Baby Flannel & Black Friday

Black Friday!!!!

Debbie and I got up at the crack of dawn to hit Joann's and their sale on flannel the day after Thanksgiving.  I had just gotten home from San Diego and Debbie was going out of town with her family later in the morning.  We were ready to conquer Joanne's at 6 am.

First we got three shopping carts for Debbie, Steve, and I.  We rushed over to the cutting table to first get a cutting number.  Only with a cutting number in our palms did we feel safe to get over to the flannel and fill up our carts.

Steve got full bolts in his and went on to checkout.  Debbie and I waited for our cutting number to come up.  It was crazy, crazy at Joann's!!!

Piles of fabric waiting to be cut

Me, swimming in baby flannel

Debbie, standing by even more baby flannel

We got over a thousand dollars of flannel for a fraction of the cost.  I stuffed it all under my bed in plastic and our chapter is ready for the new year. Get out sewing machines, sergers, and crochet hooks, go!

Christmas Luncheon

For all those who worked hard this year, we are celebrating and I am getting ready for our party.  Everyone is RSVPing.  I think I will rent some chairs, have two tables up with decorations.  I have a program in mind.  Need to get busy this week. The food is going to be great, I am thinking of a great place where I am going to get it.  I made some gifts for everyone.  We will have so much fun.

Raining flannel- love it

Today.  Denise Z. stopped by with a donation of guess what?  Flannel!  Our first flannel donation.  Really cute stuff, too.  Do we have enough fabric and supplies you ask?  We have been very blessed- we are watched over- but the dues are always needed for thread, felt, yarn, batiste, ribbon, and those $10 labels we get every other month.  We have been so blessed this last  year, it seems the Lord does not want us to fail, but continue to serve.

For those of you who participated this last year, you will be invited to a special luncheon at my house the Friday after Christmas.  We have reason to celebrate and have a feel good moment about Threads of Love.

Our Ebay fundraiser

When we received a donation this last month, we received some books on quilting.  As our "Black Friday" was looming, I decided to try to sell them on Ebay.  The results were fantastic. We are up to $150!! in sales.  Needless to say, this realllly helped us last Friday at Joannes gobbling up all the flannel.

We received a donation of about 15 quilt book like these.

New Trim for a Girls Gown or Dress

I am always thinking of some way to adorn the gowns.  I had this one inch ribbon and decided to gather it in the center of the ribbon and stitch down the middle. I then had my trim.

I applied the gathered ribbon to the gown and sewn on some little buttons.  I liked the buttons but think little rose buds would be nice, too.

Where else can I use this?, on my tops, on older childrens' clothing across the chest or even around the hem in one row and multiple rows without the buttons.  Maybe different colored ribbons.....

A Great Donation and Blessing This Week

There were even more boxes than this, I already brought some into the house!

Many fabrics were donated this week from Betty Enright's estate. We are grateful to her family for this generous donation:  They came to my house and dropped off many boxes.

Close up of some of the fabric that we can use for isolette covers

 All the fabric will be used for isolette covers as that is what we use the cotton for.  There is dark and light so the fabric can be used for tops and bottoms of the covers.  We even got some pieces of batting, very much needed and so appreciated for our chapter.  Heaven watches over us.


Some of the fabric I piled on my dining room table.  More is still in boxes.  All will go into storage for the next year's use.

Notice my cat, Boots, before he is "booted" off the table.  He thinks all fabric and related items are there just for him.

Tutorial :Using Lace for a Edge or Sleeve Casing

There is another way to make a casing, using lace.  This time you can trim the bottom of the sleeve or edge and make a  casing at the same time.  I will show you...

Start with an 1"  to 1 1/2" piece of lace. Cut it the width of the edge you are sewing.  Then either finish the bottom of the sleeve/edge with a tight zigzag or serge it.

Lay the piece of lace over the edge so that some pretty part of the lace is hanging over the edge and pin.

Now sew two parallel lines line at the top edge of the lace about 1/4 in apart.  This will form the casing.  There is no need to sew the lace down to the garment more than this.

I just stitched one row of stitching near the top edge, now I moved down 1/4" to stitch the second row.

Thread a blunt needle with thin ribbon about 8"- 10" longer than the width of edge.

Here I am getting ready to thread thru the casing with the threaded blunt needle

Thread the needle thru the casing, coming out in the center of the lace, then "diving" down again into the center and continuing to thread to the end of the casing.  Doing this way the ribbon tie will be tied at the top of the wrist.

I came up out of the lace in the center and went down again to continue, leaving a loop in the center.

Here is what it will look like when it is done.  I always tack the ribbon at the sides.

When the side seams are sewn next, the ribbon can be pulled up and tied, and this is the final effect.  This method can be used for anything that needs a casing, so pretty and easy too.

Pictures of October Meeting

Labels:  The labels say "Threads of Love"  A label goes on every item that we donate so the parents know that item came from us.  We either machine sew or hand sew the labels on.  The hand sewing table is one of the most enjoyable stations at our meetings.

Isolette covers are the main things we get done at the meetings.  We try to get at least six done each meeting to go out to the hospital.  They cover the isolette to keep it dark for the premature sleeping baby.  One method we use is tying the cover and then serging the edges. Wilma H. and Lila F. are tying.

At this last meeting, we finished sewing lace around white blankets.  We also machine quilted the isolette covers.  Robin M. is at the machine with a cover.  Debbie A. also helped with the white blankets.

There is no picture of me because I am taking the pictures.  I am proud of our work that day.  We got seven white blankets done and six isolette covers done and a bucket of items sewn with labels.  Good work everyone!  You are angels!

October Meeting

We had a great meeting this month.  Will send pictures in next post.  I want to welcome our new members, Phyllis and Juli to our chapter.  At the meeting we got ready to send out more blankets and covers to the hospitals.  The serger we have is really being put to good use as well as our sewing machines.  Debbie Johnston donated a sewing machine to the chapter, thank you, Debbie. We are all feeling the urgency to supply the hospitals during this time of holidays when it will even more sad for the families.  Our prayers go out to them.

Visit To Redlands Community Hospital

Redlands called and had already ran out of all 12 of the isolette covers that we delivered two weeks ago. Steve and I were almost finished with the next month's batch so we finished 6 of them to take to the unit.  Also our nurse from Redlands said they need more big receiving blankets.  Here is a picture of the NICU when I went over.

Here the cover is over the isolette and the prayer is pinned  on waiting for the parents to read

Here is our contact for the NICU at Redlands Community. She is so happy when the covers come in, and the nurses compliment on how cute they are.

Then  across the hall to Labor and Delivery.  Their closet is very small and the nurses so busy that what works out best is four white gowns a month that can fit either sex in all the sizes.  One of the nurses gathered them up and put them in the supply closet.

Inland Empire Threads of Love White Gown for our little ones

SugarDaddy

Do you love Sugardaddys, especially for Halloween?  I love my Sugardaddy.

Here is a picture of my SugarDaddy.  He has been so good to our chapter, buying a serger and sewing machines for the meetings besides supporting us in all we are trying to do for this charity work.

Steve Reints learning a sewing technique at the TOL conference in April

Now Sugar Daddy Steve did it again, bought the sewing machine of my dreams.  Now I am never out of the sewing room.  Threads of Love, Home Dec, Refashioning, Wool felting, having some retirement fun.

 

Tutorial for Sleeve Casing

 Time to put  in sleeve casing for the ribbon so that later the ribbon can be drawn up to fit the wrist.  This method lets the ribbon be tied at the top of the wrist.

First hem the sleeve with a narrow hem

Then cut a piece of sheer ribbon for the casing. I cut two here, one for each sleeve

one of these will go across bottom of sleeve

 

Place sheer ribbon 1/4 inch from bottom of sleeve, pin,and stitch on both edges or sides of sheer ribbon, forming a casing.

sewing down one side, then the  other to form a casing

Thread a blunt large needle with 1/8 in satin ribbon the width of the sleeve with with 10-11 inches extra so the ribbon will be long enough to thread thru and tie a bow around a little wrist.

Thread the satin ribbon thru the casing, coming out in the center, then going back down again in the center and continuing threading to the end of the casing.

 

 

 

here I pulled the ribbon out up out of the casing and then went down in again

This is how it looks after pulling the satin ribbon thru the sheer casing.

I am finished with the sleeve bottom.  I would cut the ribbon loop now.  I also tack the ribbon down at the side seam just to make sure it stays there and doesnt pull out at some point while continuing to sew.

This application can be used for many kinds of sewing, also one can do the same thing with a small width of lace for the casing, turns out very nice.  My next tutorial, I will show how to attach lace and a casing to sleeve bottom all at once.  For those who use this for Threads of Love, don't forget to pray for the little one's family.  A few minutes of sewing for us, a lifetime of memories for them.

Beautiful lace around white fabric

This last meeting in September, we made small white bereavement blankets, and Debbie J. and Lyla F. made three isolette covers.  Robin M. and I finished 7 white little blankets to put in the packets with the white bereavement gowns.

All the help at the meetings brings beautiful results

Making a gown from a wedding dress

I decided to use my sister's donated wedding dress to make a gown for TOL.  It turned out to be such a beautiful gown.  I first washed the pieces I was going to use.  I cut out the lace using TOL pattern and cut out lining pieces.

I laid the lace on top of the lining and machine basted the pieces together.

I finished the sleeve edge with a little lace and zigzaged over the the ribbon forming a casing for ribbon tie.  Another idea would be to sew a casing by stitching two rows and threading ribbon through, between the lace and lining.

I then sewed the sleeves to front and back of gown. Pattern calls for a narrow seam.

After sleeves, then sew side seams, and hem back.  No need to hem gown with this beautiful scallop on the lace, forming the bottom of the gown.

Last step is to gather neck and put on neck binding.  Then thread ribbon through binding.  And it is done!  Not any more difficult than our usual gowns but what a beauty for a little precious one.

Last picture is of my granddaughter, a seamstress (I am teaching her), a fashionista, and future Threads of Love member.

Lovely Lace

This represents a very small portion of the lace donated by Rhonda Finney.  She donated a large 16 gal container of heirloom lace to our chapter to make beautiful bereavement gowns.  She had this lace for a long time from when she used to work at a special store for heirloom baby gowns.  Now because her heart belongs to Threads of Love, she has given us this wonderful lace that will last us a long time and every gown will be so beautiful and special for our parents.


Another topic:  I was invited to talk to another group of church ladies to see if they are interested in helping.  I already received a call today for donation of fabric which I will pick up tomorrow.  The Lord continues to provide for us and our mission.

Items for Arrowhead this Month

We donated 25 blankets, 6 isolette covers, 4 bereavement sets, and 20 lovie dolls to ARMC this week for the month of August.  Amazingly they use that many little blankets each month.  When I entered, the manager pointed out all the isolettes with our covers, they love them!!  They are excited about trying out the lovie dolls, a new addition for our parents and preemies. 

As for Labor and Delivery a somber reminder of why we are doing this; I replaced four gown sets from last month and the nurse said a mother is losing a 36 wk baby that day.  I said we would pray for her and her family.  I am so glad our efforts are done with prayers and turned over with a prayer.......