A BIG Pillowcase Finish!!!

26 pillowcases finished for our 4th Quarter Project!!!!

 Puppets up next!

This is such FUN sewing!!!!

Join us and sew along for our special year end project!

Get all the details HERE!!!!

 

My 1st pillowcases finished for 4th Quarter Project

 The past week has been a bit of a blur around here.....just a busy spurt of life I suppose. :) Nonetheless, I'm finally sitting down to share with you my first stack of pillowcases finished for our projects. 

 These were made using the last of the fabric provided by Abbey Lane Quilts. I used a combination of a couple of free pillowcase tutorials on my Pillow Talk pin board and think they turned out just adorable! They were quick to make too. Each has a coordinating cuff and accent band.

Working on getting another stack cut up and ready to sew!

2014 - 4th Quarter Project Announcement.....Are You READY???

I can hardly believe I'm typing this, but this is the FINAL Hopeful Threads' project of 2014.

We've had a great year sewing and filling bags for children in foster care, also, collecting stuffed friends for them and sewing for families facing unplanned pregnancies, but we aren't finished yet!!! Our 4th Quarter Project is another very special sewing opportunity that I would LOVE to have your help with!

For the 4th Quarter Project, we will be sewing Pillowcases & Puppets to be delivered to our Children's Hospital. And this won't just be a normal delivery by me and my family. No, we have a very special lil' fella and his AWESOME family delivering the goodies for us this time!

That's right! We are privileged to have my little buddy Elijah James and his incredible big sister Sky delivering our goodies for us this time!!! This is truly one of the most AMAZING and CARING families I know! What a regular inspiration they are to my family and we are so grateful!

If you've not read about "Super Eli" here before, let me share a bit with you.

Eli is one of those people that defeats the odds. Like, blows them out of the water really.

He was born with the most severe form of Spina Bifida, called Rachischisis, and was given 0% chance for survival. His family had been preparing to say goodbye to him the same day they would meet him. God had different plans. Eli will be celebrating his 4th birthday this December. 

 This child is such an amazing delight!!!!

The contagious joy of this family is something you'll never forget. They overcome obstacles most of us can't even imagine, on a daily basis, and do so full of life and love. The picture above was taken just this week as Eli was in the hospital recovering from surgery. :) I hope you'll take the time to visit his facebook page and get to know them all better......I can guarantee that you'll be glad you did! 

Ok. To the project details. Being that December is a family focused month with lots of celebrations and travel for many, the 

4th Quarter Project will only be active for October and November. 

We will spend October and November sewing our Pillowcase & Puppet gifts, and I ask that they be shipped by December 1st to allow for me to get everything together and to Eli & Sky for them to deliver mid-month...in time for Christmas and in celebration of his 4th Birthday!

You can find a collection of pillowcase patterns & tutorials on my "Pillow Talk" pinterest board HERE.

You can find loads of inspiration, patterns and tutorials for puppets of all kinds on my "Handmade Soft Toys" board HERE.

Ok....to recap....

WHAT?: Sewing Pillowcases & Puppets

WHY?: Donations to Children's Hospital in honor of Elijah James

WHEN?: October & November 2014 (Please ship by December 1st)

Find sewing inspiration HERE, and add your donation pictures HERE.

SHIP TO: Kristy Smith

c/o Echelon Florist

1260 Rocky Hill Road

Knoxville, TN 37919 

So, grab the button, spread the word and let's make this a Project to remember!

As always, if you have any questions at all, feel free to EMAIL ME at anytime!

Thank you in advance for sewing with me for this very special year end project, I know it's going to be GREAT!

You can learn more about Spina Bifida at the Spina Bifida Association HERE.

And, if you are interested in showing your support by becoming a part of "Team Eli" you can follow his facebook page HERE and check out his gear HERE! 

Pillowcase Tutorial at Contemporary Cloth!

 Sondra, the owner of Contemporary Cloth has been one of the biggest supporters for our "Remember September" project from the start! She is such an encouraging and generous person and has poured both into this project in ways you will see throughout the month. Melissa and I are both so very grateful for her friendship and support!

Today, she has a pillowcase tutorial on her blog for you from Maiden Jane.

Jump over there and check it out!

Thank you ladies so much!!!

Kristy

*Petite Pillows*

For our second entry into the Pillow Fight For a Cause over at Ladybird Ln. my girls and I decided to share the petite pillows we made for their little plastic friends. :)

We had just recently made a new fleece no-sew/tie blanket for my oldest daughter. We had scraps leftover and decided to also make a little blanket and pillow set for them to use with their Barbie stuff. She even cut the edges around the blanket to give it the same "shaggy" look her's has. Too cute!!!

Then, Barbie being the princess that she is, we made her a plush dot minky pillow and matching leopard minky sleeping bag....

Poor girl, she's still suffering from insomnia despite our efforts to offer her luxurious comfort. ;)

My girls were thrilled with both sets and were proud that it was something they helped make! I of course love that!

Now, if you haven't entered the Pillow Fight For a Cause yet, there is still time, so go check it out!

All the details are clearly laid out, along with an easy to follow pillowcase tutorial and a LIST of giveaway items for several lucky winners!!! 

Here is a pic of the pillowcases we will be donating in honor of the Ladybird Ln. gals and their Pillow Fight For a Cause...

 Each pillowcase will also have a super lush, minky lined slumber mask attached to it since we all know that hospitals can be one of the hardest places on earth to get good sleep! We hope these help! We will be delivering them to our local Children's Hospital along with the Activity Bags we are working on for this months project.

Thanks Ladybird Ln. for organizing such a fun event and encouraging and inspiring us to give back in this small way. 

Many Blessings,

Pillow Fight For A Cause!

Hi friends! I wanted to share an opportunity for you to participate in an exciting PILLOW FIGHT being hosted by Ladybird Ln.  She would like to see 100 pillowcases donated to children in the hospital, and I am certain she can reach that goal!!! So.....if you're looking for something to sew/photograph/donate to get yourself entered in our Fat Quarter Shop gift certificate giveaway this month, then you're all set! :)

OH YEA....she's hosting her own giveaway to encourage participation, so you'll definitely want to check that out too!

Finished!

 Yep! Just in time.....but that's often how things work around here! ;) Here are some pics of my finished pillowcases....ended up with 28, so not bad considering my eyes had started crossing with all the polka dots and serging! Now, to figure out how to get our Flickr pool working properly.....ugh how I dislike reading instructions!!! lol!

Plethora of Pillowcases!!!

The fabrics have been sorted, selected, measured and cut. I have a main print and a coordinating cuff for 30 pillowcases ready to be sewn....perhaps a bit zealous for this first project, but they are so simple and it was so much fun to start visualizing each one. Guess we'll see! :) There's still half the month to get these together....should be safe....right??? Anyone else making any progress or decided who might get their pillowcase(s)? 
Interesting thing....I accidentally spelled "pillowcase" wrong earlier as "pillowcause". I'm thinking it may actually be appropriate since we are making these for a specific cause, to make someone else feel special and loved. I like it! Our first project, PILLOWCAUSES!

Hope you're all having fun!

Let's Get Started!

 Ok, first project, something fun and simple that everyone can participate in....Pillowcases! My girls, 9 and 11 helped make the ones pictured above, so really, EVERYONE can enjoy this! I had a lot of fun making pillowcases like this for all the kids in our family for Christmas this year too....who knows, maybe a new tradition for Christmas Eve! 
We will be donating the pillowcases we make this month to our local DCS as a gift for a child brought into foster care. Other ideas are your local Children's Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, homeless or battered women's shelter, nursing home.....you get the idea, there are lots of places a simple, personal item like a pillowcase can make a difference! If you don't have a specific place you'd like to send the pillowcases you make, you can always find a shop that is participating in the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge.  You can find a free pattern here and it's also listed in the "Free Patterns" list on the sidebar.

Please feel free to share here via comment where you will be sending your pillowcases, and I've set up a flickr group where you can share photos of your creations here.

I look forward to hearing about and seeing your creations and will share our progress along the way. Let's get sewing and have some fun!