Sew and Share

Time for "Sew and Share" 2009!!!

2009-10-06T15:00:00.001-07:00

Here's a chance to share your time and talents once again...........

A little summary of 2008 "Sew and Share".......

2009-10-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

Words cannot express how much your time and talents were appreciated!!!

Saturday afternoon stitching.........

2008-10-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

I am terribly remiss at getting the photos posted of our Saturday afternoon "Sew and Share" efforts. I posted the photos from the morning and then totally forgot that I needed to post the afternoon shots. Oh, boy, please forgive me! So here they are ....................

This is the big room called the "Community Room" at City Hall. It's a great room to work in with lots of light and a big kitchen at the back. As you can see, there are projects in progress all around the room.

Here are two of the happiest gals I know - Joanie and Dorothy. They are tying one of the quilts made by Adella's neighbor lady. When they were done tying, Barb took over and trimmed the edges and added the binding.

In July, Anita brought this finished patchwork quilt top and then several of the gals did the tying. It is huge! I bound the edges and it was another finished quilt that will head off to Iowa.

This photo below shows some of the fleece scarves that we made. We got fourteen scarves finished and two pair of gloves and one hat. I had purchased some mittens but will go out and do a little shopping so that each scarf has a matching pair of mittens and perhaps a hat, too!

The last activity of the day was putting the stitches and loops for hanging on the Christmas stockings that Anita and Pastor Kathy had stitched together. I showed the gals to just take large running stitches with the yarn and it gave it kind of a decorative look. They were giving me a hard time because they said I made it look easier than it actually was when they started doing it. But they did it and when they are filled with some goodies, there will be some smiling faces for some boys and girls this Christmas!

Stitching on the stockings are from the left - Dorothy, then Darlene, and Joanie.

As the day progressed, we stacked the items made or collected around the piano in the corner of the community room. It was fun to see the piano disappear under such a volume of quilts, scarves, totebags and more. All of the quilts will go off to Iowa. We had talked that a couple of them might go over to Sibley County Services but the need is so great in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area that they will head south. All of the totebags and the pillowcases will also go to Iowa but about half of the scarves and stockings will go to Iowa and the other half will go to our own county, Sibley Services for those in need in our own area. In the future, almost all of our items will go to Sibley County unless some special cause arises that we decide to do some stitching for. In the meantime, I have received items from the Eastern Long Island Quilt Guild that will be added to our donations to Iowa, plus a few other items. I'll be posting those photos in the next few days - really, I promise I will not forget this time. As of this writing, about one third of the quilts have been delivered to Judy Heilers, our contact in Cedar Rapids and I am preparing today to deliver all the rest of them to my son's girlfriend's sister who is visiting in Minneapolis and she will take the rest of them to Judy. How's that for a convoluted sentence and an interesting path to get the quilts to where they are needed?

Thanks so much to everyone who donated time, talents, materials, food, etc. This has been a great adventure and there's still more good works and good fun to come!!!

Saturday "Sew and Share" - Morning

2008-09-27T21:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning dawned bright and beautiful! We were all in a good mood because it was just such a beautiful day, plus we were a group of gals who were gathering to help others but we knew we were going to have a great time in the process! And we sure did!!

Barb (left) and Kate (right) were all smiles as they prepared to stitch up stockings and bind quilts. Barb brought some scrumptious peanut butter banana muffins for all of us so that we would not go hungry til lunch. :-)

Carolyn came to help and while diminished vision keeps her from sewing as she used to many years ago, she rolled the scarves to smooth the seams on the fleece scarves that were stitched up the night before.

Dorothy (right) and Joanie (left) took the scarves and snipped the ends to tie up fringed edges like those done on the popular fleece blankets. That's Pastor Kathy in the background selecting thread for stitching up Christmas stockings.

There were a few tied quilts from our last workday in July so Sharon took one that Cathy had almost finished and prepared to trim it and then add a binding.

This is Lane. She joined us after reading the poster that I had on display at the library quilt show. She's mom to two little twin boys and wanted a chance to get out and share some stitching time with friends and she did just that!!

And this is me, Sandi. I am adding some decorative stitches to the scarf that I made on Friday. Behind me you can see the stacks of fabric, stockings ready to stitch and yarn for tying the quilts.

Anita (left) and Kathy (below right) were the "Christmas Stocking Stitchers" and completed more than two dozen stockings from a variety of red and green knit fabrics. The stockings were already cut as they were left-overs from a project I did several years ago when I worked for a computer company. At that time, co-workers signed up to take one or more stockings and fill them for boys and girls, then they were donated to a local agency for a Christmas toy drive.

We had worked really hard and at noon we were ready for a break for lunch. We are pictured below after enjoying a delicious meal of chicken salad, a hamburger-rice-cashews hot dish, fresh tomatoes, spinach dip and bread, baked beans, a banana meringue dessert and much more. Recipes will be posted later for the hot dish and the banana dessert. :-) With lunch over, it was time to get back to work................... afternoon photos posted tomorrow!

Pictured above from left to right - Sharon, Kate, Carolyn, Anita, Pastor Kathy, Barb, Dorothy, and Joanie and next to her was Lane who ate quickly and had to leave so she could get home to care for her boys so her husband could leave for work!! What a committed, sharing group of gals they all are!!!

Friday "Sew and Share"

2008-09-25T21:22:00.000-07:00

Finally, I am getting to the posting of the pics from last weekend's "Sew and Share" event. Sorry to be so slow but I really had to catch up on some laundry, cleaning and just stuff! We had a fabulous weekend and really got a lot of things done!

I tried something a little different this time, two days of sewing instead of one and one day starting in the afternoon and the next in the morning. This worked well as it allowed stitchers who could come at different times/day be able to participate. I think I'll do that when we meet again next Spring to stitch up a Spring storm of quilts, bags and such!!

Spring is a long way off, though, and fall arrived this past week so the quilts that were finished and the scarves that were made or donated will certainly be welcome to those affected by losses from the Iowa flooding. And then there were Christmas stockings to stitch as no one wants a child to miss the wonder of seeing what is in his or her stocking on Christmas morn.

Here are a few photos from last Friday. I'll post the photos from last Saturday this Saturday. I do hope that makes sense. :-)

Jane, Carol and Adella were the first to arrive just before 1:00 p.m. I was unloading bags full of fabric, fleece, sewing machine, etc. Takes a lot of stuff to sew for a village. Sorry, I couldn't resist.
It didn't take us long to settle in and get going on projects. I set up a table with lots of fabric for quilts, fleece for scarves and hats, and a pile of pre-cut knit Christmas stockings. We were ready to go..............

Here is Jane putting the binding on a quilt top that Kate made at our meeting in July. Another one done!

Adella brought two giant, I mean GIANT, bags of tied quilts made by her neighbor. She's preparing to bind one of the smaller ones. Another one done. She also brought three finished tied quilts that she had made.

Carol is trimming the batting from one of the tied quilts and getting it ready to bind. Another one done.

I brought three plastic bags filled with fleece remnants that I picked up on clearance at JoAnn's and spread them on the table. Here's Darlene choosing colors to coordinate into warm scarves for winter.

While Darlene selected colors, Nancy would measure, mark, and cut two coordinating pieces that could be stitched and tied into cute scarves for kids or adults. They got 14 scarves cut and ready to stitch before they had to leave later Friday afternoon!!

Gretchen was "zipping" (yes that's a pun) right along as she sewed up lots of little humbug (or teepee) bags that will hold personal care items. She picked cheery Mary Englebreit fabrics for the bags and bought colorful zippers to match. Her machine was really humming! Gretchen also knitted several scarves that were added to our collection of items to share.

We took a break for a quick supper of sloppy joes (provided by the Women's Tourist Club-GFW-of Henderson), plus chips, sodas and pumpkin bars. Adella and Carol had to leave to get home to the farms but Gretchen, Joyce and I just kept sewing.

I had started a scarf set from some of the fleece fabrics piled on the table and Gretchen snapped this picture when I finally finished it. I hope someone else looks better in this ensemble than I do! I was pretending to shiver with cold but I think I look more like I am wringing my hands with worry. That's not the case for we were having too much fun talking and laughing while we sewed.

Joyce was also stitching scarves and making her machine hum, too! By the time we "closed up shop" at 8:00 p.m. over a dozen scarves had been stitched and another half a dozen quilts had been finished!! Not bad for a day's work!!

Thanks to all of you who sewed and for the items you brought with you that were finished at home!! I'll post more photos on Saturday and then next week, I'll go out and hang the quilts on the line for individual pictures. Plus, I'll share how the quilts we make here will be part of 2000 quilts that are being collected for the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City flood victims.

"Sew and Share" this Saturday!

2008-09-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

Wow, I cannot believe how time flies! My last post was the day before we left for my husband's high school class reunion and then August was filled with more activities that ended with my trip to Iowa for my mother's 80th birthday. Then it was time to prepare for the quilt show in the Henderson Library and wow, time just flies by!!!
I have posted fliers and had info cards available at the library quilt show, then sent out e-mails about this coming weekend. We will have sewers and once again, we'll be busy as bees helping others.
Here's the info for this weekend. Please join us if you would like to help out!!

“Sew and Share”
in the Community Room at City Hall, Henderson, MN
Friday, September 19th from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 20th from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
We will be making scarves and hats, Christmas stockings, quilts, and more! Most of the items will go to Families affected by flooding in southeast Iowa but some items will be donated to families in need in Sibley County. If you can sew, cut fabric, yarn tie knots in quilts or add fringe to scarves, etc. etc. please come and help.
Questions? E-mail me at stitchinglegacy@gmail.com

“Sloppy Joes”, chips and pop will be provided on Friday evening for a 6:00 supper. Feel free to bring other goodies if you wish.

Noon Potluck on Saturday. Please bring something to share- salad, hotdish, dessert, bread, etc. Coffee, tea and cider provided.

Quilts from New York......

2008-07-30T22:37:00.000-07:00

These lovely quilts were donated by Jackie Kaspersin of New York. When I asked her how she learned of our project she replied that she was searching the web for "Quilts for flood victims" and found our "Sew and Share" information! Jackie included a note with each quilt. Sending quilts our way is not the only charity that Jackie donates quilts to. She makes quilts, afghans, and many other items for more than a dozen charities!!

This is a child's quilt and while my photography may make you think that it is the same size as the pink and green quilt below - it is not. It's called "Wild Flowers on the Yellow Brick Road."

This quilt is called "Pink Bows Like Green" and it's a larger quilt that Jackie hopes an older girl might enjoy. She also made a small quilt for a doll or teddy bear or when I hung it on the line, I thought it would make a great piece to put on a nightstand.

Some lucky someone's will get these quilts. Thank you so much for sharing your time and talents, Jackie!!

I'll have a little news to share tomorrow and then things will be quiet for a week or so. I am expecting a package from out east, though, so when that arrives I'll post the contents.

A white linen day!

2008-07-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

The sun is definitely out here in Minnesota. Yesterday it was warm when I took these pictures. Today it is hot and tomorrow and the next three days are to be even hotter!!!
The lovely linens hung on the line are made by Bronwyn Hughes, sister to friend Gretchen. She loves to cross stitch and someone is going to love receiving these pieces. Thank you, Bronwyn!!

Check in tomorrow and I will post pictures of the two quilts that arrived from New York last week. Plus we received a donation that will help us with our projects at the September "Sew and Share" day. More on that next week. Have to give you something to look forward to!!!! :-)

Photos postponed until the sun shines......

2008-07-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

I was going to take pictures today so I could post Bronwyn's cross stitch and two quilts I received from New York. It has stayed cloudy all day, though, and no sun has peeked through. If it was going to be cloudy, I was hoping there would at least be a shower or two to help green up the grass. So the picture taking is postponed until the sun comes out.
In the meantime, some of you had asked about the pattern for the little "Teepee" bags made and donated by Cheryl from Anchorage, Alaska. I googled it and found the pattern on this site. Scroll down and look for "Cute Teepee Coin Purse with Zipper " at http://henriettashandbags.com/Craft_Ideas.html
In addition to that little bag, you will find oodles of patterns for free bags, totes, purses, etc. Plus, the site features patterns for purchase by a wide variety of designers. Have fun with it!!!

A little thank you!

2008-07-23T22:41:00.000-07:00

I have been away for a few days, home to a family reunion and visiting my mom. Had a great time but a little behind (I am always a "little behind") in replying to e-mails, posting, laundry, etc. etc. Just wanted to share this note I received from Kourtney Maroney from United Way of Johnson County after I let her know the amount of the check we would be sending to their office.

$750 - That is FANTASTIC! Please thank any and all participants in the “Sew and Share” project. I hope this project turns out to be a successful venture in helping your friends and neighbors, too!
Again, thank you so very much for your donation, your support means everything to our organization and the people needing a helping hand in our community.
Kourtney Maroney
United Way of Johnson County
Give. Advocate. Volunteer.
LIVE UNITED. ®

When I arrived home there was a package on my doorstep that contained two more quilts. Today I delivered three boxes of personal care items to Stacia who will deliver them to the Crisis Center in Iowa City this weekend. I thought there would be four boxes but repacked it all and got it into three boxes. She will take quilts on her next trip.

News of our "Sew and Share" event made the local paper so perhaps more stitchers will join us in September when we gather again to sew for those in need.

I had promised to post a few pictures of cross stitch items but haven't had time to take the pictures since I got home. Plus I need to photograph the new quilts that arrived and tell you who sent them. In the meantime, here's a photo and a little story that goes with it.

That's my quilting friend, Gretchen on the right. She's pictured with her sister, Bronwyn, (the cross stitcher) and their dad, Bill. The three of them stopped by during the afternoon of the "Sew and Share Day" to drop off lots of items. As Bill watched the women busily stitching, he started talking to me about how Gretchen had been a teacher for so many years and then when she retired she took up quilting and it became almost an obsession (hmm, imagine that? huh, quilters?). He observed, though, that it was about more than just quilting. He could see that we were all working together and that there was a camaraderie among the women so it's about so much more than just making quilts. While we were basically doing something for others, we were also enjoying friendships and learning how to quilt at the same time. Just a little observation from a gent in his late 80's! I was thrilled that he could see that as that is exactly what happens! When you step outside of yourself and start helping others, you actually end up helping yourself and have a great time in the process!!

Tomorrow I will get those photos taken of Bronwyn's cross stitch and the new quilts that arrived. Til then, hope the man in the moon is shining down on you as you sleep tight tonight..........

Sleep tight..............

2008-07-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd post a few more pictures before I toddle off to bed. When I put my head down on the pillow at night, I love nothing better than a soft, clean pillow case. So here are few that were stitched so that others can do the same.
A dainty floral case that Kate made from fabrics in my stash. So soft and pretty that I wouldn't mind sleeping on it myself.

Had to take another picture of the polka dot pillow case that Pat made. Click on the photo to enlarge so you can see the cute barn print that trims the blue pillowcases. Someone will really like those.

Margaret (from Prior Lake) made and sent the pillowcases pictured above and in the photo below. The jungle print one is great and somewhere there is a cat lover who will really enjoy the blue cat print pillowcases.

There are only a few photos left to show you and I am going to post those on Monday. Planning to take a break for a few days and tend to some family things and such. I've kept up with things these last few days but I am way behind on some stitching projects that have deadlines!

Need to share one more nice little thing that happened with the "Sew and Share" day.

"Toody's Sweets and Treats" is located on Main Street in Henderson. Prior to the sewing day, I had made arrangements with Toody to honor coupons that I would give participants who sewed or donated. I had made name tag buttons and everyone got a coupon that said -

"Thank you for participating in "Sew and Share"

Present this coupon at Toody's Sweets and Treats for one free Kiddie size ice cream cone, flavor of your choice."

And by the way, a Kiddie size cone at Toody's is not what you get when you order one at certain fast food places. This is a cone that would be a medium or more at most places. Anyway, at the end of the day, I went in to settle up and pay Toody for the cones. And she said "no charge, you guys sewed for a good cause-treat is on me!" How cool!!! Thank you, Toody, sewwww much!!!

It's time to say "Good-night" and what better way to close out the blog tonight than with the picture below. These pillow cases were cross-stitched by Bronwyn Hughes, sister of my friend, Gretchen Hughes. When I opened them up and saw the ice cream cones and the "Sweet Dream" it reminded me of that old rhyme my kids used to chant - "Ice cream, you scream, we all scream for Ice Cream." Memories are such a delight. A few night's ago, I was reading Heidi Kaisand's blog "Hen and Chicks" and she closed with "Sleep Tight, Don't let the bedbugs bite". I was immediately reminded of my dad. I hope all of you are able to sleep tight tonight wherever you are, and that, of course, you have "Sweet Dreams".

I'll be back on Monday with more photos and another cool story from the "Sew and Share" day.

P.S. That's the beagle king, Kaiser under the pillowcases. He was intent on watching the birds flitting about in the woods. I am sure he was thinking "why do I have to be on this leash?!!!"

Just a month ago ..........

2008-07-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

Can it be just a month ago that the flooding was engulfing so much of southeast Iowa? I am sure that many who live there find it hard to believe what has happened to them this summer. As I've already mentioned, my sister lives in Iowa City but she was fortunate for her home suffered no flooding nor did their veterinary clinic. Their church, however, was virtually destroyed. Time will tell how they will recover and rebuild. It was a question posed to my sister that led me to set up the "Sew and Share" project. I asked if there was anything we could do to help? At the time there was nothing one could do because water was still rising. But I felt I needed to do something, so I asked my friends if they would sew some quilts or whatever was needed. You can see some of their responses in the sidebar. Then I asked my Bible Study friends if they would provide lunch for those who sewed (I've only lived here a year and a half but it didn't take long to discover they are very good cooks especially baked goods!). There are seven ladies in the group. First I met Arline and Doris when I began attending St. Paul's United Church of Christ (pictured below) in the fall of 2006 (we hadn't yet moved here but I wanted to find the right church and I did). Then I met Dorothy, Joan, and Carolyn in the winter of 2007. When spring came, I met Marian and Diane. They are a most wonderful group of ladies who encircled me with their friendship and have made me feel as if I have known them forever!

So we began making plans for the sewing day, and even before it took place Kate sent a little quilt, pillowcases came from Pandora and then Janet in S.C. sent some, too, and also tote bags. Then Quilter John (from an on-line quilt group that I am in) sent a check for $20 and said "use it for whatever is needed" so we bought quilt batting and with a 40% off coupon at JoAnn's we spent the money wisely. It was enough to do one large quilt, and four baby quilts. There was more money that came in and it became obvious we needed to set up an account at the bank. Tomorrow, I will mail a check to Johnson County United Way (in Iowa City) for $750! All of the funds they receive go to those in need, no administrative costs have to be taken from the donation. Thanks go to several who donated cash but especially to members of Redeemer Lutheran Church as they were extremely generous. As I mentioned before the purpose of the "Sew and Share" project wasn't necessarily to raise funds but it was nice that it happened!!

With the money on it's way, there are personal care and quilt related items to distribute. I've posted pictures of almost all of the various items that have been made or donated and want to extend a big thank to everyone who shared!! Next week, Stacia, my son's girlfriend, will take several boxes to the Crisis Center in Iowa City that are filled with the tote bags and little "teepee" bags that hold personal care items, plus lots more. The distribution of the quilts will come later in August. Kourtney at the Crisis Center in IC and Mindy at the Salvation Army in Cedar Rapids have given me names of several places collecting items for flood victims.

And here is a little challenge for any of you who are checking into this blog. Let me share my thoughts. As we gathered on Saturday morning to begin sewing, I briefed everyone on what we would be doing and why, talked a bit about the flooding and it's long-term effects. Some of the ladies have sewn with me before and were a part of a project that we did for Southern Valley Alliance for Battered Women. It was a very simple project but a huge gift to the women who used the shelter. I asked each of them to fill a purse with essentials that could go to a woman in need. I recalled watching the coverage of Hurricane Katrina and I was spellbound by the images of people who waded through water and barely escaped with their lives. I remember one young couple walking through waist-high water, holding hands and around her neck was her purse. I thought "what a smart woman she was and how fortunate that she had the foresight to grab her purse." That isn't always the case. I asked my friends to picture what it would be like if they had to leave their home in such a hurry that they couldn't grab their purse. Almost every woman carries half her life in her purse!! So the ladies rose to the challenge and from just a little over a dozen women we collected 43 purses that we donated for Christmas gifts that year. I threw out the same challenge last Saturday morning to all the ladies present (about 24). When we meet in September to sew again, bring a purse and fill it with necessities. The ladies who donated to the women's shelter were so generous with what they put in the purses from nail care to wallets to phone cards to pens and paper, etc. So I challenge you out there, to buy a purse (or two) and fill it with some necessities and then take it to the nearest shelter and donate it to someone who really needs it. It will be appreciated!
This morning I took a few more pics. Here are the tote bags that were made by Joan - the black and white checked ones - and the floral tapestry ones sent by Janet.

And this picture shows the Strawberry Shortcake bags made by mom Angela and her daughter, Allison. They will be filled with colors and coloring books for kids. Barb made the lovely quilted bags that are more like a nice purse than just a tote!

I took pictures of the pillowcases and some other items and will post those later on. I had to mail some letters this afternoon so while I was downtown, I took a picture of City Hall where we held our "Sew and Share" event. That's where we will be on September 19 and 20 - two days next time! More info on that will come in the next couple of weeks.

Henderson, Mn is a river town, too. The Minnesota River is to the east of City Hall. Earlier today, I learned that water has nearly reached City Hall during flood years in the past so Henderson is familiar with flooding. Perhaps it was that knowledge that brought so many together to "Sew and Share" and why so many want to keep doing it. We will be sewing again for Iowa flood victims in September but we will also sew for those in our own "back yard".

A month ago I asked - "How to connect us all so that we can help others? " Well, this blog and the gathering last Saturday shows that we can connect and by sharing just a little bit of our time and talents, we can make a difference!!

Oh, baby, it's hot outside!!!

2008-07-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

As I was hanging the flannel baby quilts on the clothesline, I was thinking "it is really hot out today!! - certainly not a day when a baby would want to be wrapped up in a flannel quilt!" It won't be long, though, before summer is over (this is the Minnesota, after all) and the first frost often arrives the first week in September. But today it was in the low 90's and that's hot! In spite of the heat, I enjoyed hanging each of the little quilts and wondered what child will be wrapped up in them. I remember the blankets and quilts I made for my own kids and for my grandson and how important they were to them. Almost every kid has a favorite "blankie". Perhaps one of these will replace that lost favorite quilt or blanket.

Beatrice stitched up these three simple tied blankets from soft knits and flannels. The next three photos are flannel quilts from Sue in Mason City. I see a Christmas baby wrapped in that red, white and green flannel quilt!

I already posted pics of the next group of quilts but that was on the green sheet thrown over my couch. Taking pictures outdoors is so much more fun! These five quilts were made by members of the Women's Tourist Group of Henderson. The cloth story books pictured with some of the quilts were made by Gretchen Hughes and some were just meant to go with certain quilts.

This is the fleece blanket made by Deanna from Shakopee (MN). Lots of you have made these quilts but in case you want to try one yourself - just take two coordinating lengths of fleece, place together and pin together so pieces will not slip when cutting. Next, make even width cuts around the edge of the two pieces that looks like "fringe". The last step is to tie the fringe pieces together all around the quilt. And that's all there is to it!

And another picture of the bright yellow, red and blue fireman themed quilt by Sue. If you want to see close-ups of any of the pics posted just click on the pictures and you'll get an enlarged view of the quilts.

And the last quilt didn't arrive on Saturday. It came today. This was Tuesday so to paraphrase that old movie title "If it's Tuesday, this must be Bible Study day". It was Marian's turn and she lives in St. Peter so when we go to her apartment, her neighbor Monica always joins us. We were all discussing the quilts and food and fun that ensued on Saturday at "Sew and Share" and Monica, who couldn't be there wanted to know what kind of quilts were needed. So we told her what was collected and then she said "I'll be right back", went across the hall to her apartment and came back with this sweet baby quilt edged with eyelet. It's a preprinted panel that she hand-quilted and backed with blue flannel. She said she doesn't have any babies to quilt for anymore but she loves to handquilt. Isn't that cool?

So, I went from "hot" at the beginning of this post to "cool" at the end and, actually, all the quilts, blankets, whatever you want to call them are really cool and yet, they will warm the hearts of those who receive them!

A Baker's Dozen of Large Quilts......

2008-07-14T21:58:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of all the large quilts that were collected this past Saturday. Not a one of these was made that day. Instead, various church groups make quilts for those in need and they donated the quilts they had ready to the "Sew and Share" project. They were all so pretty that I felt that they needed to be photographed. Where to do it? The green sheet thrown over my couch was not doing justice to my previous photos and then I thought, hmmmm, hang them on a clothesline! I don't have a clothesline but we do have trees. So the errand I ran yesterday was to get clotheline and clothespins. It was a beautiful day, perfect for picture taking. It took several trips in and out of the house to hang the quilts and take the photos but it worked.
There are twelve photos of quilts here. At the end of this post you'll find out about the 13th one that will make this a baker's dozen of quilts to donate!

The quilt shown above was made and donated by the ladies of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Henderson, MN. The side borders are actually a dark sage green. The sun was bright and some colors didn't photograph "true".
The green quilt below is "true" to the color I saw through the lens. It was bright and has a beautiful coordinating fabric on the back. I don't know who brought this quilt and the three pictured after it. They were dropped off in a big, bright blue plastic bag, no name and so I am playing detective to try and find out who made this generous donation.

The next six quilts were made and donated by St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Green Isle, MN. I know where these came from because the church secretary dropped them off and put them in my hands!

The large comforter in the photo below is king size and really fluffy. Reminded me of a big European comforter. It was my last photo to take and my dog, Kaiser, was tired of being inside so I brought him out while I took the last photo. He kept trying to "root" in my little rock bed on the right that is where my prized rhubarb is growing!

So where is the 13th quilt, you ask? It is sitting next to my sewing machine as it is the big one that several ladies were tying on Saturday afternoon. It needs a binding and then it will be done. I have some "administrative" stuff to do this next couple of days that relates to "Sew and Share" so it will be a few days before I can add the binding. I am in contact with Dawn and Kourtney at the Crisis Center in Iowa City and this morning spoke with Mindy at the Salvation Army in Cedar Rapids. They are aware of our project and feel that we have a "good handle" on what to make, donate, where it should go and how we will get it there. Just know that in the background, I am working to see that this all gets to those in great need. Mindy spoke of getting items to people in the smaller towns that have been devastated so we will see how we can make that happen.

I will be posting more pictures for the next three days of the items collected - baby quilts, pillowcases, etc. etc.. You might be asking, why post pics of the items being donated? Well, isn't a picture worth a thousand words? If you see something in this blog that makes you want to make something or buy personal care products or donate money to flood relief (or wildfire relief or whatever the need is in your community) then the pictures have spoken and done their job. The quilts shown above will go to people who have lost most or all of their possessions. Nothing we can give them will replace the tied quilt that their mom or grandma made or the embroidered dishtowels that dried the family china but it lets them know that someone else cares. Our small donation may be the thing that lifts someone's spirits in this difficult time.

Pictures!!!

2008-07-13T22:44:00.000-07:00

Here they are! Pictures of everyone who came to our "Sew and Share" day and, oh, my were we busy! How busy were we? Well, as the pictures below will show we were on a mission and we stayed focused. There were about 24 of us who stitched, provided lunch, dropped off quilts or fabric, personal care items and more. Not everyone knew each other when we started but by the end of the day we were all new friends!! Some who came were quilting friends from the Prior Lake quilters (where I used to live) and some were from here in Henderson (from church and Bible study) and we even had a mother/daughter team from Arlington!! We were fortunate to be able to use the Community Room at Henderson City Hall and the room is big, well-lit and it was air-conditioned. Sometimes we turned that air off and let the breeze come in which was nice - especially since the day before it was 95 degrees! Storms had rumbled through on Friday evening and gave the ground a good soaking but most of us did not suffer storm damage (Cathy had trees down in her backyard so we weren't all spared).
Doris and Arline had set out some nut breads and coffee and tea so we nibbled as we waited for everyone to arrive. Machines were set up and a couple of people that couldn't come for the day dropped off finished quilts and fabric. Once everyone had arrived, I gave an overview of what we would do and away we went. Some started sewing and some started filling the little "teepee" bags and totes sent by Cheryl (all the way from Anchorage, Alaska!). Darlene, Doris, Anita, and Beatrice (all from Henderson) got a "system" going and made sure each bag had one each of the personal care items - shampoo, lotion, comb, toothbrush, etc.

Everybody did a little bit of everything! Here are Anita and Darlene ironing backing for a quilt.

Cherie (from Henderson) is cutting fabric for quilt blocks that Pastor Kathy was working on. Cherie said she wasn't a quilter but ready to do whatever needed to be done. In church this morning she told me she has "held off" getting involved in quilting but she is now planning to start "small" with a quilt for her year old grandson. We love to get people "hooked" on quilting!!!

Speaking of Pastor Kathy, that's her on the left. She even tied our "Sew and Share" event into her sermon this morning, a message on "Sowing seeds". She is our interim pastor at St. Paul's United Church of Christ and how many can say that their pastor is also a quilter? What a treat!!!

That's Sharon (from Jordan, MN), to the right of Pastor Kathy (from Bloomington, MN). A funny thing happened when Sharon and Kathy realized they'd met before when Sharon worked at Eagle Creek Quilt Shop (in Shakopee) and Kathy came to shop there!

Barb (Savage, MN) and Kate (Shakopee, MN) were steady stitchers. Barb was stitching up some really neat tote bags and Kate, was working on a quilt top and pillowcase.

I brought a bunch of homespuns that Dorothy (from Henderson and Bible study) is cutting into dishtowel size and matching potholders. I will stitch them up later this week. In the photo below, Darlene and Beatrice are tying a small "cheater" quilt panel. It only needs a border and it will be finished. Think I am going to use that as a "banner" that we can hang outside city hall to let people know when "Sew and Share" stitchers are at work. We all agreed we want to do this again!

As I mentioned, the ladies from my Bible study provided lunch for all of us. As you can see from the pictures, they cut fabric, too. I love this picture on the left of Marian and Diane as they were having fun cutting flannel rectangles so that I could make a baby quilt. We were laughing that it didn't matter if the rectangles were cut perfectly. Diane said that was good and Marian offered up that flannel can be smoothed and stretched!

While Doris mixed up a salad, Arline was in the background ironing squares for the colorful kid's quilt that Cathy was working on. We used every corner of the community room!

Now all my friends know that I take lots of pictures and I tried to capture as many moments of the day as I could. But when I downloaded the pictures, I realized I missed a shot of a very important moment of the day - the food table!! We were provided a feast! Everyone loved the lasagna that Dorothy made, four different salads were shared by Joan, Marian, Doris, and Diane and pickles from Carolyn (our 94 year young member who was out visiting with her niece earlier in the day). Then there was dessert - not one but four!!! There was angel food cake with fresh strawberries and blueberries, and chocolate chip cookies and brownies with peanut butter chips and thick gooey frosting, and a chocolate angel food cake. As you can see by the plates in the pictures, we all did our part to be in the "clean plate club"!

We went right back to stitching after lunch was over. There was momentary problem when Cathy's machine developed a serious thread tangle. I had gone up to the house to get a tweezers for her but Pastor Kathy came to the rescue and picked the threads out carefully. I was gone a bit longer than planned as I had to walk the dog because my husband was gone. I thought Kaiser went outside while I was upstairs because when I came down the garage door was wide open and he was nowhere! Turned out he was just hiding as he knew I was going to leave again and he didn't want to be left alone. He got a biscuit so it wasn't all bad for him.

With lunch over, there was some serious quilt-tying going on. Pictured below, from the left, are Joan, Carolyn, and Dorothy and, on the right are Doris and Beatrice.

This is my friend, Sue, who is always smiling and she is a prolific quilter!!! She made this cute fireman themed quilt for a boy plus seven other flannel baby quilts, all in the last couple of weeks! And you want to be really impressed? She drove up from Mason City (on her way north to her mom's) to drop off the quilts. That's impressive. But I can impress you even more. She had water in her basement because Mason City suffered some serious flooding, too. And still she took time out to help those in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. Now that's impressive!!

I mentioned that we had a mother/daughter team and here they are pictured above - on the left - that's mom, Angela and daughter, Allison (wearing the hat) who came from Arlington (just west of Henderson). On the right, is Joan Powell who came from Lakeville, which is about 50 miles east of Henderson. Distance didn't keep anybody away!! Joan was working on some nice black and white tote bags. Angela and Allison cut out bags from Strawberry Shortcake fabric for girls and from a colorful dinosaur print, tote bags for boys. They finished the girly ones and took the others home to finish and I will pick up later.

I loved this colorful quilt that Cathy (Savage, MN) made for a young boy. And, I don't know why, but I loved this polka-dot pillowcase that Pat (Henderson) made. She also made some cute ones with farmyard scenes but I really liked the polka dots. One of my "simple pleasures/favorite things" in life is knowing that when I go to sleep at night, I am able to put my head to rest on a clean and pretty pillowcase. I would hope that others will sleep well on the pillowcases that we have made.

And the last photos, are of me. I am often flitting from here to there keeping things connected, but I actually sewed this day!! In the morning, I pieced some fabrics for the backing of the scrappy quilt that was tied. Then after lunch, I started sewing on a simple flannel baby quilt and as you can see I finished the top. Only needs a backing and some yarn ties and it will keep some little one warm and cozy.

You know, we were stitching for a serious cause but we also had a great deal of fun as we sewed and we all made new friends! We really had a great day and in the next few days, I'll tell you more about when we will stitch again. I'll also post more photos. I've tallied up the quilts and tote bags, pillowcases, etc. that were made and plan to photograph the quilts out in my backyard tomorrow. It was too windy to do it today. Plus, after church, I needed to run some errands, do some laundry and then later, I took a long nap!!

I realized that there was one important photo that I forgot to post but it will be a good one to start with when I post tomorrow. If you're reading this, remember, you can participate no matter where you live. The need is great as many, many residents will be displaced for months to come.

That's all for tonight. More tomorrow. Sleep well. I know I will!! It's 2:30 a.m. Time to put my head to the pillow!!

Sandi

What a success!!!

2008-07-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

Our "Sew and Share" day was a huge success!! I am still organizing the items made and/or donated during the day today. We started around 9:30 this morning - cutting, sewing totebags and pillowcases and quilt tops then tied some quilts, and accomplished so much! We started packing up around 4:00 this afternoon. It took two trips to get all the stuff back to my house. Of course, part of that was the fact I took my sewing machine, my tool box, lots of fabric, batting, etc. The only "down-side" of going to a "sew-in" or a retreat is all the stuff one has to bring to use when sewing. But sew we did and tomorrow I'll give you a full update on all that was made and donated and the great lunch we had and other fun stuff. About 8:30 p.m. tonight, I could barely move I was so tired but the phone rang and there's something about a phone call that can recharge one's batteries. After that I had a little more energy and have been tallying all the items and then will take photos so that you can see what we will be sending off to those affected by the flooding in Iowa. Going to work on a little crazy quilting for myself for a bit and then it's off to bed. We had such a good day!!! Just makes me smile!

Twas the night before "Sew and Share".......

2008-07-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

It's only a few hours til we start sewing. Ever the nightowl, I am up always up 'til the wee hours of the morning. Earlier tonight, I was trying to pull things together and load stuff in my car but found myself very distracted by the wild weather that passed through Minnesota this evening. Once again, my dog, Kaiser and I retreated to the basement. I mentioned this in my other blog a week or so ago as my husband chose to stay upstairs then while sirens were blowing. This time there weren't any sirens and no tornadoes near us but I wasn't taking any chances. First the clouds were dark, then rolling, then came wind, and then it looked kinda green and then came the rain. We were spared here but other places near and in the Twin Cities were not so fortunate. Anyway, it was rainy weather that brought me to this blog, so best I get to it and share photos of items that arrived the last four days.
The Women's Club Tourist group of Henderson donated the five quilts pictured in the photos below plus lots of personal items and coloring books for the kids.

I realize that my picture taking skills are seriously lacking but a sheet thrown over my couch was the nearest thing I could find for a backdrop. The important thing is the colorful quilts. My friend, Deanna, made the super soft fleece blanket.

My friend Doris doesn't sew so she bought this pretty bath set. Doris committed the rest of our Bible Study to help with food, knowing that they would all be willing to help. They are planning a fabulous lunch for those of us who will be stitching, plus they plan to help us cut, iron, whatever we need help with!!!

And then yesterday, I received a package from Cheryl in Anchorage, Alaska and I had no idea it was coming. When I opened it, it was like one of those cans with the cloth covered wire snake that jumps out at you. The box was filled brim full with these cute fleece tote bags and..............

.........28 little "teepee" bags. We will be able to fill these with personal hygiene items that can go to the Crisis Center!

Well, that's all for tonight. I think I have everything I'll need to take to our marathon sewing session. I'm leaving the kitchen sink behind as there is already one in the community room kitchen. Tee hee!

Keeping it all together!

2008-07-09T21:47:00.000-07:00

Well, it is time to update you on how I am "keeping it all together"! And that is an interesting thing as there is more to a sewing day than setting the date and sewing. Once I had set the date and began the plans for the sewing day, I learned something new almost every day. There has been a bit of work to getting this all set up but it will be a lot of fun for those of you who participate and I can tell that it will be a successful event on Saturday. As of right now there are almost 40 people involved in either sewing, providing lunch, donating fabric, donating personal items and donating tote bags, pillowcases, quilts and more that they have made and have either mailed or plan to drop off on Saturday.
This week I made contact with the United Way in Iowa City, the Crisis Center in Iowa City, two churches in Cedar Rapids, plus my sister and a couple of quilting friends in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area. Following conversations with these contacts I have a more concrete idea of what items will go where and they are as follows:

1. The Sew and Share Flood Relief project is primarily about making items for those in need. However some people have donated money and so any monetary donations will go to the bank account at First State Bank in Henderson and then checks will be written to Johnson County United Way which covers the Iowa City/Coralville area and surrounding communities. All funds donated there will go to people in need. No administrative costs will be taken from the funds sent. An anonymous donor has underwritten all administrative costs for the period of flood relief efforts and this allows all funds to go to those in need. If you wish your funds to go to any other United Way please indicate so on checks written for flood relief.

2. The Crisis Center is in need of specific items such as cleaning items, equipment and personal hygiene products/care. The tote bags we make will be filled with some of these items plus we will be making small personal care packs. There will also be tote bags that will contain colors, coloring books, etc. for children. Some pillowcases will also be sent. All these items will be boxed and delivered to the Crisis Center in Iowa City and delivered by July 27th.

3. The quilts, pillowcases, dishtowels, and other items we make will go to specific families in need. These items will not be distributed immediately as many people do not have homes to go to yet. Some are staying with relatives and friends. They have only begun to clean their homes and in some cases do not even know if their home will be salvageable. Storage is at a premium in the IC/CR area so these "soft items" will remain here and will not be sent until August at the earliest. (Note: There was a suggestion that we could donate the items we make to the Goodwill as flood victims have been given vouchers to go and select items needed to replace lost belongings. However, this is not an option for the items we are making as once donated to Goodwill or the Crowded Closet - a thrift shop in Iowa City - anyone can purchase whatever is donated and that's not our purpose here.) At this time, I have connections to several families that have lost their homes and/or belongings. There are many more and so with help from the churches and quilting friends in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area we will see that these items go directly to people who need them the most.

And one last thing..........I have to say thank you to my son's girlfriend, Stacia, as she is the one who is going to deliver the items to the IC/CR area. I was counting on her before I actually asked if she would help and her response was like that of the rest of you who are participating - "I would be more than happy to take whatever you need........every little bit helps." She also made the same observation that makes me forge ahead with this project that "this is such a tragedy for the people who lost everything and it seems that once it is off the front page everyone forgets about it but these people who lost their homes and businesses will be recovering and rebuilding their lives for a long time." So what little we can offer may be just the thing that someone needs so whatever you can do to help is very much appreciated!!!

I think that's all for tonight. Goodnight, Sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite! (How many of you said that when you were kids?)

Video of flood damage

2008-07-04T23:25:00.000-07:00

It's quite late but I just checked my e-mail and had a message from my brother-in-law in Iowa City. He forwarded the following site that shows the massive flood damage in the Cedar Rapids area. Those of you who are stitching and those who will sew next Saturday are making items that will certainly be needed.
Here's the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c63v9aQCg14

It's almost noon Pacific time.........

2008-07-02T11:43:00.000-07:00

I promised to post photos by noon. I didn't make it in the Central Time Zone so I'm thinking Pacific time right now. :-) And that makes me think that hot as it is here that it would be lovely to be near the ocean right now!!! Ah, reality check! SO, to the business at hand - I have photos of some of the projects that have been made for our "Sew and Share" project. The horse themed corduroy quilt show below was made by my friend, Kate.

My friend, Pandora, made two sets of pretty pillowcases. Kate and Pandora are crazy quilting friends, that is, we are in a crazy quilting group. You might also call us "crazy quilters" if you heard how much laughter goes on when we are all stitching together!

My friend, Janet, from South Carolina, made four pillowcases - two for the kids and two for the ladies. Janet and I connected over a "flannel pillow" I made several years ago and she needed to know how I did some of the stitches. That's a good story, I'll share one day.

Janet also made these lovely tote bags from tapestry fabric. I am getting excited about this little venture "Sew and Share". It is great to be able to help others and at the same time, give us all a reason to stay connected!!! Time for lunch! I'll take a sandwich out on the porch and imagine the ocean is just around the bend (isn't that silo I see actually a lighthouse?)!!!

A little update.......

2008-07-01T22:45:00.000-07:00

Wow! the last couple days have been really busy with details for this little "Sew and Share" project. I have already received some items and will take pics tomorrow and get them posted by noon. For those of you just learning of this project, there are two ways to "Sew and Share". For those who are nearby, we will gather to sew at the Community Room at City Hall here in Henderson. Not to worry if you're no where near here, just take a bit of time and stitch up a tote bag, make-up bags, a purse, a pair of pillowcases, a kid's quilt or baby blanket (tied is great, we're going for usability here), or anything you can whip up (even crocheted dishcloths) that will help those trying to rebuild their homes and lives in the flooded areas. Even if you can't be here with us, perhaps you can make a point of sewing something that day that will make someone else smile!
I spent a great deal of time yesterday and today preparing flyers and a mailing to local churches and hope that will result in good participation on the actual day of "Sew and Share". While the focus of this "Sew and Share" project is on the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area there are many areas affected by flooding. I happen to have a sister and some quilting friends in the area that can see to the distribution of the things we make. Additionally, I have had some monetary donations come in so yesterday I set up an account at the local bank. For anyone wishing to make a donation you may send it to
First State Bank
239 Main St.
Henderson, MN 56044
All funds collected there will be sent to United Way in Iowa City.

2008-06-26T23:04:00.000-07:00

Here are a few samples of the flannel/fleece quilts I've made recently. They are good examples of how quickly we can stitch together something warm and comfy at our "Sew and Share" day. The larger flannel/fleece quilt on the right came about because I needed something warm last winter when we were having some heating issues in our new house. I had some flannel remnants I loved, cut them into 6 1/2" x 9 1/2" rectangles, sewed them together in random order (56 blocks) and backed it with fleece. It was the perfect thing to keep the draft away (it's since been fixed).

Since I enjoyed making that one, I decided (as noted in my previous post) that I would make a baby quilt as a raffle prize for the quilt show we did at the Lehigh library this past weekend. In no time at all, I had stitched together the 35 blocks needed for the baby quilt, backed it with the fleece and then my daughter and cousin, Patty, tied it with yarn.

Then this past Tuesday I started the two quilts shown below which will be raffle prizes for the Scott County Historical Society kid's event this coming Sunday. I was only asked to do one, but offered to do one for the girls and one for the boys. Hopefully, knowing that ticket buyers will have a chance to win one or the other that they will be encouraged to buy more chances.

It took 54 blocks for each top and one hour per top to sew the blocks together. Then there's the smoothing, pinning, folding over the fleece for binding, etc. but still I started them on Tuesday evening and was done (yarn ties stitched in place) by 9:00 last night (Wednesday). Sooooooo, I think we can make some of these at our "Sew and Share" day along with pillowcases, totebags, and whatever else we come up with. And if you cannot make it to the sewing day because you are too far away, then grab your flannel scraps and stitch up a quilt on your own. You can send it my way and I'll see it gets to someone in need - or - take it to a nearby crisis nursery, women's shelter, etc. There's need for help in Iowa but there is always need everywhere so I encourage you to do what you can wherever you live.
One last note, I will be setting up an account where donated funds can go as some of you have already sent or plan to send funds. When I have all the info the account will be set up at First State Bank in Henderson, MN and all funds will be there until forwarded to those in need. On the recommendation of my sister in Iowa City, she felt that the United Way office in Johnson County would be a good place to send those donations as they can get them to those in need. This whole project is evolving so if you have any suggestions or advice please leave me a comment. Thanks!
Sandi

Making a comfort quilt......

2008-06-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

Now that the "wheels are churning" for our "Sew and Share" efforts, I am back to working on a couple of projects for upcoming events. The quilt top shown below is just a simple baby quilt top that I will back and border with fleece. I made a larger quilt like this for myself this past winter and it was so warm and cuddly on cold days. I used only fabrics/remnants from my stash and cut them into 6 1/2" by 9 1/2" rectangles. Then I laid them out on the floor and just randomly placed blocks. I'll be finishing up this baby quilt in the next couple of days as it will be a doorprize at the quilt show during my hometown's 125th celebration in Lehigh, Iowa. The baby quilt takes 30 blocks. I have two more cut out that are raffle/fundraiser quilts for our historical society but I can't take time to stitch those until I get through this weekend's festivities. I'll post all the finished quilts as they are quick to make and by backing them with fleece there is no batting needed.

P.S. No time to stitch but you have flannel scraps on hand? Send them to me and I'll stitch them into "Fleecy Quilts" (I realize I can't really call them quilts as there is no "filling" between the layers). Sandi

Info on "Sewing and Sharing".....

2008-06-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who replied that you "Will Sew and Share". You have all offered to help in different ways. Not all of you can sew and we aren't all anywhere near each other so some of you offered prayers, money, time, whatever is needed. Interestingly, today is June 15 and to date 15 of you have replied that you would like to help. Some of you live nearby but we cover the U.S. from New York to Oregon, South Carolina to California and points in between. Amazing!!! I sent my original e-mail to my entire mailing list which is aobut 100 names. I used to work for a survey research company and the response you were looking for was 6%. I feel really good about the response to my initial e-mail!!
That original e-mail sent to all of you asked for prayer for my sister, Judy, and family and all those affected by the Iowa flooding. Additionally, I asked if you would like to go further and "sew and share" items for those in need. All weekend this has been on my mind as I watched the coverage and viewed the pictures on-line of the rising flood waters, the sandbagging, etc. I wondered what can we do to help and how can we make a difference.
I think I have a way for us to be connected not just for now but ongoing if you are willing (there are flooding victims in other areas of the midwest and there are wildfire victims in California, too!). I have set up this blog where I will post details of how we will "Sew and Share". And "sew", to the business at hand -
Here's what I propose. For those of you who can pray, please do. And if time is short or you don't sew, cash and gift cards will help buy supplies and food. For those who sew, here's my thought. Many of you already make quilts, pillowcases, etc. for area hospitals, shelters, etc. What I would like to collect at this time is small items first. Let's start with pillowcases and totebags. Make pillowcases from any fabric and for all ages. Make simple totebags and if you make ones for kids put a coloring book and colors, etc. in the bag. Totebags for women can be filled with personal items. Any size and shape of bag is welcome and they don't have to be filled. A couple of years ago, some of you helped make pillowcases and totebags and donated new purses that went to the Battered Women's Shelter in Belle Plaine, MN. With just a dozen of you participating, we donated 43 purses and many other items to the shelter. You went "above and beyond" when you filled the purses with even more than the suggested "comb, notepad, tissues" and filled the bags with make-up bags, nail care, phone cards, etc. etc. One of the things I asked you to think about then was - what if you had to leave home in a hurry and you didn't have your purse with you? The same thing applies to the flooding victims. Think about what it was like to leave their home in a hurry and you'll know what to put in a totebag or a purse. I remember watching the coverage of Katrina and there was a video of a couple walking hand-in-hand through waist-high water. She had her purse hung over her head and it was resting on her chest to keep it dry. I thought, how smart of her because if you have identification you're in great shape and without it, it spells trouble. It also crossed my mind that his wallet was probably very wet so wallets are welcome, too!
Pillowcases, totebags, purses, wallets, these are small projects but they can make a big difference. The next best thing to knowing I have my purse if I leave my house in a hurry is having a comfortable pillow to lay my head on when I am finally able to go to sleep. I have some resources for purchasing pillows but if you or friends you know want to donate Target or Wal-mart gift cards they will be sent to my sister to use for pillows or other necessities. I have copied this e-mail to my sister and through her church she can see to the distribution of these items. Also if any need for donation receipts is needed that is possible, too.
You might have thought I would ask for quilts but I decided initially to start with small items. However, if you want to make a quilt or quilts, I know there will be a need as so much has been lost in so many homes. Some of you know that the first year my husband and I were married, we lived through Hurricane Camille. We had five feet of water in our apartment. We all know that some things are irreplaceable. For me, it wasn't purchased wedding gifts that were broken and lost but a hand-made black and white rug made by my Great Grandma that was ruined by the silt and salt-water. Most of us are quilters and can relate to the quilters who may have lost not just their quilts but their sewing machines, their supplies, etc. I know two quilters, one near Cedar Rapids and one near Iowa City, who can connect us with those quilters in need. I see us assembling "quilting care packages". Nothing big, just a box with perhaps a pincushion, needles, scissors and a couple of fat quarters - something that says someone is thinking of me and may make the recipient smile. I see this "Sew and Share" project evolving into the fall when thoughts of Christmas come and so there'll be a need for Christmas stockings. Several years ago when I worked full-time for a computer company, I coordinated a stocking stuffer program. A couple of us made stockings and then fellow employees signed up to take a stocking and fill it for a child of a certain age. So that's a project for the future.
Right now, if each one of you makes just one item and then perhaps if a friend makes another or makes a donation, well, before you know it we have made a difference in a big way with just a small effort of time and talents on our part.
So,
make a pillowcase,
or make a totebag,
or fill a purse or buy a wallet,
or make a quilt,
or send a gift card
or start making a stocking.
Do what feels right to you.
And all I can say is THANK YOU!

At this time, send items to me and I will see that they get to my sister.
Please e-mail me what you will be sending and I will give you my snail mail address.
Mail delivery to my sister may not be reliable right now, plus their church will not be habitable for quite some time (they met at a local library this past Sunday and are looking for interim space as are a lot of people). Their home does not have water issues (just a trickle in the basement from the rains, according to Judy) but it is overflowing with church items and also, veterinary equipment. Oh, I should tell you that they did get a truck and got help to move the items from the veterinary offices. As this changes, items can also be sent directly to her. And I can guarantee that all items and donations you make will be used/donated to flood victims.

For those of you who live near me, there will be a "Sew and Share" day at City Hall here in Henderson on Saturday, July 12th from 9:30 a.m. to whenever we decide to stop stitching. Lunch we'll be provided. Please e-mail me (seasewhapy@yahoo.com) if you are coming so that we can plan the food. If we want to plan another day, we can do this more than once if you are all willing as the actual clean-up from the flooding will take weeks and months so the need will continue. My sister said that her church alone took on 6 feet of water so it will be sometime before the water recedes and they can get in to do repairs. Some people put their possessions in second floor rooms only to have the water reach so high that it flooded the entire house. There is months of work ahead for so many.

Okay, that's all for now. If you want to see flood pictures go to the "Iowa Press Citizen" newspaper site. Again, thanks so much for offering to help.
Blessings,
Sandi

And so it begins........

2008-06-15T21:44:00.000-07:00

How to connect us all so that we can help others? Well, I am going to try to do it with this blog. Many of you have volunteered to sew and share your talents for those who are in need. Right now, it's the flooding in Iowa that has brought us together but other events may be on the horizon or are around us every day. And so, perhaps through this forum and occasional gatherings to "stitch and sew" or just stitching on our own, we can make a difference for people in need!!