GREAT VIDEO, PHOTOS, PROGRESS, POCKETS

WONDERFUL VIDEO

This video does a fantastic job of capturing just what Days for Girls is all about.  Enjoy!

DECEMBER WORKDAY

We had a great army of workers on December 1st, including four first-timers.  I was delighted with all that was accomplished! So much pressing, cutting, sewing, serging, folding, rolling, pinning and more!  Thanks to you all!  Here are a few photos.  I'm sorry that I didn't get everybody!

POCKETS AT HOME

Many of you are people who also sew other things, and nurture a healthy fabric stash at home.  If you have some darker/busy/irregular (quilters') cotton prints you'd like to make into pockets for our shields, that would be fantastic!  Pockets are apt to be the part of the shield most heavily stained, so as you select fabric, please think whether stains would show on that particular print.  If a girl is embarrassed to hang her components outside in the sun to dry because of stains, she may not be able to get them dry enough to kill germs.

We usually cut the fabric into 5" strips, or if that doesn't work for your scraps, the actual size we use for each pocket is 5" x 4.5, on grain.  Once cut, we fold and press them, so the height is now 2.5.   Then we topstitch 1/4" from that fold with matching thread (never light-colored).  Once topstitched, they can be rotary cut into 4.5" widths.  Finished size, folded, is 2.5" x 4.5".

Sometimes the pockets are made out of the same print as the shields. Often, though, they're selected as a print that looks great with the shield fabric.  



Dark, unpredictable, busy prints hide stains well.

Pocket-making is simple, but time-consuming.  

Selvage-to-selvage strip, top-stitched along fold, before cutting into 4.5" segments

2.5" x 4.5" and top stitched

Having lots of premade pockets means we have a better chance of finding pockets that look fantastic with the shield fabric.  

Here are some that were finished a while back.  Which is your favorite?  Mine is at 11:00.  Those fabrics look like they were made for each other.

JANUARY WORKDAY

Our next workday will be Saturday, January 5th, weather permitting. We have had to cancel a workday once or twice in years past because of bad weather or road conditions, so if you're not sure, check your email for a message from me, or this blog  (That's assuming I have electricity!).  In any case, always drive only when it's safe for you.

But if the weather's good, I hope you'll be able to join us each month.    

We meet at Our Sewing Room at 5th & Main from 10:00 to 4:30 each first Saturday.  As you can see from the photos, it's a fantastic place to work.  And we're fixing up some rooms in the back so we'll have additional space to work and store our kits and supplies.  That new space will also mean there will be some other times during the month that we can get together!  Stay tuned!