With all the sewing, quilting and fun going on I thought that I should/could share this with others.   I found a group, All Crafts 4 Charity, that continuously create handmade items to give to those less fortunate and in need.   There are two projects each month, so it's a on going process.   Keep checking back to see what I've been up to.

May 2003

For May, I didn't want to decide between the two current projects so I made what I could and split them between both.   The two charities that were focused on were Warm Hearts-Warm Babies, out of Colorado, and Webb Babies, from Austin, TX (nearly in my back yard).

Together, I sewed up a handful of requested items, like flannel-lined blankets, preemie clothes, and (sadly enough) preemie burial items.

It broke my heart to have to make the burial items, but it hurt more thinking that some families might not have even this to say goodbye.

Included in the burial sets are a small blanket, burial gown and a keepsake swatch of cloth, all adorned with lace and ribbon.

April 2003

One of April's charity projects was for Balboa's Babies, San Diego's naval hospital NICU.   The project leader for this was kind enough to send out patterns for non-clothing items.   (I wasn't quite ready to figure out baby clothes patterns, so I took her up on it.)

With her virtual assistance (e-mail), I made some snakes and cuddlers, neither of which I have pictures of.   The snake is a positioning device that the nurses can wrap around a baby.   For smaller babies, a cuddler is used which has the snake-like portion sewn onto a soft bed and secures with a strap.   Take a look.

March 2003

I started sewing 'cool ties' for our troops overseas in the war.   These cotton ties are filled with a small amount of water-absorbing crystals that turn to gel and stay cool for a really long time.   With the temperatures rising to 120? in the middle east, the troops could use all of the coolness they can get.

The ties are very simple to make.   I encourage anyone who wants to help out with this to do so.