Sewing Hope for Battered Women and their children! (New group in 29 gifts)

[Sharon D-29 Gifts Ambassador]

The 125 quilts we collected from 29 gift members and made in Woodstock, Ga have been delivered to children in South Africa by myself personally, and what an adventure it was! I have Thank You cards and gifts from many of the children. I will never forget them!

 

Meanwhile...I have a NEW project:

We are calling it Sewing Hope and it is a group on 29 gifts-you can go here to join.

I am quilting and building bears for a local Battered Women's center I have been involved with. I have experience with being battered, both sides of Family and Child Abuse, alcohol and drug addiction, incest, rape and recovery from all of the above. I was a speaker there to the women , and made donations many times. They usually come with nothing but the clothes on their backs. If you are familiar with how it works, many have to leave with nothing so their abuser does not know they are not returning. The kids must leave toys and clothes behind. We feel the quilts and bears will help them to feel loved and secure.

 

We are making and collecting quilts, afghans and blankets large enough for the Moms and smaller ones for their children. The women in South Africa taught me how to make Teddy Bears while I was there, so now we will be making bears for the kids as well.  We are also making mini quilts for the bears! Each child will ahve a quilt for her or his self and also a bear with it's own tiny quilt! The turnover at the center is probably close to how many we can kep up with, and delivery will be at no cost! We will be serving our community, and giving love and hope to those in dire need and the ladies and kids can take with them when they leave.

 

We will have two groups meeting in Woodstock, GA and have already recieved support from out of state thru our quilters from the previous challenge. Mini quilts, mommy sized quilts and kids quilts are being made, and we have completed 9 teddy bears as of April 17, 2010!

 

I open my house and teach poseable teddy bear making to everyone interested!Teddy bear building class is on Thursday nights at 7PM! We have some devotion, breaking bread and working together and the same goes for the ongoing class once a week on Tuesday morings at 9:am at Leslie's, we do quilts and bears there! We have 10 people involved in bears building, and 4 people here in Woodstock, GA quilting. Three quilts have been finished, nine bears! 8 people who have not finished their bears yet, but have started them. We have several people in other states quilting with us, making mini quilts, and shipping store bought bears.

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I am extremely excited about the next phase of our Quilters. Please let me know if you have interest to contribute by donation of time, talent or treasure. We will need supplies and donations of batting for quilts, stuffing for bears, teddy bear noses, eyes and joints. Strong thread can always be used, and we go through heavy duty white really fast! Right now we have fabrics for quilts and teddy bears. We also take finished bears-handmade or store bought, quilts, afghans, blankets or lap warmers.

 

In Loving Service,

sharon

 

[Mary Johnson]

LOVE it! You KNOW I'm in.

[Sharon D-29 Gifts Ambassador]

I knew I could count on you mary! Wanted to show you the link to a new place where people can find out about us.

[Sharon D-29 Gifts Ambassador]

Rhonda,
Thanks for helping out! Encourage your friends to join our group! I may type a letter we can email out to folks, and post it in here under a discussion! You can then send it to your list of friends here, or eamil it to the ones on line that are not on 29 gifts! Hmmm....now another project.
-s

[genuine, wwt, welcomer]

Are you sticking to quilts and bears, Sharon? Or other donations too?

I have lots of extra kids' stuff I could send.

I've also heard that some have done projects collecting things like small soaps, shampoos, and other toiletries (sometimes the travel size ones or ones from hotels) for shelters ... so people who arrive there to stay can each be given a little bag of things to use.

[Sharon D-29 Gifts Ambassador]

I will take those too. I donate stuff like that to them all the time!
-s

[Christi U.]

Thanks, Sharon for getting this started. Do you have contacts in Middle TN? I know a whole bunch of crafters who may be interested in joining your movement. Just let me know.

[Sharon D-29 Gifts Ambassador]

Several people have said they might open a chapter of this in their own state, it would be great to see us spread!

[Mary Johnson]

Sharon, I'll start a Houston Chapter; if others in TX want to join me, we'll make it a Texas Chapter. I'll schedule a skype meeting later this week with you to discuss getting started.

YES!

[Sharon D-29 Gifts Ambassador]

YEAH!!!!!!
It will be so fun!
-s

[momx49799]

Do you have anyone up North? I live on Long Island, in NY. I'm not a quilter, but I am learning how to knit. I would love to help in some way.
Joanne

[Sharon D-29 Gifts Ambassador]

I am not sure who is up that way, but we have ladies who are knitting tiny blankets for bears and sending them to me. I also ask for prayer support that the women do not return to their abusers-I went back to mine 4 times!
-s

[momx49799]

Well, glad to hear you left for good. I'll see what I can do about the bear blankets. I'll let you know when I've had success.