Thoguhts on sewing for charity

[Deleted]

Anyone here sew for charity? 

In my area we have a charity that sews pillowcases for children in the hospital, and several groups make quilts for various causes.  Our church has started an adopt-a-missionary program and I've contacted a crisis pregnancy center to see if they need handmade baby items.  If not, we have other missionaries around the world who may need items for people.  If it works out, we're going to meet and have a sewing night on a regular basis, and those who don't sew can help cut out or pack or do other things to help.  We'll have refreshments and an evening of fellowship while we sew.

What do you think?  Anything I should be aware of?  Any ideas?  I was thinking to make sets of a small diaper bag, baby blanket, bib, and burp cloth for the pregnancy center.

[mollymckee]

We have a quilting group at church. We make quilts for many different charities. Some of us also make things for the kids at the school and churches we support in Uganda.

[Deleted]

I'm working right now on crochet squares for local families in need. It's all organized through facebook. There are crocheters and assemblers. Then the person who initiated these projects will collect all of the squares and make sure they all get to the people who are going to assemble the blankets. Color and pattern are our choice but of course, the size of the squares is predetermined as well as the type/gauge of yarn. I've enjoyed it so far as I've missed crocheting but only have limited time to devote to it. The squares are quick and keep me engaged .

[Deleted]

Thanks, that gives me an idea. . .some could come and knit or crochet if they didn't want to sew. We do have some missionaries in Alaska and have sent hats, scarves, and gloves to them.

[dw]

I don't belong to a group but like to make quilts so I make a couple extra and donate to the homeless shelter each year. One yr we had a huge flood and I donated a couple lap quilts to that. I'm working on a good denim quilt for this year. I also like to give fleece blankets to the homeless shelter. I was at Joanns on Friday and this lady had a whole cart full of fabric and she said she sewed for charities making dresses and quilts. Her bill was $400 but she saved $600!

[Maura]

I wonder if you want to dilute what you are doing. If your group sews, then sew. A knitter can cut out or do one of the other jobs. Most knitting guilds do charity knitting, but on a less formal basis. In fact, I’ve asked for and gotten yarn from Brown Sheep in California for our guild’s charity knitting. Some churches in our area have a prayer shawl group where people get together and knit prayer shawls. They usually do most of their knitting at home, though. Knitting and crocheting is pretty much a solo endeavor. One person does everything, where as your sewing group has several jobs.

[Deleted]

I occasionally make sock monkeys for a local group that gives them to people with cancer, & to the fire & police departments to give to children as they see the need. Except for thread & needles, everything is provided to make a complete sock monkey. they provide them as kits where the machine sewn parts are already completed, and I have both prepared kits and hand sewn monkeys.

I've made a quilt for a group once also.

Dawn

[Billie]

I make things for charity on my own. Sewing and crochet. Only 2 people at our church crochet and none sews that I know of. Would be nice to have a little group to get together with, maybe once a month, or so.

Baby gift set that I do has a crocheted blanket, several burp cloths, a taggie (and something else which escapes me, at the moment!!) and then I sew a bag for it all to go into. Christmas stockings are the other big thing I do. I am only doing 2 charities now. Want to do more so I have decided that these 2 are what I want to do the most for.

[Deleted]

Billie, you might want to check with your local library about starting a group in your area. Our library has ladies who come once a week to knit and/or crochet.

[Billie]

What I could not think of before was a diaper and wipe clutch. Have grandkids today and trying to think when all 3 are talking at the same time doesn't help much!

I know one of the little libraries in another town has a knit/crochet group that meets but they work on their own stuff. Same for a couple of small yarn stores in the big city. Part of my problem is I do no live close. 25 to 30 minutes for most of the towns around me, some even farther. Church is 45 minutes one way so I always have a grab bag with something started in it to work on whenever we go anywhere. Thanks for the suggestion, I will still keep it in mind, you never know what might present itself!!

[Deleted]

I belong to a few quilt guilds. All of them have a charity group. We make quilts and have raffles to raise money for the food bank and to give quilts to charities. Each group that we give to needs certain things. The premi ward at the hospital needs knitted hats, and blankets that are a certain size. The homeless youth need twin size blankets. The Salvation Army needs heavy twin to full size quilts or blankets, scarves, hats and gloves. Habitat new house openings would like a list of quilts from childrens to adult quilts. The Senior Memory Care Group would like Fidget Quilts. Many groups would like our nicer quilts to use as raffle prizes. My point is check with the group you are giving to. Ask them what they would like.

[Deleted]

Asking first is a great suggestion. The pregnancy center needs little blankets and small quilts, but not the other items like bibs and burp cloths. The hospice center suggested I make catheter covers. I'd never even thought of that! It took a while, but I finally found a free pattern online.

[Deleted]

Our group made many, many hats & head scarves for cancer patients for several years. The local cancer closet distributed the hats. I think the pattern was from Creative Kindness - it was free. We've also done lap robes for nursing homes, large towel/bibs, washcloth care kits - washcloth, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste (domestic violence shelter & fire department), quilts for project linus, etc.

[oma2three]

I belong to our sewing,knitting,crocheting group in our church.We've made pillowcase dresses,simple shorts just with elastic waist for different missions.Prayer blankets for our congregation mostly,also puppy pillows and fleece pillows for the Childrens hospital.Then tiny hats for preemies plus for stillborn babies knitted wraps with a hood.
One of our newer projects are crochet mats made out of plastic shopping bag strips that go under sleeping bags for he homeless.We also made lots of sleeping bags out of several blankets tied together ,blankets bought at Goodwill.
I do have to say since I don't like to sew I crochet ,knit tie do other handwork and I am a great shopper finding good deals at GW.Oh last Fall we were asked to make tons of Christmas stockings for soldiers who are deployed.Another church filled them.
It's amazing once you get started how many needs there are to make things for!