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.
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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: 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! For the past month or so, I have been focusing my charity crafting on the poorest of the great nation that we call the United States of America.
Can you even imagine an 80% unemployment rate? Living well below the poverty level, are a whole lot of elderly people and children. Plagued by low morale and illnesses, very cold weather (they had 12" of snow in late May!), and with no hope for improvements, those people need help. One of the projects to assist them is the Okini program. A heartbreaking list of DIRE needs is available online and you can choose to send them food, diapers, clothing, and money. You can sponsor a family on a regular basis, or just participate when you are able to spare a little something. When you look at the list, you will notice that they are asking for very basic items. This is a world where life is so different. There, going to the store for groceries is an agonizing moment where every penny is counted, obtaining a barely used pair of pants or a blanket without holes is a special treat, and having some propane to warm their poorly insulated home when it's -20F is a blessing. If you read their stories, be sure to have a box of tissues near you. If you are moved to help, the list can be found here. It is updated frequently so you can see at a glance what is needed. While I have sent some diapers, wipes, and a few other things, I have also started a box of nutritious non-perishable foods. By buying a few additional groceries every week, it is easy to quickly fill a box. I have also been knitting and sewing to fill a box of clothes for this Summer. Here's one of my latest outfits. It is done in knit fabrics so it should be comfy. I have found some wonderful stretch fabrics that can be for a boy or a girl. My "adopted" family has 4 children under the age of five, and I hope that they will like those. I will have more photos later on. 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 I'm not a quilter, and doubt I'll ever have the patience to piece together a pile of tiny fabric pieces. But, I like to see what talented quilters have made. Some people are just so creative!
In my browsing, I came across Seams To Be You And Me. Cindi has an awesome blog, and I found her entry about sewing 1/4" seams really good. Those small seams are not just for quilting, they can be used to sew anything small (baby clothes, dolls, I'm sure you can think of others). I'm not one to a bunch of specialty sewing gadgets. I'm a firm believer that if women could make works of fiber arts centuries ago, with only basic supplies, then I should have no problem making my modest creations with the basic, albeit modern, notions. Unless I'm sure that I will use something a lot, I'm not willing to buy it. No way I'm considering a 1/4" foot, heck, I use the same foot for everything except zippers. So, yes, learning how to do something without a special gizmo is right down my alley! Cindi uses a lined 3 x 5 card! Love it!!! Check it out here! Several readers and friends have asked me why I didn't write any more. I have been really busy with work, family, house... the usual stuff. However, I have ensured that my charity work continued to provide, in a small way, to disadvantaged babies and adults. I've also gotten into more knitting this past few months. Photos can be seen on the Charity pages links, the latest being here: /charity-crafts-gallery---page-4.html
I just came across this post on Sew Mamma Sew! Guest blogger Betz White makes a very good case and shows examples of sewing without waste. Click here for the article.
Another website I really like is Sew Green. The site covers a number of aspects such as ecofashion, reusing, repurposing, sustainable sewing. It's a really good organization and it also benefits some charities. Thank you to all who have join me in the draft along of the back bodice.
After some frustrating technological mess-ups (grumbles, grumbles), I got it to load here. That page has quite a few photos, so give it time to load. As always, comments here or on My Sewing Circle are welcome. Happy Easter! I love Rae's blog! She has such cute ideas. She's hosting a Spring Sew Along. Read the details here and join us!
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