Now we're cookin' with gas! We're only eight months old but I feel like we've just made a giant leap forward. Last months Sew for HOPE meeting was awesome. Three resident ladies and eight caring citizens came to help. Resident Mary volunteered to iron for a while. That's such a big help. Resident Tonisha worked on and finished a really cute fleece covered children's pillow. Marty O'Neill  brought us two completed baby http://www.sewforhopenow.com/?page_id=1415. Thank you Marty. She also brought (to show and tell) three lap http://www.sewforhopenow.com/?page_id=1415 with just the tops finished. They are beautiful! She took them back home to finish for us. Marty stayed for our meeting and was a great helper. I'm so glad you've decided to join us Marty. Wonder Woman, alias Libby Penrod, was there to help. She returned a quilt which was previously donated. It just needed a little work and some laundering. Thank you Libby. We're so happy and grateful that Carol Harrison was there. What awesome contributions she's made so far. This time she brought us two hand-made http://www.sewforhopenow.com/?page_id=1415,  two receiving blankets, two fleece pillows, four fleece pillow sleeves, four handmade teddy bears (that she made with her own two hands), and some yarn. Wow! Margaret  Bargy and Danny Norris came to help out. It was fabulous to see them again. While there, Danny made two summer weight coverlets out of donated Barbi panels. He works pretty fast. Thank you Danny. They turned out very nice. You have talented hands. Margaret floated and did whatever was needed at the moment. We have a project started where you use a paper pattern and sew the little fabric pieces right to the paper. It's one method of making more precise or complicated designs. Margaret (and helpers) sat and visited while tearing the paper away from those quilt blocks. This project was Mary Digiovanni's idea and it's coming out very nice. I mention this as a project example for those local, non-sewers, who would like to drop in and help. Thanks Mary for your project ideas. You're the best. Every day I thank the Lord for Mary. You should see the huge tub of fabric that she totes home to work on each time. It takes the two of us to lift it into the van. Also, before they left,  Marty, Carol, and Danny each selected a donated quilt top to take home and quilt. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

At the end of the day we turned in three hand-made http://www.sewforhopenow.com/?page_id=1415, two summer-weight coverlets, two fleece covered pillows, three purchased receiving blankets, four hand made teddy bears, and one Puffalump teddy bear.
 
To date we've donated 11 finished/hand-made http://www.sewforhopenow.com/?page_id=1415, 28 handmade fleece blankets, two fleece pillows, eight crocheted or knitted afghans, two summer-weight coverlets, 10 "store bought" blankets, and 5 used blankets. We've also received a small mountain of stuffed animals, toys, clothes, and household items which have been passed along to the kind folks residing at Big Bend Homeless Coalition.

If anyone has plush animals they'd like to donate, I found out that most stuffed animals can be machine-washed and tumble-dried without falling apart.

The gifts we have received during this past month are many. We're so grateful for this outpouring of love and generosity. Thanks (yet again) to Tracy Allen for thinking of us while traveling. She brought home two darling  fleece blankets with bears and flowers. How sweet is that?

A heart-felt thanks to Chis Achhamer for her generous donation of a beautiful crocheted coverlet, a heavier crocheted afghan, 2 quilted table runners, and one hand made quilt. This quilt has some history. The label tells me that it was the Tallahassee Quilter's Unlimited Opportunity Quilt in 1985. Can I say WOW again!? Thank you Chris.

A great big THANK YOU  to Nancy Price for passing along 7 tubs of fabric, 2 tubs of yarn, and 4 smaller boxes of various sewing supplies. I know I sound like a broken record but . . . Wow! This is the largest gift we've received. We're hoping to see Nancy at our Sew for HOPE meetings. We need some help using up all that fabric :o)
 
Thanks to Shelby Bush for the donation of 15 fabric sample books.  They'll be so much fun to play with.

A special thanks to all the ladies from the Havana Chapter of the American Sewing Guild. For the second time this year they worked as a team to make quilt blocks for us. They're making those paper pieced blocks I mentioned earlier. This month they finished enough blocks for one quilt, and started making another set of blocks for a second quilt. Spectacular job ladies! I am also a member of ASG and am working with them on this project. I'm making blocks for a boys quilt. No flowers allowed.
 
We always meet the second Tuesday of the month. So, our next meeting is Tuesday, June 9th from 1 - 4:30 pm. We'll be doing the usual -- visiting and having fun while making http://www.sewforhopenow.com/?page_id=1415 and blankets for the children residing at HOPE Communities here in Tallahassee. We're going to work on making quilt bundles to give away. These will be for people to work on at home and will contain the backing fabric and enough coordinating fabric to make a small quilt top. Come on beginners -- stop by, get a free patchwork lesson and some free fabric to take home and practice with. Also, if you're someone with an eye for color and coordinating fabrics, stop by and help us make the bundles.

If you're a member of a church group or social organization please consider having a blanket making party or a quilting bee as one of your monthly programs. Please call or e-mail me for more information. Free quilting bundles available for you to work with.

A message to any professional long arm quilters who might be reading this. Would you please be willing to quilt a child's quilt when you're in between projects? We would supply everything needed. I'd appreciate hearing from you.

WISH LIST:  Ironing board pad and cover, crib size cotton batting, fleece fabric (1 1/4 yard or 2 1/2 yard pieces are perfect), knitting needles (especially size 8).  We always need basic sewing supplies such as: scissors, straight pins, needles, new cotton thread, and thimbles. Sewing supplies are given to residents who are learning to sew. We need someone willing to service our sewing machines when needed. And of course we always need helping hands.

ADDRESS: Big Bend Homeless Coalition - we always meet in the cafeteria
                     2729 W Pensacola St
                     Tallahassee, FL  32302

Directions - drive west on Tennessee Street, turn left onto Appleyard, cross Pensacola, take the first left onto Municipal Way, pass the jail on the right, look for a small sign by the entrance on the left that says "Tallahassee Coalition for the Homeless". Please stop by the administration building to sign in. That's the last building on the right and it's brick.

Thanks for your precious time and for all you do,
Cynthia Seyler
(850) 539-5558 home
(850) 556-1215 cell (Please don't leave messages on the cell. I live in a dead zone and usually don't receive them in a timely manner.)

May 2009     July 2009