Teeny Tears

About a month ago, I was poking through to see if anyone really does pay attention to this blog.  I found a blog that had a link to one of my blog posts about making eye mask for babies in the NICU.  Poking around her site, I found this site: http://teenytears.blogspot.com/ .

"Teeny Tears is a service organization that provides tiny flannel bereavement diapers to hospitals and bereavement support organizations at no charge for families that have suffered the loss of a preemie or micropreemie child through stillbirth or NICU loss. "  The goal is that there is one diaper for the baby and another as a keepsake for the family.

Oh....my.....goodness.....I was blown away.  And of course, had to add this to my list of things to do as I have been looking for some way to honor my son who would be 10 this September 1st if that terrible birth defect, Congential Diaphragmatic Hernia, had not take him from me.  But what a better way to honor his memory than to donate to the hospital where he was born.  I decided to set myself a personal goal of 100 diapers ready to donate by September 1.

To make it easier on myself, rather than use a paper pattern, I took quilters plastic template and cut out the patterns on that.

Then all I have to do is trace the template with a fabric pen and then cut them out.  I have averaged 6 micropreemie diapers and 6 preemie diapers per yard of fabric.

As of today, I have 46 cut out.

Only 54 more away from my goal

Then will come the sewing.  I figure to do it in shifts.  Get them all cut out.  Sew a stack at a time.
 

I am still waiting to see if Women and Infants needs these.   Project Sweet Peas partners with them for other supplies and was starting this but that is part of Project Gabriel.  And I already donate to CHERUBS HOPE Totebag project so adding to Project Sweet Peas may be too much.

I do not know the hospital's needs or requirements.  I hope to hear from Project Sweet Peas soon or I will reach back to Teeny Tears to have them make contact with the hospital.  I would love to able to help them meet a need. 

Rescued quilting project

QUILTING: The art of cutting pretty fabric into pieces to sew together and cut up again before being sewn back together......

Yesterday I posted about finding a partially completed quilt top.  All the squares had been sewn together and even one row of squares had been sewn before the project got stored away.

I have been trying to figure out how long this project had been in storage and realized that the fabric came from The Fabric Place which has been out of business in Warwick for almost 4 years.

Last night, I sewed each row of squares together and ironed them.  Then sewed the rows together and added the border.

TADA!!!!!!!




With the borders added



Close up of the pattern

This sweet quilt top is off to the wash tonight along with the pretty paw print backing to ensure that there are no musty smells from being stored for so long in plastic.


Pretty paw print backing

 I really forgot how much I loved quilting.   That may be why there are multiple projects started.  I made a tiered peasant skirt last year from unused fabric pieces.  I know there is one of half finished quilting project.  And I believe enough fabric to make two Christmas kids quilts.  Tomorrow is supposed to be a rainy day.  Perhaps more set up for my sewing area and a deeper foray into my fabric stashes are called for!!!!

Love of quilting

I have not done any quilting for some time now.  Since before I moved into this house in November of 2009.  I had put away a fat quarter quilt that I had started cutting up when we decided to put the old house up in August 2009.  I had to pack up all my projects to have the house ready to view and never really set up a new area in this home.  I had sewed some things but really the area was a disaster.

We are cleaning out the basement and organizing our areas now that the playroom has been completed.  I am finally organizing my sewing area that I share with the 5 guinea pigs  :D  I got a 9-cube shelving unit with fabric drawers.  Craig put up a peg board on the wall and I am setting up a second folding table to create a T-shaped sewing desk.

I have a co-worker whose little man turns 1 in August and has invited us all to share with her excitement on his big day.  So what does a crafter do?  Starts planning ANOTHER project!  WOOT WOOT!!!

I start scouring for fabric.  Immediately come across the center piece fabric and enlist my co-workers for opinions on coordinating fabric choices.  Order it and got it over the weekend.

Last night I started cutting the three fabrics.  Cut out the squares for the main fabric. Pieced the coordinating fabrics that I had cut into 16- 2 1/2 stripes and cut out the 31-6 1/2'' rectangles and the 40- 2 1/2'' rectangles.   Then it was bedtime!  Well, after I check out how it will all look together.  Then it was REALLY bedtime.

This morning I sewed the 40 pieces together into the alternating squares and sewed two rows together.  Very pleased. 

I had forgotten how much I loved doing this.  The sewing....the cutting....the ironing....the final piece assembling itself.

So while cleaning the basement over Memorial Day Weekend, I came across two quilting projects that had been bagged up and put away.  One project has been put on hold of over 4 years!  So I took it to work today to see if I can salvage the project and was astounded to see how close I actually was to completion!

All the squares had been pieced together!  I even had one row sewn together.  The fabric had been in a closed bag,  I even have the border and backing that I had purchased for it.  Just needs to be sewn all together and then I will throw it in the wash before adding the batting and hand-tying the quilt.  Just to get any musty smells out and to iron over 4 years of wrinkles. 

BORDER



BACKING-actually sad that I do not have more of this instead of the border

  Might as well finish it up and put it up online at my Etsy store.  Then perhaps complete the fat quarter quilt that is half started.  Waste not....want not.....