#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?

3rd Quarter Project Progress....Behind the Scenes Busy-ness!

Been BUSY, BUSY, BUSY behind the scenes here!

How's your Baby Sewing going? 

Have you decided where you will be donating your handmade items this quarter?

Would love to see and hear, so please share in our 3rd Quarter Flickr share album!

Here's the first of my finishes....

 So far, 22 burp cloths in bundles of 2 and 38 bibs, many of which where made using minky "bits" from our friends at Binkeez for Comfort. 

 This set is made with fleece backing from remnants of other projects. Bibs & Burpcloths are great projects for using up smaller cuts and fabric remnants!

It's the beginning of August, so still plenty of time to be part of our 3rd Quarter Project. Get all the details about the project HERE.

Cleft Surgery Trip - NEEDS BIBS!

Hi Friends!

If you follow on facebook, you may have already seen that Love Without Boundaries is preparing for another Cleft Surgery Trip and are in need of many, many bibs to take along! I know last year, many of us sent bibs for this special trip and so I wanted you to have the opportunity to do so again. The bibs were so very well received and put to good use! Such a special thing to see them in action!

Read the full post with all the details and contact information HERE.

I shipped off this bundle of 40 bibs yesterday. Most were made using "bits of binkeez" that are trimmings from some very special blankets, donated to me by Binkeez for Comfort. Thank you so much for helping us to GIVE MORE! 

I love seeing how things like this come together.....fabric "bits" from Binkeez, sewn by me of Hopeful Threads, heading to China with Love Without Boundaries. Exciting and inspiring! :) What a blessing to be a part!

If you'd like to sew some to send too, there are a BUNCH of FREE bib patterns on my "Baby Sewing" pin board that you can FIND HERE. 

If you aren't yet familiar with either of these incredible organizations...

Love Without Boundaries

Binkeez for Comfort

...I highly recommend checking them out! They are both GIVING BACK in some amazing ways!!!

Have a beautiful day!

Bibs in ALL Sizes...did you get the FREE pattern?

Just wanted to make sure that you all saw that Bonnie over at Fishsticks Designs modified the pattern from last month's project to include infant and toddler sizes as a gift to all of us for sewing so many beautiful bibs! :) You can get it on her blog here. Thanks Bonnie!

The pattern now includes sizes Infant, Toddler, Big Kid & Adult, covering all possible needs.

I was thrilled to see this! 

My Lil' Man needed some new bibs and he really doesn't like that scratchy velcro on most of the store bought bibs....soooooo.....this weekend I used this fabulous pattern in the Infant size to whip him up a soft & squishy stack of new bibs. They were quick to make and turned out absolutely adorable I think!

 I layered mine with a print flannel, a hidden layer of Killington Flannel (my absolute FAVORITE flannel!) and each was backed with a soft blue fleece. In addition to making them even more soft and squishy, the fleece also acts as a leak-resistant barrier which is GREAT for my lil' spitter! ;) 

I really like that the snap is on the side too. This makes it easier to put on and also keeps him from having anything hard to potentially lay on and be uncomfortable.

I think I've found my GO-TO bib pattern for all ages and occasions!

Thanks again Bonnie!

February Mid-Month Reminder!!!!

It's that time again!!!!!

Are you sewing with us this month or are planning to??? 

First, THANK YOU!!!!! Every Stitch Matters and every bib donated to a child or adult this month will be a special gift to someone!

Just remember.....we're half way through this month's project! 

When you are ready to ship, just email me and let me know whether you have Adult Bibs going to Anita in LA or Child Bibs going to Bonnie in FL or BOTH, and I'll get the address(es) right over to you! :)

Keep sewin'!!!

Bib Sewing - Quick Tips!

How's the Big Kid & Adult Bib Sewing going???

I wanted to take a minute to share a few "quick tips" that might help as you work on this month's project. 

Ok, if you are on our facebook page, you may have already seen this. I'm a big fan of getting the absolute MOST you can out of your fabric! This is 1 yard of a high-quality, pre-washed cotton print, folded with the selvages on the sides (right & left), and I was able to carefully cut 6 of the Big Kid Tie bibs and I even used the little scrap strip on the side for one set of ties! I was pretty pleased. :)

To speed up or simplify the process on any of the tie bibs, you can use pre-made bias tape. I think the Extra Wide Double Fold works best, but if carefully sewn, any will work. If you have ever sewn dresses for Dress A Girl, you may have a bag of bias scraps that will work perfectly for this and use them up at the same time! 

Bonnie has shared another option for the Snap Bib on her blog for those of you that have a serger. It makes for a QUICK finish! You can see the details here on the Fishsticks Designs blog.

Lastly, several of you who are sewing bibs with a leak resistant backing have asked about alternate fabrics that can be used for that. PUL as mentioned originally is a great option, but fleece and laminate fabrics are also useful alternatives. Waterproof backing is NOT a requirement, simply a preferred suggestion for the Children's Bibs based on what they are being used for. 

All associated with this project extend our sincerest gratitude for your sewing!

Our group album is already beginning to fill up with a fabulous assortment of bibs for both adults and children and we are so excited to see your beautiful and generous work! 

THANK YOU!!!!

As always, any questions, feel free to email me. :)

February 2013 - Monthly Project Announcement!

We have a unique opportunity to provide for 2 specific needs this month, presented by 2 members of the Hopeful Threads community and I am SUPER excited about them both!!!

The theme for this month's project is "Dinner for 2".

We will be sewing CHILD SIZED bibs for the Hidden Treasures Home of Loaves and Fishes International in China and ADULT SIZED bibs for residents of Grace Nursing Home in Louisiana.

I absolutely LOVE how this project came together!

Our connection with the nursing home, Anita, came to learn of Hopeful Threads while shopping at her local fabric store. She began talking with another customer about her desire to provide bibs for all of the residents there, all 128 of them, and how it would take her a while, but she was working on it. She wanted to make their meal times more enjoyable. The customer she was talking to just happened to be part of our Hopeful Threads community (BIG CHEESY GRIN HERE!!!) and encouraged her to get in touch with me to see if we could help. Anita did so, and the genuine love and desire to help others was so very clear in her email that I was immediately on board and knew we would help her however we could!

Then....as I have been gathering info and links to patterns/tutorials, by dear friend Bonnie at Fishsticks Designs also emailed me. She has a friend whose daughter is preparing to head to the Hidden Treasures Home soon, to serve there full time for at least the next 2 years. During their last visit, they received the special request of child sized bibs. Many of the children in their care are older and with a variety of special needs, so bibs are a necessity....and the right sized bibs, a special treat! They drafted this pattern on a paper bag to send back in hopes of having some larger bibs made. Take a moment to read the touching inscription on the bag....

Well, little did they know this would end up in the hands of a fabulous pattern designer! :)

Bonnie has taken their sketch and turned it into a PDF pattern specifically for our project to sew for the Hidden Treasures Home! 

***ONE SPECIAL REQUEST***

They have asked that we NOT use velcro type closures, since they can be irritating for the children. Instead, the pattern provides options for ties and snaps. 

You can download the FREE pattern here on the Fishsticks Designs blog. Bonnie also has lots of great information about the precious children we'll be sewing for AND a special discount code for PUL (water resistant) fabric to back the bibs with!!!

Thank You Fishsticks Designs!!!

For those sewing ADULT BIBS, Anita has specified that of the 128 residents of the nursing home, 28 are males. She wants each person to have at least 1 bib of their own and has been steadily sewing herself. She has been using one of the variations of the Simplicity #2687 pattern, if you would like to look into that pattern. Otherwise, I have gathered a list of free tutorials to share with you.

Maiden Jane - Adult Bib Apron

Laura's Sewing Studio

Celebrate on Squidoo

With Heart and Hands (indeed!)

Sewing.org

If you know of others, please feel free to leave a link in the comments. 

So who's ready to help get this project started?!?!?!?!

I've already chosen some fabrics for both the children and adults and am so excited to get started!

I've created a February Project Album here for you to share pictures of your donations. This will also help us to keep track of our progress and see if we need to adjust our sewing focus at anytime throughout the month. Besides, it's always so encouraging and inspiring to see what everyone is sewing! :) So, please add your pictures as you sew! (there's sometimes even the bonus of some prizes selected from the album entries!) 

When you are ready to ship, email me for the address(es) you need, as the Adult Bibs will be sent directly to Anita and the Children's Bibs to Bonnie. If you have any questions at all, again, just let me know. I'm very happy to help and am looking forward to a very enjoyable month of sewing with you!

Lastly, I hope you will take a moment to consider, like Anita, those around you that you might could encourage or help through your sewing, and also get to know a little more about Loaves and Fishes International and the very meaningful and life saving work they are doing. A visit to their photos page to see some of the smiling faces that might wear your lovingly handmade bibs is sure to squeeze your heart! So blessed to be a part through this project!

Grab the project "button" from the sidebar, add it to your own blog or website and invite everyone you know that sews to join us! 

Because.....Every Stitch Matters!

Bib Donation for Love Without Boundaries & The Basic Charity Challenge

Here's the bundle of bibs I've made to send with the Love Without Boundaries Cleft Surgery Team. 

You may recognize the print fabrics I've used. 

I made 22 bibs using flannel remnants from other projects and a bit of terry cloth to back them. I added snap closures for easy use and durability and I hope they love them! :)

  I'll be sharing this as a contribution to The Basic Charity Challenge at Cara Quilts. If you aren't familiar with the challenge, I would certainly recommend checking it out! I love Cara's simple and practical ideas for how to give back and she's found a lot of generous people to help inspire participation. ;)

The bibs are packed and ready to be on their way. 

 I hope they are useful for the caregivers and that the bright, playful prints are enjoyed by the babies. I truly am grateful to have the opportunity to send a practical item like this that was fun and easy to make!

What basic item can you give to help another today?

Other Layette Possibilities w/ Links!

Of course there are lots of other tiny gifts that are a perfect addition to any layette. Here are a few you can consider with links to free tutorials/patterns.

Bib from sewpony

 Diaper Clutch from A Lemon Squeezy Home

Burpcloth from Diary of a Quilter

Pacifier Pocket from Make It-Love it

No-Scratch Mittens from Obsessively Stitching

Receiving Blanket from Sew Much Ado

and another from Piece N Quilt

All kinds of sewing fun to be had for babies!

Thanks to all the bloggers that take time to share their tutorials free, we enjoy them!