Doing for Others
I have found that the greatest joy in life comes from helping others. Whether it's baking cookies, taking a meal to someone in need, knitting a hat for a premature baby, or just giving a happy smile to someone who needs it, it's a good thing for us to help and support others. What talents do you have that you can share?
Hats for Preemies
Do you love to knit? Even if you haven't progressed past knitting squares and washcloths (like me), you can make a hat for a baby. Parents of preemies in NICU are so worried about their tiny babies, why not bring some joy into their lives by making and donating cute hats for them?
My friend Erika, who was in her eighties, made one every night until just a few weeks before she passed away. She made thousands of hats and blessed so many families.
You can even get creative! This is a wonderful way to use your gifts and talents to be a blessing to others. You can find many, many patterns online HERE.
So far I have run into two different moms of babies who received my hats that I donated to the NICU, including this sweet little girl (above). It makes me so happy to see her little face surrounded by soft pink yarn that I knitted myself!
Do you love to knit? Even if you haven't progressed past knitting squares and washcloths (like me), you can make a hat for a baby. Parents of preemies in NICU are so worried about their tiny babies, why not bring some joy into their lives by making and donating cute hats for them?
My friend Erika, who was in her eighties, made one every night until just a few weeks before she passed away. She made thousands of hats and blessed so many families.
You can even get creative! This is a wonderful way to use your gifts and talents to be a blessing to others. You can find many, many patterns online HERE.
So far I have run into two different moms of babies who received my hats that I donated to the NICU, including this sweet little girl (above). It makes me so happy to see her little face surrounded by soft pink yarn that I knitted myself!
Octopus for a Preemie
Have you seen these adorable octopi that you can crochet for a premature baby? The tentacles simulate the umbilical cord, and the baby plays with them instead of pulling out his or her feeding tube. You use 100% cotton yarn so it can be sterilized and embroider the features so there are no buttons that can pull loose. These are amazingly easy to make. Even I can do it!
You can find the pattern HERE.
Article about Octopus for a Preemie HERE
Best cotton (in my opinion) for babies is Hobby Lobby's I Love This Cotton
By the way, Baby Mila, featured above, after much prayer, is doing GREAT and running all over the place! Praise to our loving God.
Now, time to get creative!
Have you seen these adorable octopi that you can crochet for a premature baby? The tentacles simulate the umbilical cord, and the baby plays with them instead of pulling out his or her feeding tube. You use 100% cotton yarn so it can be sterilized and embroider the features so there are no buttons that can pull loose. These are amazingly easy to make. Even I can do it!
You can find the pattern HERE.
Article about Octopus for a Preemie HERE
Best cotton (in my opinion) for babies is Hobby Lobby's I Love This Cotton
By the way, Baby Mila, featured above, after much prayer, is doing GREAT and running all over the place! Praise to our loving God.
Now, time to get creative!
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help for the homeless
I love to volunteer at the Orlando Union Rescue Mission, a wonderful place that not only feeds and clothes the homeless, but also offers residential programs for people to complete their high school education, earn a diploma, and learn a trade at technical school. They help people get back on their feet and learn the joy of being self sufficient. I teach sewing classes to some of the residents of the family center, and it's just about the most fun thing I've ever done. I love being a part of helping the ladies learn a new skill and develop confidence in their abilities.
Each Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, OURM hosts a huge banquet where they feed hundreds of people who are homeless or in poverty; everyone is invited. They also give out clothes, shoes, hygiene items, Bibles, and much more. You actually have to plan way ahead to volunteer at these events, as there is a waiting list! What a wonderful situation. There are so many very generous and loving people in my town.
Every Easter, after the guests have eaten, they are offered the opportunity to have a volunteer wash their feet. This is a big thing for many of them, because they don't always have access to a place where they can clean up. After volunteers wash the guests' feet, they give each one a foot massage using my all-purpose healing salve. My goal has always been for my products to be a blessing to others, and I stand there almost in tears each year watching so many people enjoying a soothing and healing foot treatment. We also now have a team of volunteer podiatrists who work on the guests' feet, trimming difficult nails and addressing other foot issues. What a great way to share one's gifts and talents to be a blessing to others.
One Easter, of all the participants, my favorite was an older man named Harold, who is blind and homeless. He had just gotten out of the hospital and is diabetic. I was his guide for the day. After his foot bath and a generous foot massage with lots of salve rubbed on, he kept saying, "My feet feel so good! My feet have never felt so good before." Many of you probably know that diabetics have many problems with their feet. Harold left that day with a jar of my salve, new socks, and a new pair of tennis shoes. Everyone left happy, but I think we volunteers were the most blessed of all.
Why not check in your town to see if there's a shelter where you can volunteer? You will be so glad you did.
Each Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, OURM hosts a huge banquet where they feed hundreds of people who are homeless or in poverty; everyone is invited. They also give out clothes, shoes, hygiene items, Bibles, and much more. You actually have to plan way ahead to volunteer at these events, as there is a waiting list! What a wonderful situation. There are so many very generous and loving people in my town.
Every Easter, after the guests have eaten, they are offered the opportunity to have a volunteer wash their feet. This is a big thing for many of them, because they don't always have access to a place where they can clean up. After volunteers wash the guests' feet, they give each one a foot massage using my all-purpose healing salve. My goal has always been for my products to be a blessing to others, and I stand there almost in tears each year watching so many people enjoying a soothing and healing foot treatment. We also now have a team of volunteer podiatrists who work on the guests' feet, trimming difficult nails and addressing other foot issues. What a great way to share one's gifts and talents to be a blessing to others.
One Easter, of all the participants, my favorite was an older man named Harold, who is blind and homeless. He had just gotten out of the hospital and is diabetic. I was his guide for the day. After his foot bath and a generous foot massage with lots of salve rubbed on, he kept saying, "My feet feel so good! My feet have never felt so good before." Many of you probably know that diabetics have many problems with their feet. Harold left that day with a jar of my salve, new socks, and a new pair of tennis shoes. Everyone left happy, but I think we volunteers were the most blessed of all.
Why not check in your town to see if there's a shelter where you can volunteer? You will be so glad you did.
ReMitts: Upcycling Wool to Feed Hungry people
Reprinted with permission from PieceWork Magazine and Long Thread Media LLC By ANN MASSIE NELSON
Start with $100 and see how much good you can do.
It all began with a personal challenge: take $100 of seed money and see how much good you can do. The year was 2009, and oncology nurse Janet Tupy, who had not sewn since high school, was inspired by a pair of felted wool mittens she found in a gift shop. She enlisted a couple of friends to help, located a pattern, and spent $100 on wool sweaters at a thrift store. Their goal was to raise $1,000 for local food pantries by making and selling wool mittens. That first year, they raised $4,000 and ran out of mittens. Fast forward ten years ... Click HERE to read the rest of this article on PieceWork Magazine's website.
Start with $100 and see how much good you can do.
It all began with a personal challenge: take $100 of seed money and see how much good you can do. The year was 2009, and oncology nurse Janet Tupy, who had not sewn since high school, was inspired by a pair of felted wool mittens she found in a gift shop. She enlisted a couple of friends to help, located a pattern, and spent $100 on wool sweaters at a thrift store. Their goal was to raise $1,000 for local food pantries by making and selling wool mittens. That first year, they raised $4,000 and ran out of mittens. Fast forward ten years ... Click HERE to read the rest of this article on PieceWork Magazine's website.
You're never too young to be a blessing to others
Here's a great story about an 11-year old girl in Arkansas who visits nursing homes and grants wishes for the residents. You will be surprised to learn what they wish for.
It started with 11-year-old Ruby Chitsey’s simple question to nursing home residents: “If you could have any three things, what would they be?”
It started with 11-year-old Ruby Chitsey’s simple question to nursing home residents: “If you could have any three things, what would they be?”
we make for good
On this website people share their stories and photos of the things they make to help others. It is so encouraging! Sponsored by a manufacturer of quilt materials, anyone can post about their projects. Maybe you could share YOUR story!
share love
Do you love to quilt? Have you already made a quilt for everyone in your family, church, and neighborhood? Are you looking for even more people to be blessed by your quilting skills? There are so many wonderful organizations that donate quilts to those in need of being wrapped in the love that a handmade quilt can give. Click below to learn more.
make a memory quilt
A dear friend of mine lost her husband to cancer a few years ago. I asked her to give me some of her favorite shirts that he used to wear, and I made a lap quilt out of them. When she also became ill with cancer, she moved to live closer to her daughter, so this was my goodbye gift to her. In her last days, she was able to be wrapped in love and happy memories of her sweet husband.
Because the shirts were many different colors and patterns, I wanted a design that would make all the fabrics look good together. I chose a disappearing nine patch design that I learned how to make from a Missouri Star tutorial.
Why not make a quilt for a friend who is grieving a loved one, or just a fun quilt from your children's old clothes?
Does quilting seem too hard for you? Well, Jenny makes everything look so easy that anyone (even I) can do it!
The link for the tutorial is below. It's from the very early days of Missouri Star Quilt Company.
Because the shirts were many different colors and patterns, I wanted a design that would make all the fabrics look good together. I chose a disappearing nine patch design that I learned how to make from a Missouri Star tutorial.
Why not make a quilt for a friend who is grieving a loved one, or just a fun quilt from your children's old clothes?
Does quilting seem too hard for you? Well, Jenny makes everything look so easy that anyone (even I) can do it!
The link for the tutorial is below. It's from the very early days of Missouri Star Quilt Company.
Be sure to label your quilt!
This is the one (Wrapped in Love) I used on my friend's quilt.
It's produced by my sister Posy and designed by me.
Vist MSQC to find lots of quilt labels from which to choose.