Tag Archives: sewing

Friday Photos: IChing No. 63 and 64

31 Jul

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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.  “Before Completion” should be 63 and “After Completion” should be 64.  This is not an error.  Completion 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.

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Stitched Service

9 Jun

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 (just over six months from now).  I use outdoor fabric (water and mildew resistant) from www.fabricguru.com.  Four outer pockets surround the center opening.  Twenty seven are completed…Forty six more to go.

Showercaddy5_IMG_20150520_182815_277 copyShowercaddyredIMG_20150531_184451_706 copyShowercaddygreenIMG_20150607_205332_577 copy

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.

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For the love of color, pattern, texture and girls!

14 Apr

Made for Days for Girls International to distribute globally.

daysforgirls.org

Drawstring bags

20 Drawstring bags

These fabric bags are packed with two liners with PUL layer and wings, eight reversible tri-fold flannel pads, two Ziploc gallon size bags, wash cloth, soap and panty.

Sixty liners shown here.  The goal was to make no two alike from bold colors and patterns.

Selection of reversible, tri-fold flannel pads

Selection of reversible, tri-fold flannel pads

Eight different flannel pads per kit

Eight different flannel pads per kit

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Go and Sew

31 Mar
Brother CS6000

Brother CS6000

Amazon Deal of the day for my new Brother CS6000i gave me the opportunity to set up a sewing station at my home away from home to sew more reversible, tri-fold pads for Days for Girls International…and whatever Mom may come up with 😉

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Shuffle the deck

24 Feb

To prepare my third shipment for Days for Girls International, I indulged myself by shuffling “the decks” or stacks/bundles of reversible tri-fold pads to maximize the interest of colors and patterns with a kit.  Eight pads go in each kit.  Eight different colors/patterns were combined fifty times!  Yes for a total of 400 🙂                    www.daysforgirls.org

The deck of reversible tri-fold pads

The deck of reversible tri-fold pads

Color and pattern!

Color and pattern!

400 bagged and boxed

400 bagged and boxed

This shipment is topped off with 50 liners and no two alike.  Each liner has three different fabrics to maximize interest.

 

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36 Yards

25 Jan

36 yards of flannel fabric in process to make reversible tri-fold pads for Days for Girls International kits:

DfGI work in process

DfGI work in process

Bright colors preferred!  Each kit has eight pads.  These gallon size Ziplock bags are filled with eight in each.  Colors and patterns will be mixed for greatest interest.

Draw string bags hold the entire kit and includes one panty, one washcloth plus soap and two liners with PUL insert.

http://www.daysforgirls.org

In case of a “Polar Vortex” this month, I was prepared to get a lot of work done. No “Polar Vortex”, however I am further along than I expected.  I bought the 36 yards of flannel, washed it and cut 8″X 9″ squares staging the material in my shipping box.  Each yard makes 10 reversible pads.  The perimeter of the flannel pad is top stitched for durability.

Recycled for latch hook project

Recycled for latch hook project

I chose to cut the corners for 3 to 4 pads at a time immediately before sewing and remove the hypotenuse of the scrap corners for a future latch hook project.

I like working with the bright colors, bold patterns and soft texture of the flannel.

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Twice recycled, Thrice used

3 Dec
From curtains, to pillow covers, to three pocket tote

From curtains, to pillow covers, to three pocket tote

I chose this fabric with watercolor hues for curtains.  Alas, the curtains were replaced with blinds.  Shortly afterwards, I had the opportunity to recycle curtains in to pillow covers for screened porch seating.  Now that the seating is being reupholstered, the pillows will have new fabric.  I was about to THROW AWAY these covers when I realized sewing them together and adding a handle would make a respectable three pocket tote.  (Three pockets are made when the pillow backs are intact and sewn together with the fronts.)  DONE!

 

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Global Sew-a-Thon 2014

11 Oct

Days for Girls International celebrates October 11th, International Day of the Girl as designated by the United Nations by sewing, raising awareness and funds, and assembling kits to be distributed across the globe.  This is DfGI’s 2nd annual Global Sew-a-Thon.

www.daysforgirls.org

90% content of 22 kits shipped in April for final assembly.  In the spirit of stitched service, Elfcroft is working on our second shipment.  I have 23 kits in progress for shipment this moment.  Here is a peak at the effort…

DfGI bags

DfGI bags

DfGI_liners_2nd_shipment

Some assembly required for the liners (PUL and pockets)

DfGI_pads_2nd_shipment

Eight flannel tri-fold pads per kit

DfGI_work_in_progress_2nd_shipment

Prepared for sewing flannel pads

 

It is time to SEW!  26 liners to GO!

UPDATE:  Second shipment with 90% of 23 kits is READY.

46 liners to include in 23 kits

46 liners to include in 23 kits

Love to girls in every country on earth.  Elfcroft

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Ship day for my kits for Days for Girls International

29 Apr

I read about  this organization in this month’s issue of Oprah magazine.  As a four-year supporter of Helping Hands Touching Hearts (see earlier blog posts); Days for Girls International has a strong appeal to me.  They take part of the service work and support to a new level with an expanded mission.  With five years experience, they have incorporated “lessons learned” in their “crowd-sourced” global system.

www.daysforgirls.org

The official website of Days for Girls International. Dignity, health, opportunity. Every Girl. Everywhere. Period. Washable sanitary solutions for women.

The website is very well done.  Initially, I spent an hour reading, exploring links and watching You Tube video instruction.  My first step was to go through the remnant stash (from over 50 girls dresses).  From the small remnants, I yielded (69) 4″X5″ pocket pieces.  From the medium remnants, I yielded (10) sets of liner pieces.  From the trip to JoAnn’s, I purchased 10 yards of flannel in 4 different color/patterns.

The instructions from the website smartly includes downloadable patterns and video instruction of the finished kit.  Eight washable pads go with two washable liners, one panty and one wash cloth.  The quality expectation is for the kit to last an individual girl for three years.  It is also expected to be colorful, beautiful and neatly packed in a gallon size Ziplock bag inside a pretty drawstring bag.  Lovely!

It's a start

It’s a start!

I added another 11 yards of flannel, more of my fabric stash, PUL and lots of thread.

Shipping 22 DfGI kits

Shipping 22 DfGI kits

My first shipment includes 22 wash cloths, 22 drawstring bags in 3 different fabrics, 44 liners with wings and 88 pockets and most importantly….176 tri-fold flannel pads in 8 different colors.

The “polar vortex” winter created opportunities to make a lot of progress for one woman with one sewing machine in her cozy attic sewing room.  There were over runs on a each of the items sooo….the next shipment in the works.

 

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Days for Girls International

20 Jan

I read about  this organization in this month’s issue of Oprah magazine.  As a four-year supporter of Helping Hands Touching Hearts (see earlier blog posts); Days for Girls International has a strong appeal to me.  They take part of the service work and support to a new level with an expanded mission.  With five years experience, they have incorporated “lessons learned” in their “crowd-sourced” global system.

www.daysforgirls.org

The official website of Days for Girls International. Dignity, health, opportunity. Every Girl. Everywhere. Period. Washable sanitary solutions for women.

The website is very well done.  Initially, I spent an hour reading, exploring links and watching You Tube video instruction.  My first step was to go through the remnant stash (from over 50 girls dresses).  From the small remnants, I yielded (69) 4″X5″ pocket pieces.  From the medium remnants, I yielded (10) sets of liner pieces.  From the trip to JoAnn’s, I purchased 10 yards of fleece in 4 different color/patterns.

The instructions from the website smartly includes downloadable patterns and video instruction of the finished kit.  Eight washable pads go with two washable liners, one panty and one wash cloth.  The quality expectation is for the kit to last an individual girl for three years.  It is also expected to be colorful, beautiful and neatly packed in a gallon size Ziplock bag inside a pretty drawstring bag.  Lovely!

It's a start

It’s a start!

 

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