#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?

Introduction to Teeny Tears....a very special organization

I sew a lot for babies. 

However, I don't think I've ever sewn anything quite so meaningful as this.

 These are Teeny Tears diapers. Teeny Tears is an organization that provides these tiny bereavement gifts for families who have lost their tiny bundles. 

My aunt knows how I love to sew, she also knows my heart. When she sent me a link to Teeny Tears I immediately had to check out it. Upon reading through the website, it was without hesitation that I emailed them to find out how to get started and check on the hospitals nearest me that they have served. I received a very prompt and warm reply from one of the coordinators, and well, this is now a new personal project for me. While I am obviously new to the group, the community of volunteer seamstresses is incredibly talented and encouraging, as you would likely imagine. 

I will be sewing these tiny cloth gifts for our local Children's Hospital. After they are stocked, I hope to gradually reach out to other hospitals in my area to see what need they might have as well. 

To give you an idea of the tiny size of these little diapers, that is a Size #2 Safety Pin and is only 1.5" long.

Sewing these has been a very touching experience for me. There are moments it is overwhelming when I consider that this may very well be the one and only item a mother is ever able to cloth her baby in. And, as she says goodbye to her precious one.
I have never experienced the loss of a child through stillbirth, miscarriage or soon after birth....though I have experienced loss of those I mother through foster care, and this has been one of the most difficult grieving experiences of my life. While not exactly the same, it has provided me with something tangible to help me relate to these mothers and their families. I gently swing between feelings of complete unworthiness to have this privilege, to the overflowing blessing of getting to be a part of this sacred time. 

I am humbled.

I am grateful.

I am full of prayers of comfort and hope for these families.

While this is entirely separate from our Baby Sewing project this quarter, I invite you to learn more. Perhaps there are some of you that would be interested in sewing for Teeny Tears or similar bereavement outreach efforts. You can visit the Teeny Tears website here.