Project 6: High Chair Covers and Blankets for the CALL

Our March project will benefit The C.A.L.L. -- Children of Arkansas Loved for a Lifetime. Specifically, the items we make will go to the "CALL Mall."

The CALL Mall was started about three years ago for children in the foster care system. Foster families come through and get what they need for their foster kids, since many of them are moved from their homes with nothing. The CALL Mall supplies bedding, blankets, strollers, car seats, clothing, and generally just about everything imaginable for a child. They also help those that just need a little help to get on their feet. They don't turn anyone away with a genuine need.

We will be making high chair covers and baby blankets for them. The high chairs they receive are usually donated and very worn. Having a new cover for these would really help them out. Since they receive several different kinds of high chairs, we will try to make one that's pretty generic. I took the padding off one of our high chairs in the church nursery and made this pattern (Don't look too closely; this was my first attempt and it still needs some tweaking!)



For the fabric, I purchased a vinyl tablecloth for $5 at Wal-Mart. One of these oblong tablecloths will make 2 or 3 high chair covers and it was surprisingly easy to work with. I put one layer of batting in between the layers and added a flap on the back to go over the chair. We might also want to add some ties on the sides to make it work for other kinds of chairs.

This is a pretty simple pattern, but working with the thickness of the batting and the vinyl can be tricky. So, for our less-experienced sewers, we thought it would be better to make some simple baby blankets. These can be 2 layers of flannel, knit, or any other soft fabric sewn together (like the ones we made for the March of Dimes project, but larger).

WHAT WE NEED

For the high chair covers, we will need some vinyl tablecloths, batting, thread, and possibly some coordinating fabric with which to make the ties. If you have a vinyl tablecloth with a rip in it that you can no longer use, bring it and I'm sure we can get 1 or 2 covers out of it. If you have a chance to purchase some, that's great, too.

For the blankets, we will need fabric and matching thread.

FOR THE AT-HOME SEWERS

If you would like to help with this project but can't make it to the sewing circle, feel free to make any item that the CALL Mall could use (see description above). I would even go so far as to say that if you have some gently used items (even if they are not home-made), I would be happy to take those to donate as well.

I hope to see you all at the sewing circle on Sunday, March 13th!