Crafting rags for Craft Hope

Craft Hope is back on my sidebar, as I'm joining in again for project 8--making rags to assist in the clean-up of marine animals affected by the Gulf oil spill.

Making rags seems like such a minor thing in the face of such an incredibly devastating event. And yet...it's something. It's something concrete and proactive and easy. It may not make much of a difference, but even if I only manage to help save one animal, it will be better than sitting here fretting about it all.

I've cut up an old towel, and will be looking through receiving blankets and burp cloths for more rag-worthy material tonight (the rags will be discarded, so I'm going for quantity over quality here). I'm thinking about what else I might do to personalize them a bit--I thought maybe a stamped "thank you" on each one might be nice for the workers who'll be using them.

This is the easiest Craft Hope project yet. If you've been thinking about joining in, but haven't yet, now's the time!

And because what's a post without a photo?, here's Lucy, doing her part for marine life, too (she's feeding a seagull a sea urchin, after observing seagulls smash and eat their food on the rocks while we were on vacation).

Cozy cashmere for the Craft Hope Etsy Shop

So, I decided what to make for the Craft Hope Etsy shop (have you been there yet? Such beautiful things! Going so, so quickly! I'm thrilled to hear they've made over $7,000 so far.)

I'm sorry the pictures are so bad; I finished it in broad daylight, but my model was napping! I wanted to get it to them right away, so I hope shoppers can see past the bad lighting.



Lucy likes it, anyway!



My donation was a "Cashmere Baby Dress and Longies Set"

This wonderfully soft and cozy outfit is made from a recycled, felted lavender cashmere sweater. Included are a pair of "longies" (wool diaper-cover pants), which will come lanolized and ready to wear. (If you don't use cloth diapers, they make lovely leggings, too.) There's also a comfy dress, warm enough for winter, but lightweight enough to carry right over into spring. Eyelet trim on the arms and pocket give it a cute girly look. This outfit is made for play--it moves with your child and doesn't get in the way of crawling or walking.

Want a cute, comfy outfit for your baby? Need some more diaper covers? $30, and all of it goes to Doctors Without Borders. It should be in the shop by tomorrow.

(I said I'd share my books with you, and I will...tomorrow. This seemed more pressing.)

Craft Hope's Etsy Shop for Haiti

It seems all my favorite bloggers are writing about Haiti, far better than I could hope to do. So I'll keep it short and sweet and just say Craft Hope has set up an Etsy shop as a fundraiser for Doctors without Borders. There are gorgeous things there, if you're in the mood to buy (100% of proceeds will be donated). I'm thinking about what to make to offer for sale (any suggestions?).

Yikes!

I suddenly realized that the Craft Hope "Hope Squared" quilts are due on Sunday...and I hadn't started yet! They've said what they still need is quilts for "older boys"--a huge challenge for me (as if a quilt in less than a week isn't enough of a challenge). No time to write...I've got to sew!


(As you can see by this terrible photo, I only have time after dark these days.)

Margaret's Hope Chest

I grew up in New Jersey and Connecticut, went to school in Virginia and stayed a while, then moved to Massachusetts. But my heart (and my accent) belong to Michigan, the home of my mother's family, and the place of our summer vacations. My mother (and her mother) grew up in Grand Rapids, nearly all my family went to college there, and my sister lives and teaches near there. So when I heard that Craft Hope's next project would benefit homeless children in Grand Rapids, I knew I'd be participating again.



Craft Hope will be partnering with Margaret's Hope Chest with a goal of making 400 quilts. From their website:

"This summer we stepped out in faith when we agreed to provide a quilt for each child in the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Public School system who is homeless during the Christmas season. The exact number will not be clear until November but considering the economic climate in Michigan it will more than likely be high (200+). Consider the journey of a homeless child. No house to walk into at the end of a long day, no couch to cuddle on and read books with mom or dad. No kitchen to walk into and help themselves to a snack. No bedroom to sleep in- nothing to give that child the security that a home brings.
What might a handmade quilt mean to a homeless child? It might bring warmth to a 5-year-old boy in a drafty room. It might give hope to a 12-year-boy who never had a handmade gift before. It might give comfort to an 8-year-old girl who wants something pretty to snuggle under."

Can you believe they estimate 200+ children? That kills me. A quilt seems like a very small offering in the face of such tragedy, but it's something. And it's something I can do.

They are asking for quilts made of squares. They're even willing to finish it if all you can manage is the top. What could be simpler? I'm going to do it. Will you?

(Apparently, Craft Hope has not yet announced this project, but should in a few weeks. I heard about it on Crazy Mom Quilts.)

From many, one

Remember this package of fabric scraps I sent off a while back? After making a gorgeous quilt for Craft Hope, Ronit (of 2Hippos) had been asked to make a few more for the Miracle Foundation, in shades of red and orange and pink. She asked her readers to send scraps to help build her stash for this project. She's now finished one of the commissioned quilts. Here it is.

I thought it was so fun to try to spot bits of the fabric I'd sent in this quilt pieced together from so many sources. And I love the feeling of this quilt--that little bits shared by many people come together in a whole so much greater than the parts. An outpouring of love through fabric. I can't wait to see the others.

Hope in the mail

Two hats and a quilt, on their way to Texas, and then on to India. Doesn't look like much, but a lot of love and time and yes, hope, is in that package.

I finished my quilt!

I can hardly believe it: I finished my quilt for Craft Hope. On time. And it's pretty darn cute! I am ridiculously proud of it.

Now, that isn't to say it went smoothly. Last you heard, I'd pieced all the blocks, lickety split. And then I sewed them all together the next night. But soon after, I got stalled. The problem was the quilting.

I'd ended up with several extra blocks (after laying it all out, I thought it was too big, so I removed a row). So I used those to practice quilting. First I thought I'd try free-motion quilting. I gave it a shot, but decided I would need a LOT more practice before I could do it on a quilt. So then I decided a squared-off spiral would look good with the pattern I'd chosen. Nope. I kept having problems with the thread bunching at the turns (more on that later). Also, I was surprised at how quickly the quilt got stiff that way--very stiff. Not the feel I was going for. Finally, I decided on diagonal lines, dividing all the squares into triangles. A nice look and feel and better for my novice self, but there was the problem of straight lines on not-perfectly-lined-up blocks. That made me crazy.

I went ahead anyway, using a water soluble marker and ruler to mark the lines. But it was taking forever (we know patience is not my strong suit). So after doing only a few lines, I set it aside and dreaded finishing it. But then, just in the nick of time, Crazy Mom Quilts posted a painter's-tape tutorial. Just exactly what I needed! I pulled out the blue tape, and somehow, it made the line marking so much easier. Plus, she made me feel better about the lines not perfectly bisecting every corner.

But I was still having trouble with the thread. It just kept breaking--strangely, in almost the same spot on every line, about 4/5 of the way along (just when I thought I'd finally finish a row without rethreading!) I was using a new needle, there weren't any particularly bunchy seams, I'd cleaned out all the lint...I couldn't figure it out. But then I ran out of white thread, and had to run out to the drugstore on the corner to get more. I took whatever they had so I could get back to work. And guess what? It stopped breaking. I've been so pleased to be able to be able to dip into my big thrift-store and tag-sale stash of notions whenever I want to make a project, without having to buy new. But it might be time to admit that some new thread would be worth buying.

I thought about various fabric options for binding, but in the end, went with expediency and chose some bias tape I had on hand. I worried that it would be too narrow, but I actually ended up really liking how it looks: the bright turquoise pops out despite its small size, and saves the quilt from being too cutesy pastel. I even love the back--simply solid white, but now, crisscrossed with quilting lines and edged in turquoise, it looks so inviting.

I made mine much smaller than the pattern called for, but even still, it's quite large: about 36"X42". I think it's just right for a baby to play on, though, and will work well for years. I've never been a big fan of tiny receiving blankets; I like something more substantial.

Sharing scraps

Ronit, at 2Hippos, made an absolutely gorgeous quilt for Craft Hope...so beautiful, in fact, that she was asked to make more to use as wall art in the orphanage. But she'd used up most of her red, orange, pink, and yellow fabrics in making that quilt, so she's asked for help replenishing. She says "I'm open to a range of fabrics, the pretty and the ugly, the excellent and the not-so-amazing, because in a scrap quilt, the diversity of fabrics helps make the quilt."

As I've said before, I don't have a very expansive stash, but I thought I could come up with some things to share. Here's the little pile I'm putting in the mail for her tomorrow. I'm eager to see the new quilts!

Can I make a quilt in time?

When I decided to join Craft Hope for their third challenge, I pledged to make at least a hat and a pair of booties. I made two hats right away, and got started on a pair of booties. Somewhere along the line, I decided to make a blanket to go with each set. I was thinking about hemming up a simple flannel blanket, and trying to figure out when I'd get out to buy the flannel, when somehow, I got a notion to make a quilt. Unlike some bloggers out there who seem to whip out a quilt every week, I've only ever made one quilt (a sad, lumpen, polyester thing made with love for my honey right after college). I've started on one for Lucy's room, and am doing an occasional block here and there towards finishing that for her first birthday. But this seemed more manageable--small, and on a deadline (I have until July 25th). Where do I get these notions? I have a million other projects I want to get to. And yet...

I googled around for a suitable pattern, and chose this one. I'm making mine smaller, more swaddler size than crib size. Once I had the idea in my mind, I was possessed, and went digging through my fabric for a large variety that went well together (this is when I wish I had a larger stash, though what I've got barely fits as it is!). I started cutting, and couldn't stop until all the pieces were cut out (I stayed up WAY too late working after my family was asleep). And never mind that the sewing machine is in our bedroom; I simply had to sew together the first block just to see how it would look (they slept through it). Here it is:

(Ignore the washed-out picture. It's been raining here forever, I think. It's way cuter in person.)

Now, if it weren't for that pesky thing called work, I could just sew and sew like a maniac until I'd done them all! Couldn't we just have a quilting holiday?
....
I wrote the above yesterday, planning to post it today. Then last night, I got on a completely obsessed sewing spree. From one block completed, to this:

(completed blocks, clearly in need of pressing, laid out on Lucy's floor, where they're in grave danger of being scattered by galloping cats)

I love it! I really don't want to do anything else until I've got it all sewn together. Now I'm thinking I might actually be able to finish it in time!

Crafting Hope for Orphans in India

I've decided to join Craft Hope in making infant hats, booties, and blankets for babies in India. I thought I was going to make a dress (their first project) and a doll (their second), but never did either. This time, I commented right away so I'd be committed to producing something!

That very night, I dug through my shirt pile to find one that was ready to be chopped up to make hats. I made two sweet little blue hats, and set to work making booties to match. I clearly worked well past my too-exhausted-to-sew point on those, so they're going to require stitch-ripping and re-doing. Oh, well...I've gotten a good start and I'm glad to have something to contribute this time. I had made some of these caps before, for Mama to Mama's Caps to Cap Haitian project, and it was so wonderful to watch that cap counter go up and up, my little contribution of 3 hats adding to the heaps until there were a total of 5523 hats and 169 blankets contributed!

I don't suppose my little contribution is going to change the world. But one little baby will be a bit warmer and a bit more secure in the knowledge that there is a world out there that cares about them.

Check out Craft Hope's latest project. Maybe you'll want to whip up a bit of warmth, too. (It's open to knitters and crocheters, as well!)