We take fabric & yarn other people
don't need any more & put it to good use.
We finish the quilts & blankets other
people started & give them to children in need.
HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY
Before I report on our February activities, I have some belated thank yous.
How could I forget to thank Mavis LaBounty for the cleaning supplies,
tables, and a sewing
machine for the new satellite location we're calling "HOPE and
Goodwill". We were able to set up our sewing room with the four 4' tables she
donated. Thank you Mavis.
Darlene Wilke gave us a package of quilt batting in January. We can
always use that. Thank you Darlene.
A sweet thank you Heather Whitehead for the red, white, and blue
star-shaped afghan she crocheted while in the hospital. The afghan is
exceptional, just like it's maker.
(webmaster's/Heather's note: It's actually black, not blue. Photo linked
here.)
We appreciate all our volunteers and would like to thank the eleven who joined
us in February for blanket making day at HOPE Community. Those individuals
were: Sandi Dutton,
Nancy Price,
Lea Kornegay,
Tammy Barton,
Maria Jimenez,
Pennie Slaughter,
Heather Whitehead,
Mary DiGiovanni,
Marty Quinn,
and Carol
(last
name withheld by request). Several of our volunteers also brought in
donations: Nancy Price gave a children's blanket, Lea Kornegay
brought two quilt tops and some fabric, Marty Quinn brought us two
small fleece and one large
fleece blanket
kits. Maria Jimenez and Tammy Barton picked up yarn to crochet
blankets at home. Heather Whitehead brought in two afghans and one
Bunny Love that she made while in the hospital. The "Bunny Love" is a
teeny-tiny crocheted afghan-type toy with the stuffed head of a bunny
crocheted on one end. It's so special.
In February we worked on that handsome gray-on-gray quilt I wrote about last
month. We had some challenges but it's coming along nicely thanks to Pennie's
guidance.
At the end of our February meeting we turned in 13 handmade quilts from
Mission Quilter's
at Epiphany Lutheran church, and one quilt from Rene Marchese.
Rene is a Quilter's Unlimited Member. Heather Whitehead donated
one star shaped afghan, one basket-weave afghan, and one Bunny Love. Also
turned in was one afghan from Nancy Price, a set of place mats, two
sets of cloth napkins, one baby doll pillow, and a small bag of toiletry
items.
To date we've donated 145 blankets in the form of: 66 finished hand-made
quilts, 34 handmade
fleece blankets, 23 crocheted or knitted afghans, two summer-weight
coverlets, 13 store bought blankets, seven used blankets, six handmade
pillows, and one crocheted Bunny Love. 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 HOPE Community.
During the past month we also received a $50 cash donation from Loris
Seyler,
my caring and oh-so-generous mother. Thank you Mother.
Thank you also to Diann Ferguson
for the $25 cash donation. We combined these monetary gifts with cash on hand
and purchased two 6' office tables for our new location. We placed those
tables side by side to make one really big work station. On that we can lay
out kits and quilts. We also purchased a large self-healing cutting mat for
squaring up blankets and cutting large pieces of fabric.
A continued thank you to Brooke Lochore
and
Goodwill
Industries – Big Bend, Inc.
for the donation of work and storage space. Oh, and just this week, they
donated and delivered shelving. Ahhh! Life is good. You know, it's hard to get
organized without shelving. Thank you so much Goodwill Industries.
Our initial workday schedule at HOPE and Goodwill, at 1108 W Tharpe Street (at
Old Bainbridge) will be the 1st Saturday, 3rd Monday, and 4th Wednesday of
each month. In addition, there's a Goodwill employee on site and donations may
be dropped off seven days a week from 8a - 6p. Donations need to be clearly
marked "Sew for HOPE", so they are not confused with Goodwill donations.
NOTE: We will still be meeting the
second Tuesday of each month for blanket making day at HOPE Community.
A special thank you to Heather Whitehead
and Sandi Dutton
for working with me to help get organized at our new location. We are so
excited to have the extra work space where we don't have to put everything
away in the closet when we leave for the day.
Also, Sandi Dutton took a kit home and finished a quilt top that night.
Thanks Sandi, it's lovely. Somebody's baby is going to love it.
Our sister group, "A Bag for HOPE" is
presently working like crazy to complete hundreds of bags to sell at
the upcoming wine festival. They have 25 volunteers now and to date, have
donated $2,000 to HOPE Community. This money comes from
the sale of handmade bags and this money is used for books, supplies, and
field trips for resident children.
For more information on that
project, please contact Libby
at
libbypenrod@comcast.net, or Lynne
at
lcc0809@comcast.net.
(that's a lower case L).
Remember, we have a raffle going on to raise operating capital. The item is
a hand made, hand quilted, queen size quilt. It measures 77" x 104". The
colors are primarily beige, light blue, dark blue, and a dusty reddish
color. The pattern is called "Weather Vane". It was made in 1985 by
Quilter's Unlimited. It has just been freshly laundered. Tickets are $1.00
each or 6 for $5.00. If you'd like to have your name put in the drawing,
please give me a call or reply to this e-mail. The winning ticket will be
pulled on June 10th of this year.
WISH LIST: We could really use a volunteer to head up fund raising. We
need, sewing machines, an ironing board pad and cover, six chairs, extension
cords, a tiny table lamp for the bathroom. We need quilting supplies such as:
rotary cutters,
self healing cutting mats, gridded rulers, quilting pins, seam rippers, and
all sizes of quilt batting, or gift cards to JoAnn's to purchase those items.
We still appreciate fleece fabric in - 1 1/4 yard or 2 1/2 yard pieces. We
always need basic sewing supplies such as: scissors, straight pins, needles,
and thimbles. Tools and supplies are given to residents who are learning a new
skill. We need zippers for residents who need slacks repaired. We need cash or
stamps for postage.
We're looking for professional long arm quilters who are willing to quilt
children's quilts when in-between projects? We would supply everything
needed of course.
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. We have free
quilting bundles available for you to work with.
If you live outside the area and would like to make a quilt or afghan for
Sew for HOPE, we would love to mail you a bundle of fabric, a quilt kit, or
some yarn. If you request it, I will also include the return postage in your
package. We really need helping
hands now. Remember, we're making
simple utility quilts and blankets. We're not asking for perfection. Also,
we're not asking you to hand or machine quilt. If you'd just like to stitch
a quilt top together and return it to us, that's fine and very much
appreciated. In addition, they can be very small. A preemie size is only 17"
x 22" (or thereabouts). We also are accepting yarn and crocheted granny
squares.
We always meet the second Tuesday of the month. So, our
next meeting is
Tuesday, March 9th from 1 - 4:30 pm. We'll be visiting and 
while making quilts and blankets for the children residing at HOPE Community
here in Tallahassee. We are
not a closed
group like a sit and stitch. Interested persons are always welcome and
experience is not required. Men are welcome too you know!
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, founder
(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.)
Special thanks to
Heather Whitehead
for creating and continuing to build our website. Please do check it out at
www.sewforhopenow.com
Please forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested.
