It's nearly time for our December Days for Girls workday at Our Sewing Room. Please join us on Sunday, from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm, or however much of that works for your schedule.
We have lots of jobs for you to choose from--sewing, cutting (scissors and Accuquilt), tracing, pressing, serging, etc.
Our Sewing Room has a collection of sergers and sewing machines that you can use. Many of us prefer the familiarity of our own machines, so we tote them along.
If you'd like to bring your own machine, I'd suggest bobbins with a variety of colors, or an empty bobbin you can fill, so that the thread is a good match to the fabric colors. Days for Girls asks that we use polyester thread.
Other helpful items to bring are good scissors, a seam ripper, and pins.
If you'd like to be working on a part of the kit you haven't made yet (or haven't made recently), I suggest you take the time to read the directions and watch the video on the Days for Girls website before you come.
We received a couple of wonderful donations of fabric today, so my washer and dryer are doing their things. I'll have some of that pretty fabric with me on Sunday, ready for pressing and cutting.
As always, other donations are very welcome (details are in earlier postings):
Ziploc gallon freezer bags, not the slider style
Girls' cotton underpants, sizes 10-12, brief or hipster styles, as brightly colored as you can find
Washcloths in colors--no white
Twill tape, 1/2"--5/8" in colors--no white/beige
Polyester thread, in medium and dark colors
Small hotel/travel soaps
Funds, easily donated on Crowdrise, through January 6th.
Please remember, although we make hundreds of these kits, each girl receives only one. We want that kit to be something she's proud of, with every item in it attractive and perfectly made and able to last 3 years. So please check your work for quality. Don't trim dangerously close to stitching. Backstitch where directed. Sew straight when topstitching. Trim all your threads. Check the back of your work for tension problems. It's so sad when we have to reject something that was made too quickly. We'd much rather have fewer outstanding kits than more sloppily constructed ones. If in doubt, please ask.
Here's a great video that shows why we're investing so much of our lives in this project: http://www.projectforawesome.com/charity/days-for-girls-international/p4a-2014--days-for-girls
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Monday, December 1, 2014
Giving Tuesday. Will you?
I read in the paper today that tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, following Gray Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. A global day dedicated to giving back.
I can think of lots of ways you could benefit Days for Girls Eugene with your generosity. And I'm probably missing a few:
Donate to the Gear Up For Girls campaign on Crowdrise. 100% of your donation goes to our local team, to buy the materials and supplies that make up our kits. This fundraiser goes until January 6th. You will immediately get a printable receipt.
Buy some girls' cotton or cotton blend underpants. Sizes we need the most are 10 and 12. They should be as colorful as you can find, in brief or hipster styles (no bikini, thong or boy shorts styles). Walmart currently has 12-packs for $5.96, which works out to 50 cents a pair. Target has 12-packs for $5.99, with free (holiday) shipping if you order online.
Buy some Ziploc gallon freezer bags. Not the slider style. Great prices at Costco and Walmart. We are required to use this brand and style.
Buy some washcloths, but not white ones. Target has 8-packs for $3.49 (blue tag, white ribbon) You can order online, and get free shipping. I've found some great deals at Fred Meyer too.
Buy some twill tape. Each bag uses 2 yards of 1/2" or 5/8". Colors or black will show stains less.
Buy some polyester thread. Colors we use the most of are red, hot pink, kelly and forest greens, medium brown, turquoise and other blues from medium to navy, black and orange.
Buy or raid your stash for some fabric. There are lots of guidelines we must follow for fabric, so please keep these in mind:
If you're reading this, it's a safe bet that Days for Girls is already on your radar and you give more often than one late autumn Tuesday. Our needs are ongoing, and we so appreciate your assistance any day of the year. And thank you!
Hope to see you on our next workday at Our Sewing Room, Sunday, December 14!
I can think of lots of ways you could benefit Days for Girls Eugene with your generosity. And I'm probably missing a few:
Donate to the Gear Up For Girls campaign on Crowdrise. 100% of your donation goes to our local team, to buy the materials and supplies that make up our kits. This fundraiser goes until January 6th. You will immediately get a printable receipt.
Buy some girls' cotton or cotton blend underpants. Sizes we need the most are 10 and 12. They should be as colorful as you can find, in brief or hipster styles (no bikini, thong or boy shorts styles). Walmart currently has 12-packs for $5.96, which works out to 50 cents a pair. Target has 12-packs for $5.99, with free (holiday) shipping if you order online.
Buy some Ziploc gallon freezer bags. Not the slider style. Great prices at Costco and Walmart. We are required to use this brand and style.
Buy some washcloths, but not white ones. Target has 8-packs for $3.49 (blue tag, white ribbon) You can order online, and get free shipping. I've found some great deals at Fred Meyer too.
Buy some twill tape. Each bag uses 2 yards of 1/2" or 5/8". Colors or black will show stains less.
Buy some polyester thread. Colors we use the most of are red, hot pink, kelly and forest greens, medium brown, turquoise and other blues from medium to navy, black and orange.
Buy or raid your stash for some fabric. There are lots of guidelines we must follow for fabric, so please keep these in mind:
- Flannel is the fabric that we use the most of, in medium to dark, stain-hiding prints. Botanicals, geometrics and busy designs are best. Because of cultural considerations, please avoid prints with animals (including insects and reptiles), people, camouflage, weapons, religious symbols, and anything culturally specific). Better quality is thicker and more absorbent, so please buy the best quality you can afford.
- We use quality quilters' cotton fabric for the shields and drawstring bags (A yard of fabric will make four drawstring bags.) The same pattern/design restrictions for the shields as for the flannel--and definitely dark and busy enough to hide stains. For the bags, here's where we want to use our most beautiful and colorful fabrics. Let's make them proud! I just saw a video of a group of girls holding up their colorful bags after a distribution. One girl held a blah white or light gray bag, at her side. Sadly, she didn't appear to be delighted with hers.
If you're reading this, it's a safe bet that Days for Girls is already on your radar and you give more often than one late autumn Tuesday. Our needs are ongoing, and we so appreciate your assistance any day of the year. And thank you!
Hope to see you on our next workday at Our Sewing Room, Sunday, December 14!
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Ever so close
Our Eugene/Springfield Days for Girls team met last weekend, with new and returning volunteers. We are getting ever so close to having sewn enough items to fill the request for more kits to go to Kenya in January.
Some of the volunteers ventured into sewing different items, so we had a variety of things going on.
As far as purchased items go, what we need most now is girls' cotton or cotton blend underpants, sizes 10-14. They should be as colorful as you can find, in brief or hipster styles (no bikini, thong or boy shorts styles). Walmart currently has 12-packs for $5.96, which works out to 50 cents a pair. Target has 12-packs for $5.99, with free (holiday) shipping if you order online.
Donna, an Arizona friend who spent the summer in Eugene, and was a dedicated Days for Girls volunteer, continues to sew back at home.
Donna and her friend Maxine have completed 269 flannel liners, just in October and November. Awesome!
Please join us at our future workdays. We meet at Our Sewing Room at 5th and Main in Springfield. Come for the whole day, come for a portion. Our next few gatherings are:
Heather, a health teacher at Sisters High School, is taking 18 students and adults to Uganda in the spring. The local community has requested 500-700 feminine hygiene kits! I've been working with her aunt, Ellen, to help them set up a Central Oregon team. They had their first workday Thursday at Quiltworks in Bend, and had 19 enthusiastic volunteers from Sisters, Bend and LaPine show up. Fantastic! I suspect we'll be making some kits for Uganda soon.
Days for Girls International is featured as one of 50 global heroes in Safe Magazine! We are on page 84. This is their second issue of the magazine which highlights and celebrates leaders and organizations leading the way in the fight to end violence against boys and girls around the world, as well as those working tirelessly at the intersection of health and violence.
Days for Girls will be part of their Twitter chat on Tuesday, November 25 from 10-11a.m. EST, which is the start of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. Co-hosted with Safe cover hero Alaa Murabit of the Voice of Libyan Women, the discussion will address ways each of us can get involved in ending violence in our own communities. You can join them by using the hashtag #HeroUp. http://bit.ly/1qeCe3G
See you next month!
Some of the volunteers ventured into sewing different items, so we had a variety of things going on.
As far as purchased items go, what we need most now is girls' cotton or cotton blend underpants, sizes 10-14. They should be as colorful as you can find, in brief or hipster styles (no bikini, thong or boy shorts styles). Walmart currently has 12-packs for $5.96, which works out to 50 cents a pair. Target has 12-packs for $5.99, with free (holiday) shipping if you order online.
Donna, an Arizona friend who spent the summer in Eugene, and was a dedicated Days for Girls volunteer, continues to sew back at home.
Donna and her friend Maxine have completed 269 flannel liners, just in October and November. Awesome!
Please join us at our future workdays. We meet at Our Sewing Room at 5th and Main in Springfield. Come for the whole day, come for a portion. Our next few gatherings are:
December 15, 10:00-4:00
January 18, 10:00-5:00
February 15, 10:00-5:00
March 15, 10:00-5:00
Mark your calendars!
Days for Girls International is featured as one of 50 global heroes in Safe Magazine! We are on page 84. This is their second issue of the magazine which highlights and celebrates leaders and organizations leading the way in the fight to end violence against boys and girls around the world, as well as those working tirelessly at the intersection of health and violence.
Days for Girls will be part of their Twitter chat on Tuesday, November 25 from 10-11a.m. EST, which is the start of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. Co-hosted with Safe cover hero Alaa Murabit of the Voice of Libyan Women, the discussion will address ways each of us can get involved in ending violence in our own communities. You can join them by using the hashtag #HeroUp. http://bit.ly/1qeCe3G
See you next month!
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
November work day
Wow! It's that time of the month again (pun intended). Our monthly Days for Girls workday at Our Sewing Room (5th & Main in Springfield) is this Sunday, 10:00--4:00--come for as much time as you have available.
Bring your scissors and pins, use one of OSR's sewing machines or bring your own if you're more comfortable with the familiarity of yours.
One of the things the headquarters folks repeatedly stress is that quality is so much more important than speed. So come prepared to do your best work, no matter how long that takes. Each girl only gets one kit, and we want that kit to be perfect!
We'll have sewing, pressing, and cutting jobs. Have you learned how to make all the parts of a kit (shield, 2 styles of liner, bags)?
Maybe Sunday you'd be interested in learning something new. Just ask! Once you've got it down pat (quality checked, of course!), please feel free to sew at home too!
Bring your scissors and pins, use one of OSR's sewing machines or bring your own if you're more comfortable with the familiarity of yours.
One of the things the headquarters folks repeatedly stress is that quality is so much more important than speed. So come prepared to do your best work, no matter how long that takes. Each girl only gets one kit, and we want that kit to be perfect!
We'll have sewing, pressing, and cutting jobs. Have you learned how to make all the parts of a kit (shield, 2 styles of liner, bags)?
Maybe Sunday you'd be interested in learning something new. Just ask! Once you've got it down pat (quality checked, of course!), please feel free to sew at home too!
 |
| T&T (Turn & Topstitch)Liner |
 |
| Shield |
 |
| Drawstring bag |
 |
| Serged liner, squared corners |
 |
| Serged liner, rounded corners |
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Help Wanted!
DAYS FOR GIRLS INTERNATIONAL
Want to help our Eugene/Springfield team?
ANYTHING you do brings us closer to
Every Girl. Everywhere. Period.
Come to one or more of our workdays at Our Sewing Room and learn all the different sewing and non-sewing tasks that go into making a complete kit.
Then continue to work with us each month, and/or pick your favorite task and work on that at home.
PURCHASE:
Would you like to contribute some of the items we need for our kits? Here's a list of what purchased items we need, in order of current need:
- Top-quality flannel fabric, in darker, busy stain-hiding prints [Botanicals and geometrics are best. Because of cultural considerations, please avoid prints with animals (including insects and reptiles), people, camouflage, weapons, religious symbols, and anything culturally specific].
- Cotton or cotton-blend underpants, girls' sizes 10-16 (briefs or hipsters, no "boy shorts" or bikini)
- Washcloths, in colors (no white)
- Twill tape, 1/2" --5/8" is best. If you can find colors, that's wonderful, but not essential. We use 2 yards per bag. White shows soil, so darker is better.
- New spools of polyester thread, for regular sewing machines and sergers, any medium to dark color
- Ziploc brand gallon-size freezer bags (not the slider style)
- Hotel travel-size soap, environmentally friendly, if possible.
- Good quality quilting-weight cotton fabric, in medium to dark stain-hiding prints [Botanicals and geometrics are best. Because of cultural considerations, please avoid prints with animals (including insects and reptiles), people, camouflage, weapons, religious symbols, and anything culturally specific]
DONATE FUNDS: All donations are 100% tax deductible and help empower girls, women and communities around the world. You will receive a receipt.
- Online through the Global Sew-a-thon fundraiser. You'll get a receipt immediately. This fundraiser runs through November 11, 2014 and fund automatically go to our team.
- Online through Paypal (click on that red "Donate" circle). Indicate that the funds are for the Eugene, Oregon team.
- By check made out to Days for Girls International (give to us or mail to headquarters: Days for Girls, 1610 Grover Street, Suite B22, Lynden, WA 98264) Indicate that the funds are for the Eugene, Oregon team.
STAY INFORMED:
Read
the blog for our local team:
dfgeugene.blogspot.com
Check
out the DFGI website:
daysforgirls.org
Email:
eugeneor@daysforgirls.org
Get
on our email mailing list (send us an email)
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Kits distributed at Kokwa Primary School
Our dedicated volunteers, new and returning, braved pretty steady rains to work at Our Sewing Room on October 26th, preparing and sewing flannel liners. We ended up with a few dozen totally completed, and a few hundred more in various stages of construction. With eight liners included in each kit, these are the items we need to build our inventory of.
In my book, the highlight of the day was when Gwen Meyer of Friends of Kenya Schools and Wildlife told us about the distribution of our kits at the Kokwa Primary School in Kenya. We are delighted to have played a part in helping the girls access and benefit from their education.
Gwen said that "they were ecstatic, not just with the kits, but from the knowledge that you are aware of the challenges they face and that you did something to support their own efforts to learn."
Please enjoy the beautiful photos, generously shared with us by Gwen and her granddaughter Sienna:
We are currently working on a request for 200 more kits Gwen will take to other schools in Kenya in January. We have a long ways to go, so any and all help is much appreciated.
Our next work day is Sunday, November 16th, 10 to 4 at Our Sewing Room.
In my book, the highlight of the day was when Gwen Meyer of Friends of Kenya Schools and Wildlife told us about the distribution of our kits at the Kokwa Primary School in Kenya. We are delighted to have played a part in helping the girls access and benefit from their education.
Gwen said that "they were ecstatic, not just with the kits, but from the knowledge that you are aware of the challenges they face and that you did something to support their own efforts to learn."
Please enjoy the beautiful photos, generously shared with us by Gwen and her granddaughter Sienna:
 |
| Adults explaining the kits to the girls |
 |
| Showing individual items from the kit |
 |
| How the shield snaps into the panties |
 |
| Attentive students, grades 4 to 8 |
 |
| A student volunteer shows what she's learned |
 |
| Classmates enjoying her demo. |
 |
| The kits are distributed. Girls chose by underwear size and bag fabric. We try to use our prettiest fabrics for the bags. |
 |
| Girls showing the kits they selected |
We are currently working on a request for 200 more kits Gwen will take to other schools in Kenya in January. We have a long ways to go, so any and all help is much appreciated.
Our next work day is Sunday, November 16th, 10 to 4 at Our Sewing Room.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Our First Sew-a-thon: fait accompli!
About a dozen of us gathered on Saturday to celebrate the International Day of the Girl by sewing for Days for Girls.We had some new folks and some regulars, some all day, some for a few hours. We had flannel, washcloth, underpants, thread and soap donations too!
What a great group of dedicated volunteers! Thanks to all who contributed yesterday: Jenny, 2 Pats, Virginia, Carolyn, Kathy, Nicki, Michelle, Sue, Susan, Sheila, Michelle, Lela, and Donna from afar. As usual, it was a very interesting group of women, and we had a good time. I got so into it, that I didn't document it with all the photos as I would have liked to. We need a few more folks to bring cameras or smart phones (and remember to use them!) and send me their photos.
We concentrated on T&T liners, ending up with 40 completed, 41 sewn and ready for turning, and hundreds more ready to sew. Some of those went home with volunteers.
Our other focus was serging the sides of probably over 200 bags, now ready for labels, pressing and sewing. All of these went home with volunteers!
The end of the day rolled around too fast--I wasn't ready to quit. I packed up my car, and in the evening, popped a DVD in and worked on T&T liners for 3+ more hours.
The nice thing about October is that it has TWO Days for Girls workdays at Our Sewing Room. Our next gathering is Sunday, October 26, 10am-4pm. Our Sewing Room has sewing machines and sergers available for us to use, but several of us prefer the familiarity of our own machines, if they're not too heavy to tote. Bringing your own sharp scissors and maybe pin container is a good idea.
If you plan to join us for the first time in two weeks, I strongly recommend that you go to the DFGI website to watch the videos and read the instructions of how to make the different kit components. If you've come before, but you're wanting to learn how to make one of the components that you haven't tried yet, please watch the video first. I'm always there to help, but seeing the video before I show you the steps is strongly encouraged.
If you haven't already signed up for our local Days for Girls email list and would like to, please send me an email at dfgeugene@gmail.com.
What a great group of dedicated volunteers! Thanks to all who contributed yesterday: Jenny, 2 Pats, Virginia, Carolyn, Kathy, Nicki, Michelle, Sue, Susan, Sheila, Michelle, Lela, and Donna from afar. As usual, it was a very interesting group of women, and we had a good time. I got so into it, that I didn't document it with all the photos as I would have liked to. We need a few more folks to bring cameras or smart phones (and remember to use them!) and send me their photos.
We concentrated on T&T liners, ending up with 40 completed, 41 sewn and ready for turning, and hundreds more ready to sew. Some of those went home with volunteers.
Our other focus was serging the sides of probably over 200 bags, now ready for labels, pressing and sewing. All of these went home with volunteers!
The end of the day rolled around too fast--I wasn't ready to quit. I packed up my car, and in the evening, popped a DVD in and worked on T&T liners for 3+ more hours.
The nice thing about October is that it has TWO Days for Girls workdays at Our Sewing Room. Our next gathering is Sunday, October 26, 10am-4pm. Our Sewing Room has sewing machines and sergers available for us to use, but several of us prefer the familiarity of our own machines, if they're not too heavy to tote. Bringing your own sharp scissors and maybe pin container is a good idea.
If you plan to join us for the first time in two weeks, I strongly recommend that you go to the DFGI website to watch the videos and read the instructions of how to make the different kit components. If you've come before, but you're wanting to learn how to make one of the components that you haven't tried yet, please watch the video first. I'm always there to help, but seeing the video before I show you the steps is strongly encouraged.
If you haven't already signed up for our local Days for Girls email list and would like to, please send me an email at dfgeugene@gmail.com.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Global Sew-A-Thon October 11
Two years ago, the United Nations declared October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child to raise
awareness about all issues concerning gender inequality around the world. It’s
a day when activist groups come together under the same goal to highlight,
discuss, and take action to advance rights and opportunities for girls
everywhere.
This day is about
celebrating girls, and advocating for gender equality. It is about prompting
people to think and talk about issues that affect girls and women everywhere.
Events around the country and world will bring people together to both recognize the role
of oppression and take a stand against its influence on their own lives and
communities.
Days for Girls
International will celebrate this date with our 2nd annual Global Sew-A-Thon. Individuals and groups around the world will
be empowering girls by sewing, raising awareness and funds and assembling kits
with Days for Girls.
Join us at Our Sewing Room on Saturday, October 11, 10 am to 5 pm. Sew for an hour, sew all day. Spread the word. Bring your friends. Change lives.
In connection with the Global Sew-A-Thon, Days for Girls has set up an online
fundraiser to help with teams’ kit expenses. If you or someone you know would like to donate to our team, just click here! Your donation will be charged to your credit card, and you'll receive a receipt immediately. This is available through November 11.
The Global Sew-A-Thon is an extra get-together for our Eugene/Springfield group, so we will have two work days in October.
Other upcoming dates, all on Sundays, 10am to 4pm, are:
October 25 November 16 December 14
Mark your calendars and join us as often as you can. The more hands, the more girls we can serve (and the merrier). We do have a good time!
Friday, September 19, 2014
Donations! Donations! Donations!
Wow! We have received so many fantastic donations of supplies this month! Five big boxes/tubs of great cottons for shields and bags, and flannels for liners have been delivered in the past 2-3 weeks to Our Sewing Room. Nice busy, darker, pretty prints--perfect for our needs! And last night at the EVQ guild meeting, two people sought me out and gave me big bags of fabric--also carefully selected and ideal for our kits!
When I was first in contact with the Days for Girls headquarters, and the woman I spoke with learned that I was a quilter, she was delighted, saying that quilters had the best fabric. These pictures of just some of the recent fabric donations from quilters sure prove that point!
Thank you so much to our donors! We have Days for Girls in-kind donation receipts available--just ask. We get so excited about the fabric that sometimes we forget to mention it. The receipts are also available for other donations--underwear, Ziplocs, PUL, polyester thread, washcloths, etc. If you purchase items for DFG, save your store receipts and staple them to our form. If you made a donation and didn't get your DFG receipt, I'll have some at the EVQ show (we'll have an information table) October 4th and 5th, and they are also available at Our Sewing Room.
And if you are one of the mystery donors who contributed without leaving your name, we'd love to know who you are!
There are also receipts for monetary donations, although the best way to contribute money for the next few weeks is online through Crowdrise in connection with the DFG Global Sew-a-thon--you'll need your credit card number and will get a receipt to print off immediately. Our Eugene/Springfield team will receive a check for 100% of the donations.
Thank you, thank you thank you!!
When I was first in contact with the Days for Girls headquarters, and the woman I spoke with learned that I was a quilter, she was delighted, saying that quilters had the best fabric. These pictures of just some of the recent fabric donations from quilters sure prove that point!
These cottons will work very well for bags and shields. Busy, medium to dark, and pretty!
 |
| Great flannels! |
Aren't they all wonderful?
In addition to these delightful fabrics, we've also recently had much appreciated gifts of polyester thread, drawstrings for the bags and snaps for the shields. Amazing!
And if you are one of the mystery donors who contributed without leaving your name, we'd love to know who you are!
There are also receipts for monetary donations, although the best way to contribute money for the next few weeks is online through Crowdrise in connection with the DFG Global Sew-a-thon--you'll need your credit card number and will get a receipt to print off immediately. Our Eugene/Springfield team will receive a check for 100% of the donations.
Thank you, thank you thank you!!
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Fabric Needs
Our next Days for Girls Sunday workday at Our Sewing Room is September 21. Join us for the whole day, 10 am to 4 pm, or whatever part of that that works for you. Most of us bring a lunch, but there are several places nearby to pick up something to eat if you prefer.
The workdays for the rest of the year are October 26, November 16, and December 14.
If you'd like to become involved making the kits, please do join us! To read about how each part of the kit is made and watch video tutorials by a DFG sewing specialist, please click here.
HOW MUCH FABRIC?
I'm often asked how many shields, or liners can be cut out of a yard of fabric, and never have that answer ready for folks. So, here are the official figures from the Days for Girls International website:
While not providing an exact "how many of one item from a yard" answer, you can see from those figures how fabric-hungry these kits are! If you are thinking of donating some material from your stash, or going shopping for some, here are more guidelines:
The workdays for the rest of the year are October 26, November 16, and December 14.
If you'd like to become involved making the kits, please do join us! To read about how each part of the kit is made and watch video tutorials by a DFG sewing specialist, please click here.
I'm often asked how many shields, or liners can be cut out of a yard of fabric, and never have that answer ready for folks. So, here are the official figures from the Days for Girls International website:
•
1.75 yards of 44" width
cotton yields 4 drawstrings bags and 8 shields
(i.e., enough for 4 kits).
•
5 yards 44" width flannel
yields 60 liners (enough for 7+ kits).
Here are some estimates for making 50
kits:
•
32-40 yards of 44" width
flannel for liners.
•
12 yards of 44" width
cotton for shields.
•
3.0 - 3.5 yards of 60"
width PUL for shields.
•
12 yards of 44" width
cotton for drawstring bags.
Some of you have asked about minimum sizes we can use. For the flannel, strips 6" wide by at least 9" long are what we use for the hot spot of the serged liners. Both the serged liners and the T&T liners can use strips 9" wide and lengths 9" and longer. These measurements are after washing and drying. Of course, it's easiest for us if you don't precut for us--serging and sewing longer lengths saves us time.
For the shields, we use good quality quilters' cotton. The pockets are made from 5" x 4.25" pieces. Strips of 5" are great, as we can fold, press and topstitch before cutting. Both already washed, dried, and pressed, of course, before cutting. The shields themselves can be cut from pieces as small as 9" x 10.5", but of course with more yardage we can tesselate and use fabric more efficiently.
Each bag uses a piece of attractive, good quality quilters' cotton that measures 12" x 29".
What we use the most of is flannel for the liners (inserts). Good quality flannel is more absorbent than the cheaper, thinner varieties, and that's what we are looking for. Dark or medium-dark prints are wonderful, because they hide stains well. If you have the time to wash and dry it before donating, that's fantastic, but if not, we will do that before cutting into it.
Here are some donated flannels that we like because of the colors, designs and quality.
Our next fabric need is cotton for the shields. We have the same stain-hiding needs for the fabric used in the shields: they also must camouflage stains, so once again, darker, busier fabric designs work best. Use good quality "quilters" cotton for these. Some examples:
Our third fabric need is for the bags. Because the girls will carry these daily to and from school, they should be made of our prettiest fabrics. We don't have the same need to camouflage stains here, but they shouldn't be too light--because white-background and light fabrics will show dirt. Please use good quality "quilters" cotton here too. Many of the fabrics in the "shield fabric" photo above would make attractive bags the girls would be proud to carry.
What to avoid: Because of religious or cultural taboos in many of the recipient populations, we are asked to avoid fabric designs that depict people, animals or animal fur patterns, camouflage, weapons and culturally specific patterns on all fabrics.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Feel like shopping?
I see that Walmart again has 12-packs of Fruit of the Loom girls' underpants on sale for $5.96, which is 50 cents a pair. Briefs or hipsters are the best styles (no bikinis or boys' shorts), the more colorful, the better! Our current needs are sizes 10-16.
$5.96
Walmart also has boxes of 30 Ziploc gallon freezer bags for $4.48. That's a sweet 15 cents each. Don't get the slider style zipper--they break too easily--and they cost more.
Target has an even better deal on Ziplocs--60 for $7.59 (under 14 cents each)
Walmart, Fred Meyer, Target, Ross, Shopko, TJ Maxx, etc. also sell packs or bundles of washcloths which are often on sale. I find it's helpful to check those out in person, to get a sense of quality, as some are very thin and wouldn't last long. Stain-hiding colors are best.
Freddy's ad has 4-packs of washcloths for $2 through Saturday.
Room Essentials® 8pk WashclothsRoom Essentials™
Fruit of the Loom Girls' 9+ 3 Free Brief
Online
Was $6.48
•
Free shipping available on orders over $50
Walmart also has boxes of 30 Ziploc gallon freezer bags for $4.48. That's a sweet 15 cents each. Don't get the slider style zipper--they break too easily--and they cost more.
Online
$4.46
•
Free shipping available on orders over $50
Target has an even better deal on Ziplocs--60 for $7.59 (under 14 cents each)
Walmart, Fred Meyer, Target, Ross, Shopko, TJ Maxx, etc. also sell packs or bundles of washcloths which are often on sale. I find it's helpful to check those out in person, to get a sense of quality, as some are very thin and wouldn't last long. Stain-hiding colors are best.
Freddy's ad has 4-packs of washcloths for $2 through Saturday.
4-Pack Washcloths
$2
Valid 8/24/14 - 8/30/14
Target's ad shows 8-packs on sale for $2.79
sale price$2.79
store price
SALE
reg: original price$3.49
Shopko has 9-packs marked down to $5.99
Sale $5.99 Reg. $9.99
Of course, finding a store coupon online or in the paper can reduce your cost even more.
Please let me know if you find any of these items at great prices, and I'll share the info here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)