Days for Girls uses sustainable, washable feminine hygiene products in large part because of the problem of trash accumulation in so much of the world. We try not to include anything in our kits that will become trash, such as wrappers on the soap and uncomfortable tags on the washcloths. And of course shields and liners that can be washed and reused for an average of 3 years (instead of disposables) eliminates a huge source of trash, while saving the girls and women precious dollars. Here's a brief article.
ONLY SLIGHTLY RELATED
If you're one of the wonderful volunteers who has washed and dried some of the flannel, you know how much (sometimes colorful) lint it produces. Yesterday I met somebody who told me that she stuffs her dryer lint into empty paper towel or TP tubes and uses them as fire starters. Wish I'd had a batch of those during the 6 days I was without electricity this winter!
A TRIP TO KENYA
Boy, would I love to win this trip for two to Kenya! I'd also be happy to be your travel partner if you win! If you use this link to enter, it boosts my chances of winning. We have sent more kits to Kenya than any other country. How fun it would be to visit! I'd hope we could take more kits and supplies.
Enter by March 9.
FEBRUARY WORKDAY
Our workday on February 11 was amazing. We had about 30 volunteers throughout the day. More than half were university students, all members of the UO chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, an international co-ed community service fraternity. They really dug in on all those necessary but time-consuming jobs, such as pressing fabric, cutting fabric and drawstrings, affixing snaps, folding underwear, pinning liner layers, removing washcloth tags and glue-basting labels. It was such a boost to our operations, with easily over 50 hours of work completed. We sure hope they'll join us again.
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| The Alpha Phi Omega volunteers |
FANTASTIC BARGAINS
Every few months, I think to search on Craigslist for fabric. Last night was one of those occasions and I'm so glad my timing was absolutely perfect! The Presbyterian Church in Creswell was having a fabric sale today, with fabric from "more than 4 estates," for just $1 a yard! I brought a big tote bag with me, and then filled it up plus 3 more. And I was picky! I came home with over 60 yards of fabric for shields, liners and bag . . . and some serger thread, to boot!
OUR YARD SALE
This year we're again partnering with The Springfield Lions Club to hold a gigantic 3-day yard sale. Mark your calendars for July 21st-23rd. Please start saving items you can contribute, and asking your friends to do so too. We'll need folks for set-up, working during the sale, and take-down too. I sincerely hope you can help. It's because of last year's yard sale and cash donations that we can buy the supplies we need to make our life-changing kits.
CASH DONATIONS
Speaking of monetary donations, if that's something you're itching to do online, here's the link.
OUR NEXT WORKDAY
I hope you can join us March 4th at Our Sewing Room. We have tasks for experienced sewers and sergers, and many more that don't require sewing/serging skills. Whatever job you choose to do, we appreciate your best work. These kits are often the nicest things the girls have ever received, and our goal is to make them as perfect as possible.
MEASUREMENTS, FABRIC, ETC.
Measurements and accuracy in sewing our kits are extremely important. 1/8" here, 1/4" there, it can mean the difference between a component we can use and one we can't. It breaks my heart when a volunteer spends her time making something that doesn't meet Days for Girls standards. We use only 100% cotton flannel for the liners. The shields can only be made out of 100% quilters' weight cotton fabric and Polyurethane Laminate (PUL). For the bags, we can use 100% quilters' weight cotton (or occasionally a cotton/poly blend). We use only the most beautiful fabrics for the bags. All fabrics must be new and busy and dark enough to hide stains, as it's very important for the girls to be able to hang them to dry in public view, without embarrassment. And as for accuracy, if you don't have your edges perfectly aligned when sewing, you might discover that an edge or corner hasn't be caught in the stitching.
Please quality-check your own work! It would be so disappointing for a girl to discover that her lovely, brand new kit had one or more flawed components that would shorten the period of time they could be used. Please save your sheets and recycled fabrics for another project.
Below is a list of measurements that I like to keep near my sewing machine and cutting table--it's all the DFG measurements, by component. Much easier to have it all in one place, rather than having to go to the computer to check something. If you sew one or more components for us, I urge you to cut and paste it into a word processing document and print it out for your own use. The formatting is wonky, so another (probably better) option is emailing me to send you a copy as an attachment, properly formatted!
Days for Girls
MEASUREMENTS all on ONE PAGE
Because
all of the parts of a kit need to fit together, it is imperative that each
component be the right dimensions.
Please keep this sheet and use it to measure your components as you make
them.
BAGS
·
Cut fabric 12” x 29”
·
Minimum finished size of bag is 10”
x 12.5” (we like them an inch bigger)
·
Label should be sewn 4.75” down from top raw edge. That means 3.25” down from top of
finished bag. THIS IS A CHANGED
MEASUREMENT.
·
On the two short sides, press down ¼” and then an additional 1¼” for
the casing
·
Side seam allowance on the bags is 3/8”, unless you need a tad more to
enclose the serged edge or hide a selvage. Those should not show on the outside.
·
Cut ½” or 5/8” twill tape or grosgrain ribbon 1 yard, with ends cut on
a 45-degree angle to discourage fraying.
LINERS—These
are what we need the most!
·
If I’m starting with yardage, I cut fabric into 2.5-yard lengths before
washing.
·
Cut strips of washed/dried/pressed flannel 8.75” and 5.75”.
·
Cut off 3/16” to ¼” on
edges as you serge.
·
Finished size is 8.25” to 8.5” square. Never longer than 8.75”
·
Serging should not be too narrowly or widely spaced from one stitch to
the next.
·
Heavy Flow liners are cut from the same width
strips as regular liners. They are
just longer. Cut them 11.5” in
length, and they will finish at 11.25” x 8.5”.
SHIELDS
·
For pockets, cut strips 5” wide.
·
Fold lengthwise, wrong sides together, press, then topstitch ¼” from folded edge.
·
Cut into 4.5” segments.
·
Each finished pocket measures 2.5” x 4.5”.
·
For best accuracy, use the Accuquilt
to cut out the shields and PUL.
·
When sewing the shield, use a scant
¼” seam allowance throughout.
·
Handcut off ¼” diagonally of each PUL corner before assembling.
·
Follow the directions carefully—it’s easy to get confused. Accuracy is
crucial.
·
Unsewn shield pieces measure 8.25” x 10”.
·
The completed shield should measure 9.5” x 7.75”. Measure your first one and make any
adjustments before continuing. Heavy Flow shields measure 12.5” x
7.75”. Inside pocket width is 3.25".
·
Topstitch 1/8” from the edges—no
more. Using a “sharp”
needle (as opposed to a “univesal”) makes going through those corner
thicknesses much easier.
·
Pressing between each step of constructing a shield helps to give it a
professional look and actually increases the size a hair (that’s good). Do not press so long that you fuse the
PUL to the fabric!
·
Be sure to trim your seam allowances carefully. I cut off all the extra PUL close to
the seam with very sharp curved little appliqué scissors.
These steps help ensure
that the shield finishes the correct size and isn’t bulky.
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