Softies For Mirabel 2012

Dear Softies that I made for Softies for Mirabel, your making entertained me for weeks on my break from uni, I hope you reached the safe hands of Pip and Meet Me At Mikes before continuing on to some wonderful little kids.

There were cats.

There were bears.

A legion of frogs.

And some dolls

Ha! I tweeted, I flickr'd and I Sent them off in the mail and I promptly forgot to blog them. I really need some completion-of-tasks-without-distraction lessons!

Softies for Mirabel 2012

This week I have been Stitching up some Softies for Mirabel. How are you all doing with yours?

If you haven't already, you can join up over here at Meet Me At Mikes

I decided to go a bit retro, using a book my Mum bought in the 70's or 80's. 

Book: Soft Toys to make for Children Edited by Alison Lowe Marshall Cavendish 1973-84 

From this book I'm making cats, bears, frogs, elephants and dolls.

Some Images from the book Soft Toys to make for Children

I got started sewing cats and bears during the week, I'm finishing them off now, frogs are being cut out this afternoon and the dolls over the weekend. With any luck they all should be done by the end of next week when I would like to start my Christmas sewing.

I have a couple of weeks more off before uni starts again. This time off has been such a wonderful thing I cannot even tell you how much it has helped me to relax and do what I wanted to each day!

Angels For the Forgotten

I'm coming out of my self imposed -[No Sewing until my uni work is done mode] .

The reason is i came across this appeal today and I cannot imagine sitting here typing up my essay about self indulgent fashion icons for my uni assignment while rattling around in my head how I feel for any kids in this situation.

Just imagine being removed from your house with nothing but the clothes on your back. AND we all know what horrific or devastating conditions must have existed for a child to be taken out of their home in the first place.

Angels for the Forgotten do wonderful work. During the floods they were a God-send here.

So I'm setting aside uni work to sew as much as I can for them this week.

I ask you, please help them! Blog about them, link to their challenge, and I know we are all so busy, but I also know you can achieve sewing miracles so I urge you to make anything you can manage from their list even if it's just 1 or 2 thats 1 or 2 closer to their goals:

Angels for the forgotten have listed their 2012 challenge goals, they need:

2500 Angel bags 

1200 Angel blankies 

1200 crayon /pencil rolls 

1000 heart or angel dangels /tags 

For patterns and more information about what they need and to see where the local drop off point near you might be:

Visit Angels for the Forgotten's Angel Bag Sewing Challenge

What I'll be auctioning for QLD Flood appeal

I'm busy making these 5 softies. Arcan the Owl, Falafel the Cat, Dave the Giraffe, Bunky the Bird and Seth the Robot. This is how they look in my head, now i have to make them out of fabric!
As I finish them off, the 5 friends will be going up for auction from monday 17th and all the proceeds will go to the QLD Flood appeal.

My new best friend is...

Meet Clover! (yes I name everything). She's so purdy...and useful too. We have a certain kind of love, a close tie, a tie that binds. hahaha

I've spent an entire extremely rainy Sunday playing with Clover making pastel rainbow binding...I made lot's! and...Lot's! My friend Clover listened to all my problems and we got very steamy together over a hot iron while reminiscing, (not so fondly) about how I used to hand turn binding while burning my fingers on the iron.
Now that I know about Binder makers...Now that I know how awesome my friend Clover is...I never have to cry over the extremely exorbitant prices of the boringly plain coloured bias binding in the shop. Now I walk through fabric stores eyeing off awesome patterned fabrics for binding...Now my fabric stash is on notice...one false move stash and you will become binding!
I don't know why I had never known of binding makers before...I now know that everyone else in sewing world uses them *g*.
Welcome (late) to the binding party ME!

And this is a sneak peak of what I will be using the binding on over the next few days. They are baby cross over tied tops and matching pants. I noticed the preemies in hospitals had these style of tied on gowns (albeit harsh hospital gown fabric ink stamped with the hospital linen services names) for ease of getting to and changing tubes and wires and equipment and nappies and clothes etc. So, I had a quick look at the ugly hospital ones, the cross over tops are made the same way as my own sized, $80 one I bought last year! sheesh! So I made up my own baby sized pattern to make some for my sisters twins now that they are home, but in several sizes for when they grow. Even though they no longer have all the tubes, the changing and dressing of two babies would take up some time each day. Hopefully these will do the trick, as dressing and undressing the bubs should be easier if you don't have to hold them upwards and drag things over their heads? These cross over tie tops can be layed out under the bub and then they tie up with two bows made out of the binding, one inside the top one outside the top. They are longer than usual for when the bubs are younger they can be used on their own, and as the bubs grow can be used with the pants more like PJ's or lounging around clothes. The pants are relaxed comfy pull up elastic waist pants with a contrasting band at the bottom, usually to match the binding on the top. I have used 100% cotton fabrics because it breathes, withstands a bit of rough play and ummm fluids...it washes out well. Now I am also working on making some for the Vietnam Orphans, to be sent down to the Edwards family early next week, along with some school exercise books for the older kids and some other stuff... so I'd best get a move on!

A heartfelt Thank you to everyones Sewing and Crafting blogs - this is where the internet excels - the internet is for sharing knowledge. I am still in wonderment (and I'm and I.T. teacher...haha!) that we can all share ideas, pics, video, laughter and tears with people across the globe, from our lounge rooms and sewing rooms. I would not have learnt 1/2 of what I now know about sewing and crafting if it weren't for other people generously sharing their failures, successes, triumphs and journeys. And, crafty/sewing people are the most generous of all with the sharing!
In the interests of fostering my love of "the internet is for sharing knowledge"...I am in the process of making up a free tutorial and printable PDF pattern for what I've been making. It's just a matter of translating my butchers paper hand drawn out pattern into electronic drawn pattern pieces no bigger than A4 size. And then translating the process of stitching them up into words, diagrams and photos. Yikes! Should be done by the end of the weekend. - I hope..stay tuned.

THE EDWARDS FAMILY VIETNAM ORPHANS TREASURE CHEST

Yesterday I was brought to tears reading about the Edwards family's mission on the Raglun Guld blog
and I was immediately kicked into action. I've stirred up all my family and friends and my husbands workplace to round up as much stuff from their list as we can to help the Edwards Family bring some everyday items to Vietnam Orphans.
Dennis emailed me back this morning to say, "We are simply suggesting that people get themselves a shoe box and between now and the 20th March if they add an item to the box each time they shop like a bottle, or a comb, maybe some tooth paste, some calamine lotion a couple of dummies. And please do not forget the older kids in all we will find about 350 Babies under 1 and around 400 children between 2 & 17. I know it’s frightening but we can make a difference. " The remainder of this post is the heart breaking story in Dennis' own words and with his own photos. Please read and kick yourself into action like I did. You can download his pdf version from here.

THE EDWARDS FAMILY VIETNAM ORPHANS TREASURE CHEST
The Edwards family comprising myself Dennis, and my children Nathan, Liona, Sally, Milly and my daughter in-law Linda are off to Vietnam in April 2010 in an effort to try to help the Orphans to make their world just a little better. I served my tour of Vietnam in 1969/70 as a member of the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers (R.A.E.M.E) as a regular Army soldier serving at Nui Dat.
I was the Specialist Welder employed to repair and maintain the Army’s equipment. During my tour at the ripe old age of 20 I found myself at the Australian Task Force base at Nui Dat where 5000 men were tasked with patrolling and taking ownership for the entire Phuoc Tuy Province.
Often unable to sleep, due to constant battle activities of the Australian task force base, combined with the intense heat and the discomfort of sleeping in tents with sand bag walls I would seek approval to work at night. I was directed to talk with the Command Welfare Officer, who was always around the base sourcing things to be repaired or made for his work in civilian aid to the war effort.
Discussions were fruitful and permission was granted that we could design and manufacture playground equipment for the local orphanages. We made swings, slippery dips, seesaws and giant slides for these kids. I think we manufactured about 12 sets, it generated so much interest that the entire General Engineering Workshop team got right behind the project and we then visited all of the orphanages in the Phuoc Tuy Province and gave them a parcel of red, yellow and blue painted playground sets. Obviously we were in an aggressive war zone so we had to request armed infantry escorts to successfully achieve this goal.
Unfortunately we found that many of these orphanages were later destroyed by the Viet Cong and we now know that the Nuns and teachers were killed and raped because of their association with the Australian Army, as we were considered their enemy. This fact has haunted me for years, so it is with great pride and pleasure that today I am able to return to this country and give some of my personal time to the Orphans of today. The motivating factor that set me on this pilgrimage is when I first returned to Vietnam in 2007, I found the current generation of Orphans still swinging on many of my swings and riding my slippery dips that I made for these orphanages 38 years ago!

Rod Trapple & Dennis Edwards installing Slippery Dip - Baria Orphanage Aug 1969

Below are a few photos from my last visit which, unfortunately, was two years ago in 2007. For the past two years I have been personally challenged struggling with Brain Cancer. I am now well enough to go back and continue my work.

So I am now appealing to you my community to HELP me to put together seven (7) packages of wares to ship over to Vietnam to be ready for my family and I to arrive mid April. We will spend two weeks visiting and working in outlying Orphanages in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Dah Lat, Nah Trang, Baria and Vung Tau.
The background of the Orphanages that I have chosen:
These Orphanages are off the beaten track, and generally not that well supported by the Communist Government. The general facilities are very primitive and the carers are usually Nuns and volunteers with little or no experience of dealing with Children, especially babies. The average child ratio at the Orphanages we will visit this time is approximately 25 to 50 babies under the age of 1 year and approximately 50 to 70 children ranging in ages from 2 to 17 years old.

• Feeding bottles
• Bottle sterilization kits 
• Bottle teats
• Sterilization fluid
• Milk formula 
• Savlon cream 
• Calamine lotion 
• Mercurochrome
• Baby food in jars with long use by dates 
• Two minute noodles
• Disposable nappies 
• Baby singlets 
• Clothing – summer new or secondhand
• clean cotton or denim 
• Hair brushes/combs/hair clips/hair ties
• Toothbrushes/toothpaste 
• Bassinette & cot linen - cotton 
• Bassinettes 
• Bouncinettes 
• Portable cots 
• Hanging mobiles 
• School supplies: rulers, pencils, erasers, coloured pencils 
• Story Books – clean second hand 
• Exercise books for school work 
• Aussie toys – koalas, kangaroos etc. 
• Swing & playground equipment (small) 
• Bikes/scooters – in working order 
• Hand wash / disinfectant 
• Rubber gloves – Small/Medium/Large

THE CUT OFF DATE FOR ALL DONATIONS IS SATURDAY 20th MARCH 2010
ALL DONATIONS CAN BE DELIVERED TO EITHER:
Dennis & Inge Edwards, 7 Park Street Lancefield Vic 3435
Lancefield Neighbourhood House, High Street Lancefield Vic 3435
They are also holding a Fundraising Supper/Dance – Saturday 20th March 7.30pm Mechanics Hall Lancefield Live Band and Fundraising Auction $25 Per head with cash bar
Bookings Essential – Click here to download the flyer pdf for contact details and information.

Thank you to the Edwards family for doing this. They are amazing people. God Bless you.