Easy way to help with the oil spill clean up

Yes, I know BP is responsible for the damage but many volunteer groups are participating and you can help.
Craft Hope is distributing cloths to several institutions, including the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, Mississippi but now need financial help to store, distribute and ship the cloths.
~~OR~~ send directly to the IMMS at 10801 Dolphin Lane, Gulfport, MS 39503. Package up your cloths and label package with cloth specifications and quantity to aid quick dispersal. Want to do more? Throw in a bottle of Dawn dishwashing liquid. (Why Dawn?)
The IMMS website wish list indicates towels (any size) but Craft Hope specifications indicated wash cloth and hand towel size to be helpful. Larger towels are unwieldy for cleaning and handling animals. Get out your scissors and cut 10" X 10" squares or 14" X 27" rectangles. Think absorbent and think throwaway. If it is soft enough to wipe your skin, it's good. Cut up your towels, sheets, wash cloths, whatever. Loose threads could snap on animals so if you can sew, zigzag or serge those raw edges.
T-shirts are perfect because they don't fray nor require edge finishing. Don't include the printed portions of the T-shirts as they aren't absorbent. Cut off the short sleeves and leave as is; a gloved hand fits perfectly into it.
Here is link to more details about cloth specifications.
Get your friends and family involved, combine your contributions, send a big box of cloths and know that you are part of the solution. Plus, you probably de-cluttered your t-shirt stash and linen closet!
Many thanks!!!

Lands' End canvas tote

Are you a freak for a tote bag like me?

I have a few of the Lands' End and LL Bean canvas tote bags so when I realized I needed a gift for an incoming volunteer board member, I remembered Lands' End had select totes on sale. Their newer versions have nice interior pockets so ordered one for myself too.

WooHoo! Color and monogram selected for the chick of the hyphenated last name. Mind you, if her name is Rikki Tikki Savi: a typical monogram reads RTS but the centered monogram style would read as rSt. I've known monogram protocol forever but this chick has two last names so unsure if I confused the name order or the friendly Lands' End order taker transposed the initials. The bag arrived and looked great. The next week, I read the intended tote bag receiver's name again and HammerOfThor, I realized the order of initials was wrong. Hellfire!

Spoke with a Lands' End operator and she assured me the second bag would arrive in time for the next board meeting and even checked my last order to make sure we didn't make the same mistake twice but here's why I am sharing this story in the first place: when I said I would just keep the first bag, the friendly sales rep gave me the option to return it.

But I am not sure it wasn't my fault, I said.

We guarantee our merchandise so if it is something you didn't want, we will give you credit for it.

AND, you can take it to your local Sears store for a no shipping cost return!

Impressive customer service, don't you think?

Wish I had taken a photo of both bags. The original color was not in stock but the second bag was just as cute. Took both bags to the board meeting and asked New Chick which bag she preferred. Both!

Look more closely.

Oh, that one.

Whew! At least one of them was correct.

Yay, Lands' End!

Pillowcases for days

Remember this assload of fabric waiting to be sewn into pillowcases? It sat on the dining room chair for months while I felt guilty because I'm the idiot that volunteered for the project but meanwhile doing everything but getting them sewn. Enough guilt already, the fabric needed to go away. I serged at least 70 pillowcases. Why the hell was I procrastinating? This is fast and easy, if not a little noisy.

Next, I turned under the open edge twice to sew border. As you know, ironing is key for crisp edges and consistent borders so the assembly line speed realllllly slowed down at this point.

Thinking a contrasting thread would be interesting; straight stitched.

The gingham fabric is a lower quality blend so it slips and slides, thus, straight stitch shows every inaccuracy. Zigzag is better and kinda cute.

After doing 10 or so, I realized I might need help. A couple chicks in my volunteer group offered to help months ago so I sucked up my pride and asked if their offer still stood. Of course! Yay, new sewing friends!!

Miss Sanford (remember her fabulous refinished bar?) took 25 pillowcases and then taunted me with phone photos of her fun stitches! She was having a blast with her fancy schmancy sewing machine's decorative stitches. Miss Sanford had never taken the time to try all the stitches and enjoyed seeing them stitched out on the pillowcases! It's a win, win. Take a look at just a few of her good time with gingham samples.

Duh! With 25 remaining instead of 70, I took Miss Sanford's lead and tried some decorative stitches myself.

I've said it before, I'll say it again:
Necessity is the mother(fucker) of invention.
One of my stitches totally chewed through the fabric, forcing me to cut it out from the presser foot. I trimmed the hole including the three layers of fabric but there wasn't enough fabric to refold the edge again. Bias tape to the rescue! Dang, wouldn't you know it? It was the very last pillowcase! AND the cutest of my batch!

Unable to stop, I experimented with tone-on-tone accent stitching on a white flannel sheet. Next time I'll try a wing needle. Have fun with your decorative stitches!

I talk a good game but

in the end, I am a wuss.
Back when I didn't know how to sew anything but straight lines, folks were wanting to bring over their pants for hemming. (I still don't hem my own pants because I don't want to "learn" on my stuff and ruin them!) It was easy to tell folks I didn't know how to sew their stuff but meanwhile, I was plying all my friends with my latest sewing projects. Plastic bag dispensers, tote bags, pillows, tissue cozies - you name it.
It finally became clear what that Victorian lady meant when she said ladies shouldn't reveal if they can sew. I get it now. I made the rule that if you want me to sew for you, then be prepared to sit right alongside of me and keep me company. That rule has not been followed and it is all my fault because I have no concept of how long a sewing task will take.
Elizabeth's valances, Kay's curtains and RikkiTikkiTavi's red tulle tutu - my big mouth volunteered to help and then later, sitting all by myself in the Skitzo Leezra Studio, I wonder why I get myself into these messes.
Take a big old gander at the latest mess I landed in. I offered to sew pillowcases for my volunteer organization's committee that provides items to foster children. Easy, right? Fold over one long side, sew 2 seams, fold under and top stitch the open edge.
Prototype delivered. Committee approved. Materials purchased.
Look what I found on my front porch last week.