Invitation to Be Generous: Pillowcases

My Internet sewing friend, Rhonda of Rhonda's Creative Life, has undertaken an enormous project: making 900 pillowcases for... I don't think she'll mind if I copy and paste from her most recent post:

The pillowcases are for the Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma, Washington. Each child that is admitted to the hospital is given a special pillowcase. They find that a simple pillowcase helps to lift spirits and brings color into an all to white and scary environment. If you think that you might like to contribute to the project, here is a link to the simplified instructions I did to make the pillowcases. I believe in the motto of "there is strength in numbers," so if you feel that you can do just one pillowcase, it will be greatly appreciated.

Oh how I wish I knew how to indent a paragraph here. Anyway, I have made six so far and plan to make at least a few more. They are one of the easiest-peasiest sewing projects ever, thanks to Rhonda's great tutorial. Here are the first four I made:

My first four pillowcases, details follow, from left to right

Bumble bees and ladybugs

Seashells and triple zigzag stitching at edge of main fabric

Row of pink flowers stitched at edge of main fabric

Serpentine stitch (I think) at edge of main fabric

Inside view of the lower edge/side seam

What do you think? Can you make one (or maybe a few)? Each pillowcase takes only 3/4 yard of the main fabric plus smaller amounts for the accent and trim. Rhonda posted today that she now has 640 pillowcases! Only 240 to go (well, 230 after I send her the six I've completed and a few more).

In addition to the pillowcases she's making, Rhonda hangs the pillowcases she receives in the mail on a clothesline and takes photos for us. Thanks, Rhonda, for inviting us all to be generous. I'm just extending it a bit to any of my readers who haven't been following this lovely journey with you.

Blessings and peace...

How to Help Those Affected by Superstorm Sandy

We live in New York, close to Buffalo and Niagara Falls, so we're about 400 miles away from New York City. So our weather was just some rain and wind, nothing like what happened along the Atlantic coast. We're all neighbors, though, on the Internet.

The needs of those affected by Superstorm Sandy are immediate and long-term. Here are a few ways that you can help (descriptions are copied and pasted from their websites):

Catholic Charities
Rev. Larry Snyder, President of CCUSA said, "We are the people on the ground before, during and long-after a disaster strikes, which puts us in a unique position to really understand a community's needs and makes us an invaluable asset to first responders and our partners."

American Red Cross

"We're caring for thousands of people across the affected region and more help is on the way," said Charley Shimanski, senior vice president of Disaster Services for the Red Cross. "We're mobilizing more disaster workers, response vehicles and relief supplies now. The Red Cross response is already very large and could be our biggest U.S. disaster response in the past five years. It will be very costly and we need the public's help."

Salvation Army 

The Salvation Army is serving those impacted by Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic with food, clean-up kits, as well as emotional and spiritual care.

"We help each other." <- that's what I say!

Blessings and peace...