If you're like me, you are sometimes overwhelmed by the needs of children and babies in the USA and other countries. I'm so busy sewing and knitting that I can't seem to find the time to post here.

Winter is coming in the North, and all my charity crafting friends are preparing lots of warm blankets, hats, and outfits to help out.  Here are some of the things I've made.

Click on a photo to see it larger.
​

I know, I know, I have not written anything in a while! I have been so busy making clothes for a variety of charities that I have had no time to blog. Very quickly, I will share something that went to an elementary school. Here, we've got some Fall outfits and hats. Those are for when the days are getting cool on the Rez but the snow isn't yet falling.

This box also went to Wolf Creek School, It contains knitted and crocheted hats and scarves that are heavier and warmer. Also included were some school supplies and store-bought socks.

This is the first time that I make a fully lined jacket.  It really was not as hard as I had thought it would be.  It did help that it had simple lines and the outer fabric is a double knit with a bit of stretch.  The lining is a cozy and soft flannel.

I have never liked the lining fabrics normally used in jackets.  They're cold when you first put the garment on, and stick to you if you are too warm.  So I decided to use flannel, which will be much more comfortable for a child to wear.

This jacket is about to be shipped to Pine Ridge, along with several other things.  The school principal is back and ready to receive warm clothing for her students.  This school goes from pre-K to 12th grade, so just about any child size will fit somebody.  For now, here are a couple of photos of the jacket:

This is absolutely the easiest blanket I have ever made!  I think it took me longer to get all the fabrics nice and flat than to sew them together.

I used 1 yard of each fabric.

The top layer is a cute cotton print with teddy bears.  The lining is a plain broadcloth, and you could use any cotton fabric such as quilt backing.  The interlining is sandwiched between the two fabrics. I used a piece of flannel to give baby a little warmth.

Before starting, make sure you have washed all the fabrics so they are already preshrunk when you lay them out.

Put your three fabrics flat on a table or, if you're limber enough, on a clean floor.  Pin all around, leaving a space of about 5" for turning.  Stitch, clip the corners at a 45 degree angle. Turn over and stitch the opening closed.

Done!

I made myself NOT start anything new till I had completely finished several of the Summer outfits I had started.  I intend to send those to my "adopted" family in Pine Ridge.  The family has four children, three boys and one girl, all age 5 and under. 

Armed with several size charts, I did my best to hopefully make clothes that will fit them and maybe have room to grow.  The striped fabric is a knit that was quite uneven and was difficult to make and align the stripes.

The little girl's outfit is made of a knit fabric that looks like denim but is more comfortable because it stretches.  I really liked this fabric: it keeps its shape and looks like it won't show dirt too easily.

Here are the photos!

The knitting season is about over down in the hot sub-tropics.  I can only knit at night and even then, it depends on the temperature.  I wanted to share what I have so far to send to Cooper Hospital in New Jersey.

I love the little diaper cover. I put a ruffle on the back, and the front has two buttons for easy opening and changing of baby.

A while back, when I posted how to draw your own pants pattern, someone asked for a skirt pattern tutorial.  Specifically, we were talking about making what is called a sloper, which is the very base of patterning.

Browsing on the net, I found this site that has an excellent tutorial for a pencil skirt sloper.  So, I am not going to re-write what Deby wrote so well.  Click on this link to go to her site, So Sew Easy

While browsing on Ravelry in one of the many charity-oriented groups, I came across a thread to send baby items to a birthing center in Guatemala.  Click on the link above if you're interested in sending a little donation.  They accept newborn hats, socks, cocoons, and blankets.  The project web site is here:  Maya Midwifery

Somehow, I never seem to be able to mail small boxes. I try, I really do, to save on postage, but I always go over LOL!  It's the blanket that took me over.  But it turned out so cute with it's matching hat that I had to send it.  Besides that, 3 cocoons with coordinating hats, and 5 little hats that used up yarn leftovers went in the box.