donate to our Crisis Pregnancy Center to be provided to the families they serve. I would like to encourage you to look within your own communities for a similar organization to directly support with your sewing this quarter, but will be more than happy to include any donations you'd like to send to go along with ours too. :) As always, if you don't sew and would like to send along store bought items, those are always welcome. Additionally, our family will be participating in the annual Walk For Life and any monetary donations received this month will be donated as part of our sponsor collections for the Center.

For those shipping donation items to me, your donations can be sent here,

Kristy Smith

c/o Echelon Florist

1260 Rocky Hill Road

Knoxville TN 37919

So, I welcome you to jump in a participate with our 3rd Quarter Project any way you feel led! You can find an abundance of Baby Sewing ideas, inspiration, tutorials and patterns on my "Baby Sewing" Pinterest board here. While I have chosen to narrow the focus to bibs, burpcloths & blankets to help simplify, any baby items you'd like to contribute are completely welcome! If you'd like to share photos of your donations to inspire and encourage the rest of us as we consider how best to participate, feel free to do so in our 3rd Quarter Project Donation Album on Flickr here.

I'll also be sharing about a new baby related project that I am humbled and blessed to be a part of. Watch for a special detailed post about that to come soon!

Email me here with any questions.

Thank you all for your continued support and enthusiasm as we care for others through our sewing machines. 

Every Stitch Matters.

Baby Girl Gift Set with Babyville Boutique!

 I had so much fun creating these sweet "Cowgirl" sets to be delivered as part of our November Project donations! They are super cute and simple to make, so I thought I'd share a tutorial for those of you that might like to give it a try. Ready? 

I've started with some of the adorable new Babyville Boutique Ruffle Elastic and Ribbons.

 If you are making these for your own child, you will want to start by measuring her head, otherwise, a quick google search for "baby headband measurements" will provide some averages for you to work from. Once you've determined your size, cut the Ruffle Elastic accordingly and sew the cut ends together to create your headband. 

Next, you will make your bows. For mine I have used THIS TUTORIAL and made 2 bows for layering.

  

 Once your bows are secured together, cut an extra piece of the Ruffle Elastic 3-5" in length, and use this to tie the bow to the headband, covering the stitching. 

Now you are all set! Quick & easy huh? And fun to make! Find a little model to show off your creation and enjoy making another. :)

 Here's the second headband I made following the same instructions above. 

 Using some of the remaining ribbon and Ruffle Elastic, I also made a sweet security blankie to complete my donation sets. 

I rolled the little blankies and used the stretchy headbands to wrap around them. I hope the little Cowgirl Princesses that receive these, and their parents, love them! :) 

Find out how you can join in and be part of our November Project, "Baby Love" HERE!

*****BONUS!!!!*****
Babyville Boutique is providing you with the chance to win your own surprise bundle of  their new ribbons and Ruffle Elastic so you can make your own adorable headbands! Simply follow the Rafflecopter prompts below to enter! (Open to US entrants)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Winner announced and emailed 11/15/13 and provided 48 hours to respond and claim prize or alternate winner may be selected. Thanks!

See the great selection of Babyville Boutique elastics & ribbons at BabyvilleBoutique.com !
Thank you Babyville Boutique and good luck to you all!

November 2013 Monthly Project Announcement!

Like many of our Monthly Projects, this one has been in the works for a long while now. Melissa and I started talking about it months ago, and it's been especially interesting to watch it all unfold in ways we could never have expected or planned for. 

For November's Project, we will be making quilts, blankets and lovies for the babies of the NICU at my local Children's Hospital. 

This has been a long time dream of my friend Melissa from Sew BitterSweet Designs ever since her sweet daughter Anne received the comforting gift of a quilt during a hospital stay. Melissa shared that Anne was very sick, and they had to leave for the hospital without time to prepare and pack, and having a quilt waiting for them was such a blessing and comfort. 

Being a quilter herself, she wanted to find a way to give back in this special way. 

I have a local friend that is a NICU nurse, so together, we have designed the November Project to be one that will allow us to use our love of sewing and quilting to provide these comforting gifts.   

For the November Project I will be collecting and delivering the following....

Newborn/Preemie Quilts

Sewn, Knit or Crochet Receiving Blankets

Security & Sensory Lovies like Tag Blankies

***SIZE UPDATE***

There are 2 sizes that would be great. 26x30 and 1yd square. Those would fit their 2 most common beds.Thanks!!

My nurse friend, not knowing our plans, just posted on Monday how great a need they currently have for these items. I am looking forward to delivering a BUNDLE of our fabric love that will provide the babies this special handmade comfort and hopefully encourage their caregivers at the same time! 

Being that December is always a R&R month around here, this will be the final "official" project for Hopeful Threads' 2013 year. We've tried to include a way for anyone that would like to participate to be able to. Will you join Melissa & I for this project? We gladly welcome any and all participation! 

I've updated our Project Badge and have created a November Project flickr album specifically to share our donation pictures. 

Melissa and I have also been gathering ideas for tiny baby quilts, and you can find our "Baby & Preemie Quilts" Pinterest board here. There are also a variety of ideas for lovies in my "Soft Toys" board here. 

Stay tuned for lots more inspiration and surprises to post throughout the month! 

Are you ready for some Baby Love sewing??? Hope so!