Monday, February 01, 2010

even if everyone does just a little bit...

our church's sewing circle, Scraps to Wraps continues to be a regular and favorite part of our monthly routine.


all 3 of my daughters participate with me, and it's such a blessing to be part of this close knit multi-generational group.

here you can see M working on the scrappy plaid stars quilt. M, Joanne and i each pieced about 25 of these fun and quick blocks.


some months when we meet we can really churn out an astounding number of quilts- once we tied 7 comforters (quilts)! we all take turns, according to our schedules, to take the completed quilts home to bind, returning them to the church as soon as we're done.


A loves to go and help. she asks for her own needle and thread, and will sit diligently and "tie" the quilts right alongside her grandmotherly friends.



some of our quilts stay in our community and given to folks who have experienced a fire or some other tragedy.

some of our "uglies" are sleeping bags that we've made specifically for the homeless. you can read more about that (and even make an "uglie" of your own) here.

others are taken to the MCC, (Mennonite Central Committee) to be distributed to disaster victims all over the world.

with the recent earthquake in Haiti, MCC is asking for even more quilts. 10,000 quilts (comforters) and flat sheets, to be exact! they are also asking for relief kits, to provide basic hygiene supplies to a Haitian family.

the little girls and i have been working on some extra scrap quilts that we can take to the church to be knotted at our next Scraps to Wraps meeting. I'd like the quilts to be able to go to Haiti and offer some measure of comfort to those in such dire need right now.

the relief kits are also something that our church is doing. Dave is excited about that particular project, since Haiti is near and dear to his heart after serving on 3 mission trips with CSI. we have several missionary friends who are in Haiti right now, serving God despite the very difficult circumstances. our family plans on doing several of these buckets for our Haitian friends.

below is the information on both the comforters and relief kits, if you'd like to get involved. if you're a local reader, and would like to participate, I'll be glad to take the stuff to church and see that it gets to the MCC. (this would be a good opportunity to get rid of one of those unfinished quilting projects that's nagging at you from your sewing closet!)

Comforter specifications:

Use new or nearly new material
Single/twin-size preferred ( 60in x 80in) Double/full-size accepted ( 82in x 90in)
Winter weight are requested for the Haiti earthquake response (please use quilt batting)
Knotted with crochet cotton (not more than 4-8in apart)
Get children involved: use fabric markers or fabric crayons to draw pictures on blank muslin or solid fabric comforter tops

Contents: (NEW items only)

4 large bars bath soap (leave in wrapping)
1 plastic bottle shampoo (13-24oz; place bottle in a re-sealable plastic bag)
4 large bars of laundry soap (Some stores carry Fels Naptha, Sunlight or Zote brands)
1 squeeze-tube toothpaste ( 6oz; leave in box)
4 adult-size toothbrushes (leave in packaging)
4 new bath towels (medium weight, dark or bright colors)
2 wide-tooth combs(6 to 8in)
1 fingernail clipper
1 box adhesive bandages (minimum 40, assorted)
1 package sanitary pads (18-24 thin maxi)

2 comments:

Muthering Heights said...

That is such a wonderful pursuit to engage in with your daughters! :)

Anonymous said...

Looks like lots of fun and for a worthy cause too!

The kids' school is collecting items to send as well. A mother/daughter team from the school is traveling to Haiti at the end of the month and will be taking the items with them.
Each class was asked to bring in a specific item.
Imagine the look on the cashiers face at Kmart when I came through with 25 boxes of band-aids and 25 bottles of peroxide. It was funny! :)

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