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!

Update on Project 5

Yesterday we delivered 14 beautiful walker bags to Valley Ranch Nursing Home (see photo). We also packed each one with a package of tissues, a pen, a notepad, and a Piper booklet (the same one that we include in the church visitor welcome packs).


Thanks to everyone who participated in this project! I would like to especially thank Mae for sharing her pattern, her beautiful fabric, and all the other materials to make these bags. This was a challenging project, but it was a skill-builder for all of us. I think we will definitely do these again some time. Maybe next time we will find some masculine fabric so that we can bless some male residents, too.

Our next sewing circle is in 2 weeks. I hope to have information about that project posted this week.

Cool Tool: Bias Tape Maker

I am working on making some kits for the walker bag project and I'm having so much fun with a little tool that Mae introduced to me. It's called a bias tape maker and it falls directly in the "Why didn't I think of this?" category.

You just cut your fabric twice the width of the finished bias tape, run it through the little gizmo, and iron as you pull the handle down the strip of fabric. Voila! Instant bias tape in a fraction of the cost! How cool is that?


I'm probably the last person on the planet to know about these things, but they are so cool I just couldn't resist sharing them with you anyway. And they come in several different sizes, too!

Bias tape is pretty expensive, and making it without one of these gizmos is quite time consuming. I am already daydreaming about all the fun projects these will help with... and how I'll spend all that time and money I'm saving...

Project 5: Walker Bags for Valley Ranch Nursing Home

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
(James 1:27)

For the next few sewing circles, I wanted to focus on meeting the needs of orphans and widows. This month, we will focus on widows (and other elderly people) by making walker and wheelchair bags for the residents of nearby Valley Ranch Nursing Center.

Here are a few photo examples of the kind of bags we're talking about:



You can use any pattern you'd like for the bags. However, Mae has a tried-and-true pattern that she has used in the past with great success. She has also graciously offered to supply all of the material we will need (fabric, zippers, and Velcro) from her "stash." (Remember how I told you you would get to clean out your crafty closet? Well, it turns out I was only talking to Mae! Sorry. You'll have to wait for next month's project.)

If you're making these on your own, Mae and I will be putting together some "kits" with fabric and instructions. If you'd like to take some of those kits home to work on, just let us know how many you think you will be able to complete. However, feel free to use your own pattern and fabric if you already have some that you prefer to use.

I'm really excited for this fun opportunity to bless the nearby seniors at Valley Ranch Nursing Home. I hope to see you all on Sunday, February 13th!

Update on Project 4

Even though the weather didn't cooperate with us and we had to cancel the January sewing circle meeting, we still managed to collect 12 Valentine-themed pillowcases for patients at Arkansas Children's Hospital (see photo below). I'll be delivering them next week, and I'm sure they will brighten some kids' faces.


Early next week, I hope to announce our February sewing circle project. This project will allow us to use fabric from our "stashes," so it will also help you if you have a new year's resolution to clean out your crafty closet. (Wasn't that nice of me to help you out like that? That's okay. You can thank me later.)

Project 4: Valentine Pillow Cases for ACH

January is approaching quickly, so I wanted to send out some information about our January 9th sewing circle project.

Because Valentine's Day is right around the corner, we want to shower the children at Arkansas Children's Hospital with love by making heart-themed pillowcases.

Be on the lookout for cute Valentine-themed fabrics. I have already seen some in the stores. You can find instructions for making pillowcases here or here. Because of infection control, all fabric for the pillowcases must be new (not recycled). I will bring ziplock bags in which to place each of the finished pillowcases.

I hope to see you all there!

Update on Project 3

At yesterday's sewing circle, we made winter and Christmas themed preemie baby blankets for March of Dimes. We had 10 sewing machines going full-blast and you guys made a LOT of blankets! My count as of this morning (which includes some that ladies gave me that they had made at home) is 81 baby blankets! Since our goal was 70, I'm very happy with that number!

I know a few of you are still planning on bringing me some blankets you've made at home. Please go ahead and bring those to me. I'm sure they will be able to use them, especially since many of them are not specifically Christmas themed.

Thank you again to everyone who has donated time, talent, and fabric to this ministry! We will not meet in December, but I plan on meeting in January. I will send an e-mail out after Christmas to make sure we have enough people who can come in January, since that is still a pretty busy time of year.

I have a few ideas for future projects, but if you have any ideas or know of ministries or charities that could use items, feel free to let me know.