Office assistant Eve: “Don’t you have something better to do?”
We support Days for Girls International with donations of items for kits.
Lessons learned from preparing 4 shipments of feminine hygiene reversible, tri-fold flannel pads and liners with wings, pockets, PUL and snaps.
In order to make hundreds of pads and dozens of liners from dozens of yards of flannel and cotton print at home on a single sewing machine: STAGING is essential for sanity in my attic sewing room.
Notion 1: DfGI suggested purchasing flannel in 2.5 yard increments.
Problems: Shrinkage after washing. Fabric twist. Variations in width of 4″ (bolt to bolt).
Consequence: Enough remnant strips and blocks to make two twin size coverlets.
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- Stripe 1
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- Stripe 2
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- Blocks
Lesson 1: Buy flannel in 4.12-4.25 yard increments.
Beautiful flannel (left) plus batik cotton (right)
Lesson 2: After wash & dry, cut one yard at a time, then cut (4) 9″ strips, then cut strips into usually 8″ blocks.
Lesson 3: Stack flannel 8″X9″ blocks right sides together. Bag 8 pairs of blocks in gallon size ziplock bags for easy counts, grab to sew and go… (Plus the ziplock bags are available for the finished kit.)
WIP Flannel blocks staged to cut corners
Notion 2: Pack shipping boxes when sewing complete.
Lesson 4: Use shipping boxes for Work In Progress! Saves a LOT of space, especially since the boxes fit in closet.
Shipping box first used for Work In Process (WIP)
Just like all elves this time of year, Elfcroft is completing the items needed for kits delivered all around the world (over 70 countries).
elfcroft 
Such a worthy cause. Makes us think about all the things we take for granted.