pay it forward

Paying It Forward Sewing – The Tohoku Tote

14 Comments / pay it forward, Purse/Pouch / By Melissa Dunworth

A good friend of mine that lives in Olympia asked me for a favor. Would I sew something to donate for her son’s preschool. Each year they do a silent auction to raise funds for the next year and general maintenance. I said yes and asked what she thought would be a good donation item, she asked for a bag.

I had no idea which pattern I would do. I bounced ideas of Kristy from Hopeful Threads and then saw Katie from the Littlest Thistle’s review of the Tohoku Tote as part of Purse Palooza this year. I fell in love and knew this was the tote to make. The pattern and tutorial are by I am Momma – Hear Me Roar.

At Anne’s birthday party I had my friend pick out the main fabric and went from there.

I usually don’t sew with such busy prints so this was a bit of challenge for me, especially when it came time to match up with print in the pleat. I decided to make a little wallet to go with it. Sweeten the deal for whomever wins the purse.

The tote didn’t have a zippered pocket in the tutorial but I added one because I always like a secure place to store my keys when I’m out. I thought the winner might appreciate that.

I used A Valori Wells Designs sewing card called “Little Wallet” that I picked up 3 years ago at Sew Expo to make a matching wallet. The best part of the whole purse and wallet set was that I had ALL of the supplies in my stash, right down to the pearl snaps and the pop of color zipper I added to the pocket. I love when I can avoid a trip to the store and sew with what I own. I even had all of the interfacings I needed!

Finally a simple picture of the tote hanging up. I am very pleased with how it turned out and I hope it fetches a good price for the preschool. In October the school was struck by lightning causing over $10,000 worth of damage, they need every penny! If you are local to Olympia, WA, the auction is this Saturday, Dec 7th, and I can get you more information!

Hopeful Threads November 2013 Project

8 Comments / Hopeful Threads, pay it forward / By Melissa Dunworth

I feel so blessed to have teamed up with Kristy from Hopeful Threads for another amazing month of sewing and this time quilting too! This month Kristy and I are asking everyone to sew, quilt, knit or crochet blankets and lovies for the local NICU where Kristy lives (they currently have a huge shortage).

When Anne was 20 months old, she got sick, really sick. When her temp hit 102 I took her to the doctor, they said it was just a virus, give her a couple days and she would be fine. Well 2 days later when she blew the thermometer out at 105, I rushed her back to the hospital. My hubs was working a 24 hours shift, so it was just Anne and I. We were admitted immediately and they went to work on getting her vitals back up. I left the house in such a rush that I didn’t bring anything with me, in fact I only had 2 diapers with me. When she was wheeled into the hospital room the first thing I noticed was a quilt waiting on her bed. A handmade quilt.

She was practically lifeless, she just laid there when they did a catheter and IV. Didn’t move, she said no a couple of times, but other than that didn’t even fight. We knew she was really sick. She was in the hospital a total of 3 days, my mom flew up the last day and stayed with us for a week afterwards to help get her back to normal. Shortly after her stay, she started having nightmares and night terrors about what she went through. It was heart wrenching. Through it all though was this quilt, it was such an amazing gift of comfort and love. For the first several months after she got sick she couldn’t sleep without it.

Now I get to pay it forward and make a quilt for another child and family in need. I hope you will join me in sewing with Kristy from Hopeful Threads. Remember, that since we are doing Preemie blankets and lovies, these quilts will be fairly small.

Appropriate sizes range from 20″ x 20″ up to 36″ x 36″. Slightly larger, 48″ x 48″ would be fine too as they can be donated to a PICU (pediatric intensive care unit). Please visit Kristy’s post about the November project for more information, and I hope you will join us in sewing this month!

Progress & Pay It Forward

2 Comments / CeLynn's Sunflower Patch, pay it forward, Quilt Patterns, work in progress / By Melissa Dunworth

I got to sew sew sew today and tonight. My hubs got home late so after Anne went to bed, I got an hour in the sewing room. Here is my progress on my Twirling Around Quilt:

My hubby is working a 24 hour shift tomorrow, so I should be able to make some major progress if nothing catastrophic happens tomorrow.

In other fun news, I got an AWESOME package in the mail yesterday – well actually Anne and I got an AWESOME package in the mail. CeLynn from The Sunflower Patch hosted a Pay It Forward on her blog and I was one of the lucky people to get something from her!

Check it out!

Oh My Lord is CeLynn talented! I first met CeLynn in a swap I participated in and we also happen to be in a virtual bee together. She is wonderful! Check out her blog and check out her Etsy Shop too (she is on vacation until January 9th, but I promise she is worth the wait)!

I have one more Pay It Forward gift to make for my Pay It Forward – I have something special planned for it and I just need to find the time to git er done!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! I will be working on my quilt and the first two blocks for Jenna’s Sew. Happy. Quilt. QAL. What will you be working on?

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Finish-A-Long @ Quilter in the Gap

7 Comments / baby quilt, pay it forward, quilt along, Quilt Patterns, SewHappyGeek, UFO / By Melissa Dunworth

Do you follow Rhonda from Quilter in the Gap? For 2012 she has decided to host a Finish-A-Long party each quarter of the year. I am excited for a couple reasons, one I am participating (I need to hold myself accountable for a few things!) and two because I am a guest blogger for the 3rd quarter (fun fun fun!).

Here are the projects I want to finish this quarter:

Zig-Zag-Zoom Quilt for my Sister-In-Law – I am going to be a proud Auntie yet again in the Spring and that baby needs a FINISHED quilt!
Small Section of the Quilt
I have 2 Quilt”ish” designs in EQ7 that need to be turned into patterns and tested – no pictures now, but there will definitely be pictures on the finished post!
I am participating in Jenna at SewHappyGeek’s Sew. Happy. Quilt Along – I have all my fabrics purchased and I plan on making each block and finishing before the end of the quarter!
Sew. Happy. Quilt Along Layout
I need to make my last Pay it Forward gift – I am sure that my partner has probably given up all hope on me, even though I still have 6 months to make good!
I want to make SOMETHING for Valentine’s Day!

I am hoping that goal setting such as this will help keep me honest with myself on my projects!

I am linking up this post here over at Quilter in the Gap. Join in the fun and win some cool prizes while you finish things up!

7 Comments / handmade goodies, pay it forward / By Melissa Dunworth

Back in May, on Mother’s Day to be exact, I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Boutique Uniquely and I saw that Victoria was participating in something called Pay It Forward.

Here’s how it works:

I will make something for the first three (3) people who comment on this post. It will be a surprise and it will arrive when you least expect it!
I will have 365 days to do it. What’s the catch? To get a handmade present from me, you have to play too! This means that you pledge to send a little handmade something to three (3) readers of your blog. It doesn’t have to be quilty – just handmade.
You must have a blog.
Once you receive your “little something”, you must post about your Pay it Forward on your blog to keep the fun going – be sure to use the Pay It Forward badge. “

I received the best squishy in the mail today! Here’s what I received:

image courtesy of Boutique Uniquely

I also got some fabric scraps – which are perfect because I am getting ready to start my Bottled Rainbows quilt:

Aren’t they LOVELY?!?

So who wants to play? The first 3 people who comment on this post will be the three people that I Pay It Forward to. You must agree to the rules above. I have 365 days from the today to send my gifts out and you will then have 365 days from the day you receive your squishy packages to send out yours.

Sound like fun. Leave me a comment – make sure I can contact you and let’s play!