First Sewing Circle Project of 2012

Making chemo caps for the Rockefeller Cancer Institute at UAMS was one of our most popular projects last year. The pattern we used was very simple and the girls had a lot of fun making embellishments for the caps, too (see photo below). The Cancer Institute tells me that our hats went very quickly, and they were excited that we are planning on making them again this year. Since we weren't able to get together in October to make them, I thought I would kick off 2012 with this project.

I know I told you that we would try to make the projects at home for a while, since attendance at sewing circle has been sparse for the last several months. However, I realized that if I don't intentionally (That's my word for the year!) set aside time to do the projects, I personally won't get them done. So, with that in mind, I will be at the church on Sunday, February 12th, from 2:00 - 4:00 pm to work on this project. You are welcome to make some at home and bring them to me or you can come join me to work on them.

FOR THOSE WORKING FROM HOME

You can use any pattern you like, but we used these patterns last time for the Easy Chemo Cap (which really lived up to its name!) and the Turban Cap (a little more difficult). If I have some time, I'll try to make some kits for those of you working from home. (If someone else has some time to devote to making kits, email me and let me know and I'll try to get some fabric to you. I'd love to have some help with that!)

SUGGESTED FABRICS

The hats need to be lightweight, so the suggested fabrics are stretchy cotton knits so they stretch to fit. The chemo caps can be unisex, so keep that in mind when choosing patterns. The male patients tend to be left out a lot when hats are made. If you find any great deals on fabric, be sure to pass it along to the group!

Thank you all, again, for your participation in the sewing circle. Whether you are coming to the meetings or doing the projects from home, you are blessing someone with the talents God has given you. Thank you for serving!

October Project: Chemo Caps

Making chemo caps for the Rockefeller Cancer Institute at UAMS was one of our most popular projects last year. The pattern we used was very simple and the girls had a lot of fun making embellishments for the caps, too (see photo below). The Cancer Institute tells me that our hats went very quickly, and they were excited that we are planning on making them again this year.

From the feedback I got from my last email, it seems like some of you enjoy meeting together for the projects and some prefer to do them at home, so I plan on continuing to meet together once a month, but I will also try to make the patterns available online so that those who need or want to do them from home can also participate.

With that in mind, we will meet together next Sunday, October 9, at 2:00 pm in our usual room to make the chemo caps. Please let me know if you are coming and if you can bring fabric (see below for details), so I will know if we have enough supplies for everyone.

FOR THOSE WORKING FROM HOME

I apologize that I don't have the time or fabric to make up kits for you this time. You can use any pattern you like, but we used these patterns last time for the Easy Chemo Cap (which really lived up to its name!) and the Turban Cap (a little more difficult).

SUGGESTED FABRICS

The hats need to be lightweight, so the suggested fabrics are stretchy cotton knits so they stretch to fit. The chemo caps can be unisex, so keep that in mind when choosing patterns. The male patients tend to be left out a lot when hats are made. If you find any great deals on fabric, be sure to pass it along to the group!

Thank you all, again, for your participation in the sewing circle. Whether you are coming to the meetings or doing the projects from home, you are blessing someone with the talents God has given you. Thank you for serving!

September Sewing Circle -- No REALLY!

Well, it has certainly been an eventful summer, and we have missed quite a few sewing circle meetings due to other activities going on in our church body. We will try to kick things back into gear on Sunday, September 11, from 2:00 - 4:00 pm in our usual room. We will continue the July project of making nursing covers for the Crisis Pregnancy Center. I still have 10 kits made that we can use. If you have some fabric that would make good nursing covers, feel free to bring that, too, and we can always make more. I hope to see you all then!

P.S. If you still have unfinished smocks for our nursery from the June project, bring those to the sewing circle and we can finish them the same day!

July Project: Nursing Covers for Crisis Pregnancy Center

Our normal meeting time for July sewing circle is THIS Sunday, July 10th. Since there are so many conflicts again this week during our normal meeting time, we will not meet together for sewing circle this month. However, I do have a project for you and will have kits available at the information desk Sunday morning for you to pick up and make at home.

Last month, we made smocks for our church nursery (and if you took a kit to make at home and haven't brought it to me yet, you can find me on Sunday or leave it at the information desk). I also mentioned that our nursery could use some nursing covers, so this month we will make nursing covers for our nursery (they could use about 5 more) and will make some extras for the Crisis Pregnancy Center.

Here is a link to my instructions. I took a set of free instructions (used to make the one in the photo below) and modified it slightly. If you want to make these using your own materials, feel free to use my instructions or any that you already have. I willl have 13 kits with instructions and all the materials you need (except for thread, of course) at the information desk this Sunday. Pick up as many as you want to make and then bring them back to me when you're finished.

Hopefully next month we will be able to meet together again. Until then, thank you for continuing to participate in these projects at home.

Project 7: Smocks and Nursing Covers for BCLR Nursery

I hope everyone enjoyed the break in May!

Our next sewing circle will be Sunday, June 12th, from 2:00 - 4:00 pm. For this month's sewing circle, we are going to make some smocks and nursing covers for our own BCLR nursery. I'm sure you have all seen the smocks, but they're basically like a v-neck, snap-front hospital scrub (see photo below). We will be making about 8-10 of these in a large size. The fabrics can be just about anything. The current ones are made of polyester/cotton blend fabrics, so search through your stash and see what you might have that would work well for a smock.

The nursing covers look pretty simple, too. They are basically 2 large rectangles of fabric sewn together, with some boning in one side and some straps. Below is a picture of one similar to the ones we have. If you want to make some of these at home, here is a link to a website with free instructions to make them. (If anyone has better instructions, feel free to send them on to me. I just found this by doing a quick internet search.) Again, just about any fabric will do for these and the nursery could use about 5 more.

Please reply to this email or comment on the blog to let me know if you have some fabric to bring. Also, it would be helpful to know if some of you plan to make these on your own so that we don't end up making too many of one thing.

I hope to see you all at the sewing circle on June 12th!

Project 6 Final Update

Project 6 was a project to make baby blankets and high chair covers to benefit The C.A.L.L. -- Children of Arkansas Loved for a Lifetime. There were only a couple of people who were able to participate in April because of other ministries going on at the same time. However, we were able to make 11 more high chair covers and 1 additional blanket.


If you add those to the ones made in March, the total comes to 22 high chair covers and 4 blankets for this project! Thanks to everyone who participated, either at the church or at home!

Since the second Sunday in May is Mother's Day, we will not meet in May. Enjoy the break and we will pick back up in June.

Project 6 Update and Plans for April/May

Project 6 was a project to make baby blankets and high chair covers to benefit The C.A.L.L. -- Children of Arkansas Loved for a Lifetime. We met March 13th and were able to complete 11 high chair covers and 3 blankets for the "CALL Mall."



I took the items to the CALL Mall on Saturday and toured the facility. Today I got this email from Tim and Dana Thomas, the people who run the CALL Mall:

It was such an honor and privilege to have the opportunity to meet you and your daughter on Saturday. Everyday brings new hope and excitement to the vast number of ministries God has planted in this small world we live. The covers for the highchairs are perfect! We cleaned up a couple of the chairs this weekend and placed the covers your group had made and voila, the chairs look new and are ready to be used for God's purpose. Dana and I can not express enough our appreciation for the way your group has help meet the needs of families here in Arkansas. So we say "Thank You" once again. Dana and I would like to share one word with your group and the mission/ministry God has placed in your hearts, "Godspeed".

If you weren't able to join us, this was such a FUN project! Working with the vinyl is very easy and the pattern is very simple. It was so much fun that I decided we will continue this project in April. I have gathered 4 tablecloths already, which is enough to make 12 high chair covers. I will try to have some cut out before the meeting to save us some time.

Since the second Sunday in May is Mother's Day, we will not meet in May. Enjoy the break and we will pick back up in June.