Tag Archives: sewing

Homestretch stitching for 2016 Shower Caddie project

12 Jul

Less than 5 of 72 shower caddies to complete for the ladies at Wheeler Mission for Women and Children.  The shower caddies will be functional gift bags filled with personal care products this Christmas.

We had a jump start this year with a donation of outdoor fabric in the form of new (rejected) cushion covers.  The cushion cover seams were ripped and the fabric cut and sewn into 15 of the 72 caddies.  The caddies are cylindrical bags with four external flared pockets.  The bottom has three button-hole slits for the occasions water needs to drain.  The handles are top stitched.  Each caddie is made from one third yard of 54″outdoor fabric purchased from fabricguru.com.Showercaddie_encore_IMG_20160409_094804363 copyIMG_20160421_144050693_HDR copy

 

 

IMG_20160707_082125230 copyIMG_20160707_082224829 copyIMG_20160628_182235187 copyIMG_20160707_082051404 copy 2IMG_20160706_092620698 copy

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No fooling…that’s a LOT of love

1 Apr
Shipping 80 liners and 320 flannel pads to Days for Girls International

Shipping 80 liners and 320 flannel pads to Days for Girls International

Enough to complete 40 kits!  Liners have wings with snaps, reinforced pockets and PUL (polyurethane laminate) middle.  Flannel pads are reversible, tri-fold with top-stitching.  The design intent is for three years use.

My favorite color/pattern combos

My favorite color/pattern combos from this shipment

Back side of liners

Back side of liners

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Volunteers provide their materials (often).  For me, the joy of sewing comes from playing with the colors and patterns…..the bolder and brighter the better.

It's awesome how many gazillion graphic designs there are for butterflies.

It’s awesome how many gazillion graphic designs there are for butterflies.

http://www.daysforgirls.org

 

 

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Gallery

Sew while the garden is dormant

27 Jan
His and Hers
First three bags with mats
Yoga mat bag Project
Fabric samples in 20 different colors and patterns
Two boxes, twenty each

40 yoga mat bags!  with phone pocket, drawstring and shoulder strap.

Inspired by the bold colors of the yoga mats, this project took on a life of its own.  The colors and bold patterns of the fabrics are delightful.  Now many months since the start, 40 yoga mats with bags are ready for delivery to Sheltering Wings.  I even have a few left in my stash for yoga enthusiasts who I have not met yet. 🙂

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Many More Colors

19 Jan

Many more colors…

30 liners
30 more liners
20 liners
Each liner has PUL (polyurethane laminate) middle covered with colorful cotton fabrics (both sides). One side has two pockets. Snaps are added to wings as part of the kit assembly process.

These 80 liners plus 320 reversible tri-fold flannel pads (featured in last week’s post) provide the labor intensive items for 40 kits distributed by Days for Girls International.

http://www.daysforgirls.org

The maroon/chartreuse plaid and graphic bird fabrics were not so cute as separate remnants….I love these fabrics together as liners.

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Many colors

12 Jan

Many kits of many colors….I remember a song…about Many Colors….a “Coat of Many Colors” recorded in 1971 by Dolly Parton.

And oh I couldn’t understand it, for I felt I was rich
And I told them of the love my momma sewed in every stitch
And I told ’em all the story momma told me while she sewed
And how my coat of many colors was worth more than all their clothes

Reversible, tri-fold flannel pads. Enough for 8 pads to go into 24 kits.

Reversible, tri-fold flannel pads. Enough for 8 pads to go into 24 kits.

The song concludes with Dolly Parton singing the moral of her story:

But they didn’t understand it, and I tried to make them see
One is only poor, only if they choose to be
Now I know we had no money, but I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors my momma made for me

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_Many_Colors_(song)

Volunteers for Days for Girls International are like mothers to girls all around the world needing dignity every day of the month by making menstrual hygiene kits with bold, bright colors.

These kits are made with love by thousands of volunteers around the world or by local women filling the need for their own community. Quality matters because women and girls depend on this product, and kits have to endure frequent washing in harsh conditions.

Q: Does it really matter how they look?
A: Yes, because she not only will count on it, she will often have it with her. No, it doesn’t have to be beautiful to be functional, but she notices and appreciates when the kit is beautiful and that helps break shame and stigma.
​

From: Days for Girls International  http://www.daysforgirls.org/#!whats-in-a-kit/c623

As I pack my finished liners (made with PUL, pockets, wings and snaps) with 8 reversible, tri-fold, topstitched flannel pads…my goal is to have 12 different color and/or patterned fabrics bundled for each kit…three different fabrics used making each liner, eight different fabrics for the pads plus the twelfth fabric for the bag the kit is packed in.

Dolly Parton said and sang it best…that is RICH!

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Channeling grandmothers

29 Dec

What happens when three TV remotes (and only one fully functional) are combined with three rocking chairs, dining table and chairs, two ottomans plus one TV? …CHAOS!

First things first.  All the remotes are restored and fully functional.

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The next part channels grandmothers talents to make “holsters” to hold the remotes between uses.

We found three worn finger tip towels.  I cut them down the middle to get proportions to match and hemmed cut edges.  The short sides are sewn together.  Fold over half to make pocket and sew sides.  Sew two sets of antique snaps (if I had been home I would have used Velcro) to be able to secure “holster” over arm of chair.

Ladies and gentlemen, this project was much easier than explaining TV remote controls to my grandmothers.  May they rest in peace, not knowing.

 

 

 

 

 

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Love this from Spoonflower

1 Dec
calendar_lemon_IMG_20151113_165354_475 copy

2016 Lemon

2016 Peacock

2016 Peacock

Linen-Cotton Canvas Ultra:  Fat Quarter with 2016 calendar.  There are dozens of designs available @ spoonflower.com

Finish the edges with rolled hem.  Easy, beautiful, dual purpose (tea towel and calendar).

I may prepare my own design for 2017.

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Better than a Scavenger Hunt

24 Nov
Office assistant Eve: "Don't you have something better to do?" We are sewing items for Days for Girls International

Office assistant Eve: “Don’t you have something better to do?”

We support Days for Girls International with donations of items for kits.

Days for Girls International

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.

Lesson 1:  Buy flannel in 4.12-4.25 yard increments.

Beautiful flannel (left) plus batik cotton (right)

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

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)

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).

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Follow up Friday Photos: IChing No. 63 and 64

20 Nov

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I Ching No. 63 After Completion

The Elf in Elfcroft has the sewing machine humming making functional gift bags.  These gift bags are also known as shower caddies to be given to the women residents of Wheeler Mission this Christmas.  I used outdoor fabric (water and mildew resistant) from www.fabricguru.com.  Four outer pockets surround the center opening.  25 yards (54″width) made 75 shower caddies.

Ready for delivery

Ready for delivery

I Ching No. 64 Before Completion

The last two years we filled back packs with socks, gloves, scarves, etc.  Several years before that we filled tote bags.  Our choice this year are these homemade bags.  Bath products to fill the shower caddies will be provided by friends and coworkers.

I read a comment that there was an error with the I Ching translation.  “Before Completion” should be 63 and “After Completion” should be 64.  This is not an error.  Completion in this case refers to work.  The interesting concept  is that work-in-process (WIP) has multiple completions.  I could have chosen to show rolls of fabric for “Before” and the finished shower caddies as “After”.  BOLO for a future post with the empty caddies as the “Before” and filled with gifts “After.

And here you have it!  I Ching No. 63 Another After Completion

Our leader Kathy
Gloves, socks, etc with great friends
Jennifer directs
Mission accomplished: 72 shower caddy gift bags for the women at Wheeler Mission

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Yoga Mat Bag Project: Crossing the finish line?

3 Nov

I purchased several boxes of yoga mats left unsold from a holiday marketing promotion.   That would be a total of 65.  The mats come in bold blue, green, purple, pink and gray.   18 got custom bags and found good homes.  Leaving 47 in the closet.  (7 will stay in my stash for the time being.) 40 mats now have matching bags to be donated to a local women’s shelter.

Two boxes, twenty each

Two boxes, twenty each

The inspiration for Yoga Mat Bags came from One Yard Wonders by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins.  Yoga classes are one of my favorite activities.  Making bags for mats… natural synergy of my interests.  Now that I engaged phase 2, the best, delightful part of sewing yoga mat bags is working with 20 beautiful colors and patterns of fabric.

Fabric samples in 20 different colors and patterns

Fabric samples in 20 different colors and patterns

Yoga mat bag Project
Bags include new mats

Bags paired new mats

From Dec 2013—–>to Oct 2015  Not much happened because my stitched service was dedicated to Days for Girls International and a “shower caddy” project for Wheeler Mission.  Thanks to Pimla Ponderings to nudge me to complete UFOs (unfinished objects).

 

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