Last Meeting of 2011

Okay, it's been way too long since I posted - I apologize.  The month of December was crazy busy for me with finishing up my college classes, creating a huge contract class for winter quarter, preparations for Christmas, etc., etc.

My Needlecrafts for Charity club met on December 5th and 8th.  We needed more time to finish the pj bottoms and work on the sanitary pad kits.  Everyone decided that the kits would be an ongoing project.  Now that we know the need, how could we ever say that the project is completed?  We had 50 almost completed by the last meeting.  As for the pj's, see the pictures below.  This really was a fun project and everyone was happy with the results!

Looking ahead to 2012 - I will participate in an exciting class for winter quarter.  I will observe a family-run cafe by an old order Mennonite family in southern Ohio.  My stay will be over a 6 week period and I will stay with my parents.  My dad was diagnosed with cancer last spring, so I am looking forward to spending time with him while I work on my studies.  Please follow my blog as I record my adventures in Ohio. 

As for Needlecrafts for Charity, they will resume meetings the end of January.  They plan to work on the kits and any small projects that benefit a charity or improve their sewing skills.

I want to thank everyone who has given emotional and financial support during 2011.  Needlecrafts for Charity wouldn't have existed if it weren't for the help of our supporters.  I'm so thankful that this club continued to thrive throughout the year, and that I could help facilitate a passion for sewing and knitting in a group of college students.

Happy 2012!


Heather sewing pj's

Jacob modeling new pj's

Trisha with her new pj's

 

PUL Fabric

 I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving break!  I certainly ate too many pieces of pie.

We resumed sewing last Monday and finally were able to begin cutting out the PUL shields for our Days for Girls project.  In case you are unfamiliar with this fabric, let me explain.  PUL is a water resistant fabric that is used particularly in baby items, like for diaper covers.  For our project, PUL is sewn between layers in the sanitary pad shields. 

Heather was industrious with tracing (pinning would make holes and allow for moisture leakage) shield patterns on the PUL with a black marker.  The other students worked on pinning and cutting out pajama bottoms, and cutting out more flannel pads.  I took a final picture of what we have accomplished so far.

We have two more meetings left - wow, the time has flown by!  We will meet this coming Monday and then again on Thursday evening for a final project/pizza party.

Enjoy your weekend!




Trisha & Jackie pinning pj patterns

Heather tracing shields

 

Kim & Jackie showing sewn shield pockets

 


Pads & shields to date

Field Trip

Our needlecrafts club had a field trip day last Saturday.  We first visited Artco, a local crafts store that has an impressive selection of mostly cotton fabrics and sewing notions.  Our second and last stop was at JoAnn's Fabrics.  Our group learned to determine the quality of a fabric, as well as how to select thread and elastic for a pajama bottom sewing project.  Everyone purchased a fitting (pardon the pun) piece of fabric!

At our meeting on Monday I decided to teach a little about crotch depth - yep, crotch depth.  A little awkward to teach, but the pj bottoms need to fit.  Basically, the person being measured sits on a hard chair and another person measures from the waistline, down the side of the hip, to the top of the chair.  Most of the time this measurement is required in order to determine whether the waist of the garment will be too high or too low. And the instruction was immediately applicable because everyone had to make an alteration to the pajama pattern for the crotch depth. 

Our club won't meet next week due to the Thanksgiving holiday, so I'll be busy writing a research paper for my college class and working on some items for an upcoming arts and crafts fair.

I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving; peace and good times with whomever you will be celebrating with!


Artco

 

Jacob Pinning Pattern

  Kirah & Heather Cutting PUL for Shields

Taking Measurements

The weather has definitely changed this week to facilitate activities indoors - sewing!  My Needlecrafts for Charity club spent Monday continuing the Days for Girls project and also receiving a lesson in taking body measurements.

The club members wanted to start a sewing project for themselves and add some new sewing skills.  I was delighted to oblige.  Kim graciously volunteered to be my model for measuring techniques.  Did you know that to find your natural waist, you bend to the side, and wherever that "crease" is on your side, is the location of your natural waistline?  It helps to use some yarn or string to then tie around your natural waist.  From this marker, other measurements can be taken.

Later this morning, our group will visit a couple local fabric shops where we will purchase fabric to make pajama bottoms; I'll post some pictures next week.  It's supposed to be rainy and windy today, so a great time to be inside a fabric shop and gaze at all the wonderful colors and feel all the nice textures......  Enjoy your weekend!


Finding Natural Waist on Kim

Heather Teaching Jacob

 

Finished Flannel Pads to Date

Portland Weekend

So, as usual, Portland proved to be a very memorable trip for my husband and I.  We left Friday the 28th and spent the afternoon in the Alberta District at Bolt Fabric Boutique.  Bolt had a wonderful sale going on - fabric, patterns, etc.  I love visiting this store every time I visit Portland. 

The evening was spent at Modern Domestic, also in the Alberta District, at the "Sew-cial" from 6 - 9.  It was pure heaven!  I was able to make good progress on a top for myself by using a fabulous Bernina sewing machine.  But.....that was not the highlight - I actually met Shelly Figueroa who is the author of Sewing for Boys.  She was recently featured with her two handsome boys on a morning show in Portland.  Shelly designed some really cool clothing for boys.  Check this book out; I'm sure you'll want to own a copy. I have to say, I was just in awe during my conversations with her that night.  She is like your favorite friend; down-to-earth, fun, kind.  I certainly didn't want to leave the sewing studio that evening, but my husband had tired of going from coffee shop to coffee shop trying to find one that stayed open late.

It was a really fun weekend except for one problem........my car developed a cracked exhaust manifold Friday evening after the "Sew-cial."  Saturday was mostly spent at the Toyota service department to diagnose the problem and find that there were no manifolds in stock.  On the way home Sunday we had to drive at 55 mph and stop at each rest area to let the car cool down.  Thankfully the car was drivable!

All in all, it was a great weekend.  When it comes to sewing adventures, you never know where you'll land :-)

Shelly and I at Modern Domestic

Outside Modern Domestic

Success!

Our Wednesday fundraiser was a success!  I was not able to attend, but the members of Needlecrafts for Charity raised over $90 to help with supplies for our "Days for Girls" project.  To my members of Needlecrafts for Charity; a big thanks and hug to all!

The last weekend of October I will head to Portland. Oregon to purchase some leggings fabric for our next fundraiser in November.  I always love visiting Portland!  There are so many wonderful fabric and yarn shops.  One of my favorite fabric shops is Bolt Fabric Boutique in the Alberta District.  The shop owner is quite talented with her choice of fabrics for the store.  I'll also visit Modern Domestic where I will attend a "sew and sip" event on Friday evening.

 Next week I will not post since I'll be traveling.  Check back the following week to read about my trip and purchases in Portland!

And Here We Go.....

Needlecrafts for Charity kicked into high gear this week!  We met on Monday afternoon and Thursday evening (which included pizza, brownies, and sodas).  Between 6 and 8 students showed up for both sew-a-thons.  I'm so amazed by the dedication of these college students to help others in need.  This last week was also mid-terms for UPS students, so a big thanks to all the helpers in the middle of rigorous studying :)

As you'll see in the pictures below, we worked on stuffed animals and fabric coffee sleeves.  I went a little overboard with amount of coffee sleeves fabrics, but they're so cute and practical, I know they'll be a big hit. Our fundraiser will take place on Wednesday, October 19, from 1:00-2:30.  If you'd like to make a donation, please just email me at www.thegreenerneedle@gmail.com

The last picture shows the Days for Girls pads that we are raising the money for.  We hope to make 200 of these before the end of this semester.

Fundraiser Planned

I'm almost at the end of my house sitting gig for my daughter and her husband.  The rain has set in for the Pacific Northwest; we will see few days of sunshine until next summer :(  Good thing is, it's great weather for sewing and knitting!

We had another fun club meeting last Monday.  We have our first fundraising event planned for Wednesday, October 19.  Our club will sell stuffed animals, jewelry, baked goods, and coffee sleeves to raise money for our "Days for Girls" project.  Kim demonstrated how to make a pair of spandex shorts.  These will be on display at the fundraiser to advertise for our next fundraiser (November 5) that will be a leggings and hot pants "make and take" event.  Please see picture below.

I just had to include another picture of Kim happily ironing.  Doesn't it look like a scene from the 1950's?  Minus the serger and leggings, of course.

More next week......

September 26 - Two Young Men

 I am sitting here on a Friday afternoon at my daughter and her husband's house, reflecting on this past week.  They live about 60 miles from me and I offered to house sit for them while they vacation in Maui.  They just moved here, so it's fun for me to go out exploring.  Tomorrow, a nearby community will have it's semi-annual city-wide garage sale day.  I hope to find more sewing and knitting supplies for Needlecrafts for Charity.

It was another fun meeting this week, but then, every week is fun with this club.  For the first time at Needlecrafts for Charity, there were two male students that attended.  Thanks for showing up, Jacob and Lee!  Both learned to hand sew and did a great job. Thanks to the new ladies that attended also :)

A big thanks to Sarah from California!  I visited my post office box on Wednesday and was  surprised with a box of circular knitting needles and a gift of $10 to help with supplies for our "Days for Girls" project. I'm so thankful for the many gifts our club has received from the generosity of others who care.

Now for my big news - I will start teaching classes beginning next week.  I have taken a 3 year break to attend college, and now that I have only 28 credits to take over the next few quarters, I can offer knitting and sewing classes again.  I'm offering for the first time a Knitted Market Bag Class and a Hand Sewing Class.  Please contact me if you are interested, or if you someone who might be.

First Meeting of Needlecrafts for Charity!

I'm so excited to report that we had a wonderful time on Monday at our first Needlecrafts for Charity meeting at the University of Puget Sound.  We had to switch rooms a couple times at the last minute, so I believe we will need to send out some notifications before our next meeting.  The more the merrier!

There were seven ladies attending, including me.  We had a very successful planning period and then on to hand sewing demos (see below).  Kim, the club president, brought some hot pink leggings to show how easy they are to make.  We plan to have a leggings workshop in November to raise money for our "Days for Girls" sanitary pad kits.  After a young lady places an order for leggings, we plan to have an assembly line which will consist of cutters, seam sewers, and topstitchers. These young ladies are so creative with fund raising ideas! My best idea is a bake sale, but this isn't nearly as fun as sewing construction in the presence of the public :)

Hand Sewing Demo

Chemo Caps for Kids

I just finished my first chemo cap for a child struggling with cancer.  Needlecrafts for Charity will be working on this project as well as the sanitary pad kits for women.  The yarn used in the cap is Bernat Softee Chunky and the pattern is Kaity's Chemo Cap.  It's an easy pattern that knits up quickly. 

We still need knitting needles for this project.  The cap uses size 7 and 9, 16" circulars, and size 9 double pointed needles.  If you would like to help with this project, please email me at thegreenerneedle@gmail.com

I'm just so excited to be helping with these projects.  Our club meets tomorrow, so I'll have pictures of our progress.  Stay tuned, and check back each week!

Kaity's Chemo Cap

Needlecrafts for Charity!!!

It has been a busy month!  I've been preparing to resume the Needlecrafts for Charity club at the University of Puget Sound.  I returned to my administrative assistant position on August 16th, finished summer quarter at the Evergreen State College on August 26th, and started advertising for the needlecrafts club on September 2 at LogJam on the UPS campus. Whew!

We had an exciting event at LogJam.  The club president, Kim; the club treasurer, Kirah; and I manned a table to solicit for new members.  Thanks Kim and Kirah :)  A whopping 75 students signed up!  Now I know that not all of the sign ups will attend, but even if 20 do, it will be a great group.  Students were interested in sewing and knitting, so I had to change my plans a bit for the syllabus.  There will be two groups working simultaneously; one group will sew and assemble sanitary pad hygiene kits for women in developing countries, the other group will knit kids' chemo caps for our local military hospital. I'm very excited to be leading this group!

Now for gathering supplies.  If there is any way you'd like to help, please post a comment and I will respond with how you can help.  We desperately need scissors, pins, and snaps for sewing; and knitting needles, scissors, and rulers for knitting.   

This will be a very fun fall :)   In the picture below: Lori, Kim, and Kirah

            

New Market Bag Knitting Class!

I'm back from all of my summer journeys. I came back from Sock Summit (which was totally awesome) and had one day before leaving for the San Juan Islands with my daughter, Kate.  We had a great two days of sightseeing and relaxation.  We even visited an alpaca farm and both bought a skein of yummy soft alpaca yarn.
On Thursday evenings, the 18th and 25th, I will be teaching a market bag knitting class.  I haven't taught a knitting class for over three years so I am very excited to be teaching again.  If you'd like to join the class, send me and email at thegreenerneedle@gmail.com
The Siesta top from corn/cotton yarn I've been knitting is almost complete. This yarn stretched a great deal so I will have to do some seaming in order for it to fit properly.  It's a very cute top!

The picture was taken at Sock Summit in Knitters Brewing Company booth.  Lavender shawl, pink sock, purple sock - ready for a night out!

Getting Ready for Sock Summit

I leave Thursday morning for Sock Summit in Portland, Oregon to help in the booth with Knitters Brewing Company - the business I interned with during June in Encinitas, CA.  I'm getting excited to meet new knitting ladies and see all the wonderful yarns, patterns and accessories.  If you're at Sock Summit, please stop by and say "hi."

I've been spending the last few days practicing for the Flash Mob dance that will take place Saturday evening.  I've had a lot of fun rehearsing as it reminds me of my former drill team days in high school! 

I'm still knitting my Siesta top.  I'm just at the bind-off for the sleeves, so the knitting will go much faster.  In the next few weeks, I will work on my materials for the knitted market bag class that will be held towards the end of August.  It's been a good summer for knitting here in the Northwest; we've had such cool temperatures. More later......

Back in Washington!

I've been back from my internship for a couple weeks.  I hit the ground running ever since I stepped off the airplane.

During the past few weeks I've read books and written papers for my independent learning contract portion of summer school.  It was so helpful to participate in an internship so that I could experience what I was reading :)

Currently I'm taking a break from sewing and working on a summer knitted top (it's also part of my summer school).  The yarn is made from corn and organic cotton: a totally new fiber for me.  The pattern is Siesta and I must say, is turning out quite nicely.  It's a great portable knitting project.

It has turned out to be a beautiful summer day here.  I hope it is sunny today where you live :)

Interning in Sunny California

Well, sunny most afternoons.  The marine layer burns off late morning and appears again during late afternoon.  I have to say I am so excited to give up my vitamin D tablets for a couple weeks!

I'm interning until June 29 in Encinitas, CA with the owner, Wendy, of Knitters Brewing Company.  So far I have made knitting stitch markers and dyed sock yarn.  It's a fun business and Wendy's a great teacher.  I've gotten so many good tips from her.  

As promised from back in May - I finished my reusable produce bag pattern and it has been a big hit with everyone who sees it.  I have just a little more tweaking to do with the pattern and it will be ready for retail sale.  Please contact me at thegreenerneedle@gmail.com if you'd like to order the pattern.

It will officially be summer in just a few days.  I hope you have a fun one with lots of sewing and knitting projects!

Still Moving......

Okay, this move is dragging on!  I figure I'm down to 4 more carloads.  That's how moves go when you don't get a truck and get it all done at once.

Anyway, some exciting things are happening!  I will be designing and copyrighting a sewing pattern this week. It's a fairly quick sewing project and will help to reduce landfill waste.  I'll post pictures when it's completed.  This will be my first pattern for sale through The Greener Needle. 

In June I'll intern with an online sock yarn store: Knitters Brewing Company.  Check out the site - it's pretty cool  http://knittersbrewing.com 
Besides filling incoming orders, I'll be working on inventory for the upcoming Sock Summit in Portland, Oregon.  I plan to help at the Knitters Brewing Company booth during the convention on July 28 - 31.  Should be a lot of fun!

Catching Up

Well, it's been a month since I've created a post.  I went through a move that took more time than I thought it would.  Good news is I found fabric and yarn that I hadn't seen for a couple years!  Now I'm really inspired to get some sewing done.

Needlecrafts for Charity finished and delivered 20 cat mats to the Humane Society.  The cats were very appreciative :)

Last week we had our final meeting as a fundraiser for next year.  We hope to make 200 sanitary pad kits for young ladies in Africa next fall.  Please contact me if you'd like to help us with this project.

More to come later........

Cats & Bears, Oh My!

Wow, the past few weeks have flown by!  I took a trip to Portland, Oregon, and started spring quarter back at Evergreen.  My hand-sewing class at UPS (University of Puget Sound) finished our two month project of sewing cats and bears for Phoenix Housing in Tacoma.  Phoenix Housing assists the homeless population in Tacoma.  Our animals will find new homes with loving children :) 

Our newest project is making cat mats for the Humane Society.  This project involves machine sewing, so some of the young ladies will use a sewing machine for the first time.  It's fun for me to see the creativity that emerges with each new project.  New fun pictures coming soon!

Trip to Ohio

I took a wonderful trip to Ohio last week with my daughter to see my parents.  This is my spring break from college (Ohio being a huge college destination for spring break) :)  This week I will be teaching my hand-sewing class on Wednesday afternoon at the University of Puget Sound.  We will finish up our hand- sewn cats, bears, and monkeys. This coming Friday I'm heading to Portland, Oregon to visit some sewing studios and fabric shops.  I'd love for you to follow me on this exciting adventure of starting my new "green" sewing lounge.

First Posting

Hi!  Welcome to my new blog. I am leading a hand-sewing class - Needlecrafts for Charity at the University of Puget Sound. I started this class on January 26, 2011.  Please check back often to see the progress of this class.  I'd love to receive your comments!