Tag Archives: charity sewing

How-to: Garments for Ghana

Required disclosure: I am a paid Brother Ambassador. Not required: I absolutely love Brother Machines.

Several readers have written asking if they may participate in the Garments for Ghana project.  Others asked how our project operated so they might do a similar event in their own community. When I mentioned in response to a comment on this topic that I might write this post, at least one promised that she (sweet Sandee) would not find these details boring. I hope she is not the only one because I am going ahead with this.

Before I began, I was given some direction from the mission team leaders. The request was for bright colors, since the landscape there is pretty bleak. We did that. Check.

Second, there must be no buttons or closures that might break or need replacement. Such replacement is not an option for mothers in these areas. Check. Elastic at the neckline was the only closure notion. I know elastic gives out after a couple of years, but I expect these garments will be worn out long before the elastic is.

Third, in many African nations and apparently in Ghana, bare shoulders for girls and perhaps adult females, is taboo. So we needed some sort of sleeve. Check. I did notice early on that many photos of pillowcase dresses for Little Dresses for Africa showed the girls wearing a tee shirt under their dresses. Now I see that the site offers a free pattern that has a sleeve, much like the pattern I used.

Fourth, each garment must be marked with its size. I had a bag of labels for sizes 1-5 and for the others I embroidered sizes on grosgrain ribbon in the hoop. Ladies who worked from home used a sharpie to write on ribbon, which like the others, was tucked into the elastic casing at the back. Continue reading

Garments for Ghana

This is the first of 7 clotheslines that hung from the walls in fellowship hall.

Required disclaimer: I am a paid Brother Ambassador. Not required: I genuinely LOVE Brother machines.

UPDATE: The first picture is in from Ghana! Though this little girl is not needy, I think she is the daughter of Ghanese pastor who hosts the mission team. Gayle had said this child would be given first choice. She certainly looks pleased. Her father reported that she didn’t want to take off the dress and slept in it!

What an exciting, satisfying project this has been! Since the end of Feb. a group of ladies and 4 children of River City Church, EPC, have gathered every Thursday to sew for the needy children of Ghana. Our goal was to make 100 garments. We finished the last week in May with 76 dresses and 44 pairs of shorts!

Getting started with basic instructions.

Starting a pair of cargo shorts.

Our efforts were in support of this summer’s second medical mission trip to Ghana, led by a church member Dr. Lyle Wadsworth and his nurse wife Gayle.

NOTE: Please excuse the wrinkled dresses. The garments were pressed before being hung on the clothesline. But after being packed for shipment to Ghana, many were unpacked to be photographed. It was just too time consuming to iron all of them.

Overturned yo-yo’s created puffy balloons. The teepee bag covers a runaway balloon.

Continue reading

Duckling Preemie Isolette Shirt

Another preemie isolette shirt is finished and delivered for soon-to-arrive Baby Beatrice. Her adoptive parents are now 5 states away from home awaiting the birth. It was planned for her to be delivered via C-section at 30 weeks, due to the birth mom’s earlier pregnancy complications.

The good news is that Baby might not need this or the other diaper shirt I made for her! At almost 36 weeks in utero, she may be bigger than the 4-5 lb. size of these garments. That’s something to celebrate! Our church has been praying and eagerly waiting for this lucky baby to be delivered into the arms of her fabulous parents. We can’t wait to see her.

I really, really like this pattern by Nancy Coburn of Ginger Snaps Designs.

It come in several sizes from micro-preemies all the way up to regular size newborn. Recommendations are included from NICU nurses for this sweet, specialized sewing. Variations of the single fabric design are included, such as this one made from two tiny scraps of pique’ and gingham.

The darling vintage duckling embroidery designs are from MommysApronStrings Etsy shop.They stitch out beautifully and are perfectly digitized and proportioned for this little diaper shirt as well as other children’s projects. There are several other charming designs that I will be using for future projects. The “buttons” were also machine embroidered before the soft velco was sewn to the shirt at the front and shoulders. Continue reading

Sew Kindness–free design

 

for you--design from Fil Tire' and Fancywork Frames and Phrases, shown on a greeting card

for you–design from Fil Tire’ and Fancywork Frames and Phrases, shown on a greeting card

 

For some time now, I have been awed by the inherent kindness and generosity of stitchers.  There might be one bad apple in a basket, but the rest of the needleworker bushel is all sweet Honeygold.  The “Sisterhood of the Needle” spreads goodness indiscriminately to friends, loved ones and strangers.

 

I bet YOU are a good apple, a sweet Honeygold.

I bet YOU are a good apple, a sweet Honeygold.

 

Lately, examples of this goodness keep popping up in front of me.  Let me tell you about a few…… Continue reading