Memorial Day - Scrap Sewing Can Help

It's Memorial Day. This is a day when we consider the fallen soldier, giving thanks in our personal way. It's also a time when we send our thoughts to the families of fallen servicemen and women. I saw a story on the ABC news and then again on our local news about a woman (Marcia Bonifas) who makes teddy bears for children of the fallen. She herself is a military widow.. Ms. Bonifas' story was told on the web at Coastal Point (Delaware) you can read it here. I've also provided a link to the video of the ABC story as shown on my local ABC affiliate. 

I appreciate what Ms. Bonifas is doing. I wrote to her this evening asking if her pattern were still available as it was not found on the site pointed to from the Coastal Point story. I love that she is providing "something to hold" for youngsters whose parents are not coming home. The mechanics of the teddy bear are simple - they'd be very easy to make and you most definitely can make them with scraps or remnants or patchwork that you have on hand. Hers is an easy, jointless, 2-piece pattern that is sewn around the edges, turned, and stuffed. She embroiders a simple face on them, and if you decided to make one or a bunch, this could be optional. The only expense I can see is the cost of the fiberfil, and even that is something most of us have in our sewing rooms already!

I hope Ms. Bonifas writes back and shares her pattern. If she does not, run with the idea on your own. Get in touch with a local military base or one of the many organizations on the web for children of fallen soldiers. Create a pattern of a bear or a cat or a whatever and get those scraps out and start sewing. There are so many things we can do for our military families; this one speaks to me, though - it's truly needed, wanted, and falls under the scrap stitching definitely of making do. Love isn't expensive. Let's all show some to the folks who put their lives on the line for our freedoms every single day.

NOTE 05/31/11: Ms. Bonifas did reply to my email and provided the following links for instructions and pattern for the teddy bear she makes. 

http://oceanwavesquiltguild.org/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20Teddy%20Bear%20Instructions.pdf
http://oceanwavesquiltguild.org/teddybear_large.upper.pdf
http://oceanwavesquiltguild.org/teddybear_large.lower.pdf

Smurf day!

Twas Smurf day in the sewing room. I know, it's supposed to be Friday and I should be planning the weekend. But I am not. I am relaxing after having cut and sewn and Smurf'd my way through the day.

I cut the remainder of the 5" squares for the Smurf quilt. That didn't take long, but I used an "I spy" technique so that I could utilize the fabric in the best way possible and get a good image on each square.

I also cut out a little girl's twirl dress using the Smurf fabric. I will be putting a white Peter Pan collar on it and using some white decorative ribbon to fem it up. I have to get that fabric and the zipper for the back, but other than that, it's cut and ready to sew.

With the remaining pieces on the floor, I cut bias strips and made the binding for the Smurf quilt.

Okay, so I did cut a few denim squares and it wasn't 100% Smurf fabric day, but it almost was! Happy Smurf Day!

Working on unfinished projects!

Recently, I spent some time cleaning my sewing area and during that time, I organized my unfinished projects in such a way that I'm able to get to them and work on them easily. I don't have oodles of things to complete, but I do want to get them done. As I was sewing today, I thought of several more projects to begin! It's never-ending, isn't it?

Today, I pulled out a lap quilt I started - Smurfs! I use junk jeans for a lot of things. One of the items in my box of fun things to finish is a Smurf lap quilt. I'm using 5" squares of Smurfs fabric (a vintage sheet I purchased on eBay) alternating with recycled denim. It's a nice look! I put together three rows today and attached them one to the other, for a total of four. The end result will be nine rows by eight squares, and the binding will be smurf fabric that I will piece together from bits of the sheet. I am backing this particular lap quilt with minkie that I have which was purchased for another project and not used. It will make for a wonderfully soft backing and warm too! I like to use fleece when I can with denim quilts because the denim is so heavy that it's often difficult to work with a traditional backing and batting.

It felt great getting this one to about the halfway stage. I'll be making at least one more row tomorrow and then it's time to cut more squares. Before I know it, my unfinished projects box will be empty!

Halloween!

It's Halloween again! I stopped by Sewing Mama's forum to check out costumes that folks are making for their kids and it took me a bit down memory lane. I was taken back to the days of sewing bones on a black sweat suit to make a skeleton costume, stitching apples on a green sweatshirt to make an apple tree costume, covering boxes and other accessories with fabric to sew a very complicated Darth Vader costume, making a leopard costume with hat and tail that doubled as pajamas over the next year, and so many more. We still have, though don't go through as often, a Halloween box in the attic that we'd get down mid-October for the kids to dig through. There are lab coats, cowboy hats, old costumes from years gone by, and a variety of dress up items for Halloween and other times. We had witches, hippies, cats, ghosts, vampires, and all ilk of creepy creatures in our house at one time or another. Fond memories indeed.

Halloween can almost always be addressed with what you have on hand. There's no need to go rent a fancy costume or spend hundreds on one with exactly all the right trimmings. Someone who can sew (or even use fabric glue!) can make a costume for Halloween or other times with old clothes, sheets, and who knows what else you have in your fabric stash. Be creative and work with your kids on something unique. Yeah, you might end up buying a hat or something to go with the suit, but your children will have fun dressing up before the holiday and after, and if you think ahead, you too can take out the Halloween box a while ahead of time and let them go a little nuts.

In most parts of the country, it gets cold shortly after Halloween and we have other holidays on our minds. Let Halloween be the end of the season and the welcoming back indoors that it always seems to be. Have fun. Go crazy. Laugh and smile. And by all means, treats, no tricks please.

Sponge Bob Squarepants Bib *

This is a bib that I've made a few times with minor variation, and I've had good luck selling them. People love Spongebob, not to mention Patrick! I drew the pattern and used recycled denim for the base. I have oodles of Velcro, so that seemed a nice, easy way to do the closure. I didn't want to do a button for a baby item.
You can use any fabric you like. You can put the crumb pocket on or not. Use store bought bias tape or make your own. Consider themes - Halloween, Christmas, other holidays. Enlarge your pattern and use it for toddlers.
It's all about having some fun with what you have on hand or what you want to buy. And who doesn't love Sponge Bob?
Click here to be taken to our project page. The link will open in a new window.

The Patsy Quilt, Part 3

Here's the quilt - including the block in the lower right hand corner with Patsy's name embroidered on it. I did encircle the signature with ribbon to reinforce the hand embroidery. It's hanging on the line now, and when it dries, I'll shake it out, package it up, and send it on its way to my grandnephew.  I think I'm as proud of this as any quilt I've made thus far.

 

 

The Patsy Quilt, Part 3

Here's the quilt - including the block in the lower right hand corner with Patsy's name embroidered on it. I did encircle the signature with ribbon to reinforce the hand embroidery. It's hanging on the line now, and when it dries, I'll shake it out, package it up, and send it on its way to my grandnephew.  I think I'm as proud of this as any quilt I've made thus far.

Sewing for charity

I've been thinking of sewing for charity lately. We have so many talents that can be put to good use. After Katrina, every year around Christmas, and other times throughout the year, we hear about people who need our help. What we may fail to remember is that there are people every day of the year who could use an item or two that we could make as individuals or in groups. While the community manager at Sewing.com, I posted some links, just a few, about sewing for charity in the hope that others will follow suit. I plan on making some items for premature babies. I had two of those, yep, twins, who have grown to be strapping adults, but I do remember when they were both four pounds and below and there were very few items available for them to wear. I was too busy being mom to twins to have time to sew for them. A few things here and there for a new mom or dad could be a wonderful gift to receive, and it could also be a way for me to "give back."

Battered women's shelters. Ever think about the people there? Moms and kids. They could use blankies for the little ones or even just a nice pillowcase of their own. Some people end up in the shelters with nothing other than what they could carry when they left home. The same goes for homeless shelters. Blankets are a big need. Scarfs for a cold neck. Anything at all. I know that some sewing guilds make gift bags as a project, fill them with toiletries, and give them to faith-based charities for distribution.

There will always be someone who needs something. We have a talent. Shouldn't we share what we can do with others? Oh, and don't forget our furry friends in animal shelters. They need comfort blankies too.

Here are a few links to get you started:

Newborns In Need - Sewing for the smallest of babies, including patterns.
Project Linus - Providing security through blankets.
Ugly Quilts - Sewing for our homeless population.
Cancer caps/turbans from Sewing.org.
Sew Much Comfort - "to provide custom-made adaptive clothing at no cost, to injured service members from all branches of the military and national guard, injured while serving in our current conflicts."

There are many more - Google "sewing for charity" or "sewing for our troops" or whatever interests you. There are many people who need our talents.

(Updated 08/08/10)