Baby Blanket

Free Pattern: Sunny Baby Blanket
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
Needles: US 8
Notes on Ravelry

Blanket, Gown and Hat

For the Emmazing Grace Foundation.



Baby Blanket
The pattern I used is similar to this one.
Yarn: Red Heart Baby Clouds
Color: Seaspray
Needles: US 15
Size: 22" sqaure



Gown and Hat
The gown pattern I used is similar to this one. I made up the hat as I knitted.
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft Baby Sport
Color: Off White
Needles: US 5
Size: 1-3 pounds



Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

Rebuilding Greensburg -- Block by Block

Laura's seed square is bearing fruit at my house. Check out what's in the garden.



Three squares for Rebuilding Greensburg -- Block by Block.



As I was knitting these this weekend, I wondered what it would be like to lose everything? What would I miss the most? How attached to material things am I? I'd like to think that I'm not that attached, but I don't think you can truly know what it would be like until it happens to you. The people of Greensburg, Kansas know. Many are starting over from scratch. Laura's project is a way to encourage them and to say we care. If you want to help out with the effort, click here for all the details. There have been a few changes since I linked to it the last time: it's now even easier to use the yarn you have in your stash.

Purposeful Knitting

When I learned to knit I never considered that I could use this craft to help others. I started out like many of us do, knitting scarves, hats and dishcloths nonstop. The dishcloth drawer filled to overflowing and I gave scarves and hats to many family members. Soon it became evident that I needed someone else to knit for. That's when I discovered charity knitting and in particular, knitting for preemies. There will always be a baby in need of a hat or a family in need of comfort. I have found a purpose for my passion and I am better for it.

Sleeper Sacks and Bonnets



Patterns: Sleeper Sack and Preemie Bonnets
Yarn: Red Heart Soft Baby, Sport Weight, 100% Acrylic
Color: Powder Yellow
Needles: US 3
Sizes: Less than 1 lb and 1-3 lbs
For: The Preemie Project and Marlowe



Blankets

Also included with this donation are these cute flannel blankets in sizes 30"x30" and 25"x25".

Baby Gift #3

I decided to knit the rabbit from Natural Knits and sew a receiving blanket for this last baby gift.



Though the stuffed animals in the book are not dressed and look cute that way, I thought the one I made looked unfinished and well...naked. So, I decided to attempt to sew a dress for it. Surprise, surprise, it actually worked!

I placed the knitted rabbit on a piece of paper and traced around the body with a pencil. Then, I drew a simple dress large enough to cover this shape. Using some left over fabric from the receiving blanket, I cut out the dress and somehow bungled my way through the rest of it. I don't have much experience in sewing clothes, so I know I went about most of the construction the hard way, but it worked and I'm happy with it.

Sewing this dress reminded me of the summer my grandmother made three wardrobes of Barbie Doll clothes for me and my two sisters. She made about six outfits for each of us. Unlike me, she is a very experienced seamstress. She drew out her patterns on brown paper grocery store sacks and constructed dresses, skirts, and blouses much prettier than store bought. My favorite was, of course, the evening gown. It was pale yellow satin, strapless, with a fitted bodice and a full skirt. Underneath was a petticoat of net that held the skirt out just right. Those Barbie clothes brought me many hours of fun and now that I've had a little taste of what it's like to sew something in a similar way, I appreciate them all the more. I doubt I have all them, but if I dig deep enough in the closet, I know I will find my old Barbie still dressed in my favorite yellow gown.



Pattern: Cat, Rabbit, and Teddy Bear from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms by Louisa Harding (dress pattern not included)
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease
Colors (discontinued): Sugarplum, Strawberry Cream
Needles: US 6
Knitting and Sewing Time: 3 days

Project Compassion

There are so many good causes to knit for. It is impossible to participate in all of them, but this project really touched my heart and I wanted to make at least one square for the afghan. I thought I would have to go to the yarn shop to buy some washable wool until I remembered I had yarn left over from the Mac Hat. Be sure to check out the requirements for the squares here.

Pattern: Up and Over from 200 Knitted Blocks by Jan Eaton
Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Wool, 100% Merino Superwash
Colors: Raven and Natural
Needles: US 8
Size: 8" x 8"

The challenge in knitting these afghan squares is to figure out how many stitches to cast on to get the required size. I thought I had this one right, but ended up having to pick up stitches along each side to add a little width.

Working Together

It's just one small square...



...but it will join other small squares and become a community afghan for a family in need. This family tragically lost a two year old child in a car accident on New Year's Eve. An effort to make an afghan is underway and if you want to help, you can read about it here.

The squares for this afghan should measure 7"x7" and be made from soft acrylic yarn in blue and/or green. I used Caron Simply Soft in country blue and dark sage.

Today I read about another community afghan in the works for a family experiencing a similar tragedy. This project is the first of many for Project Compassion.

We can accomplish much when we work together.

Sewing It Up

I always try to include some sewn blankets with my knitted donations for The Preemie Project. I spent most of the day cutting and sewing ten small (20"x20") blankets for the December babies.

These blankets are simple to make:

Cut two pieces of fabric one inch larger than you want the finished blanket to be. Sew together, right sides facing, leaving an opening large enough to turn the blanket right side out. Finish with some top stitching. I used a decorative scallop satin stitch.

One Year Old

The Preemie Project is one year old this month. It was September 2005 that this group made it's first donation of hats, booties and blankets to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. We were small in number then and worked hard to make enough items for that first donation.

In a year's time this group has grown by leaps and bounds. It is now a corporation with a board of directors and a large number of volunteers, both local and national. It soon will be receiving a tax exempt status.

What started with a simple request on a knitting blog to join together and knit for the little babies has turned into something much bigger than any of us (except Laura) could have imagined back then. There are now two chapters operating. One in Iowa and one in Michigan.

I've been with The Preemie Project since it's early days and I can say that even though it has grown quickly, it has not lost it's ability to make each volunteer feel a part of something special. Every donation and volunteer is truly appreciated. Join us and use your talents to help others. You'll be glad you did.

Today I spent some time at the sewing machine making blankets for The Preemie Project's upcoming Halloween donation.



Twelve small blankets ready to be mailed as soon as I knit some more pumpkin hats and booties.

Wonderful Weekend

It was wonderful weekend in Iowa! I finally met Laura, the founder of The Preemie Project.

She is an amazing person. A little over a year ago, after a knee surgery that didn't go as well as planned, Laura found herself needing something to do. With limited mobility and having to cope with a lot of pain, she turned to knitting to keep her sanity. Her mom, Linda, suggested that she knit some booties for the babies at the hospital and from that simple suggestion, The Preemie Project was started. Laura began to ask others through her knitting blog to help her. I believe I'm correct in saying that the project has grown to over 200 volunteers. Some are national volunteers like me, but many are from the Iowa City area. Working together we are able to donate a large number of hats, booties, blankets and bereavement outfits to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Cinics every two months.

All of the volunteers are important to the success of The Preemie Project, but the local volunteers are called upon to help in ways that those of us that live far away cannot. On Saturday and Sunday there were workdays planned to sew blankets for the babies and I was thrilled to be able to join the local volunteers in this effort.

We had an assembly line going. Linda cut out the majority of the blankets. I think this is the hardest part.


Next they were sewn. There were five sewing machines in use on Saturday and six on Sunday. I used a machine that was donated and though old, it sewed beautifully.



Other volunteers turned the blankets, trimmed and pressed the seams to get them ready to be top stitched.


Here's a picture of the group that was there on Sunday.


I had so much fun getting to know everyone. The way things were organized, I got to spend the most time with those in the sewing room. I met Darlene and discovered that she spends time each winter in a little town only 1 1/2 hours from my house. Small world. I learned that Carla can sew us under the table. She worked for hours without ever taking a break. Jane will probably have a new sewing machine by the end of the week. Hers was acting up and besides she needs one with fancy stitches for top stitching. It's for the babies afterall. Laura was sewing too and we spent a lot of time discussing The Preemie Project. She has great ideas and the will to make them happen.

I wish I could have spent more time with everyone working in the other room. Some were friends I know through blogging.

Heather, Me and Megan
(I also met Libby and we took a picture together too, but it's on Laura's camera.)

It was great to meet each volunteer and so much fun to work together. My visit was way too short. I hope I get to go back another day.

At the end of two days of sewing, we had 96 finished blankets! Most of these are the large size. It truly was a wonderful weekend.

Laura, Linda and me

Added later: Must have missed one blanket in the first count. The total blankets sewn this weekend was actually 97.

What's Your Excuse?

Now that we're finally getting some sunshine, all the dust and dirt in my house is clearly visible. I should be cleaning, but instead I cut out and sewed six small blankets for The Preemie Project.



My excuse for not cleaning:
I needed to get warmed up for the sewing weekend that's planned in Iowa on Saturday and Sunday. And besides, I can always clean house...tomorrow.

Blanket Squares

I bought this book for half price the other day at Hobby Lobby. It will be perfect for knitting blanket squares for The Preemie Project, especially since the patterns are written for 6"x6" squares using DK yarn. If you want to join in this effort, check out the details on The Preemie Project Contest.

Yesterday I found out about another community blanket. Go read about Papa's Quilt and knit an 8"x8" green square. I made this one last night.



Pattern: St. Ives from 200 Knitted Blocks
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease (Pistachio)
Needles: US 7
Size: 8" square
Comments: It's easy to adjust the size of the squares in this book by using different needles and yarn. Strangely though, I had to knit an extra repeat of the 10 row pattern to reach the 8" length.

For The Preemie Project

These 30"x30" blankets are on their way to The Preemie Project. I would love to knit a blanket once in a while, but it takes more time so I usually sew them instead. I was able to cut out and sew all of these in one day. Often the donations of large sized blankets fall short because of the amount of time it takes to knit or crochet one. That's why The Preemie Project is now accepting donations of 6"x6" knitted or crocheted squares. One of our volunteers will sew them together into large sized blankets. Each blanket will consist of 36 squares. I love this idea and think even I can manage to make a few squares. If you decide to help with this effort, don't forget to enter the Preemie Project Contest that's being held this month.

Preemie Project Donation

I originally made these booties for a baby shower gift, using a pattern from Knits From The Heart by Kristen Spurkland. They ended up smaller than I planned, so there was only one thing to do...

Knit a hat to match and donate it to The Preemie Project. This set will fit a baby that weighs 6-8 pounds. I'll be mailing it today to the Michigan Chapter along with all the other hat sets I made last month and these large sized blankets that I sewed today.

Blanket Factory

This is the stack of cut flannel that awaited me on Friday. It's a lot, I know. I tend to get carried away when it comes to sewing blankets. Maybe I should open a blanket factory. Ten yards of fabric yielded sixteen small blankets--no large ones this time because I wanted to use every possible inch of fabric. The large size blankets result in some waste. I'll save my $1.00/yard fabric for that. And, of course the scrap fabric isn't really wasted, because I use it to make small stuffed animals. These are my favorite blankets for The Preemie Project so far. The front of each blanket is a print that I call "Bouncing Babies" and the back is a coordinating green stripe. I believe these blankets will be great for a boy or a girl and maybe that's why I like them so much. Here's a close up of the decorative top stitching.
When I was sewing these blankets I kept thinking of a special woman mentioned in the Bible named Dorcas. She used her sewing talents to help people. If you are not familiar with this story, you can read it in Acts 9:36-43. What a good example she is to all of us.

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor. Acts 9:36

For The Babies

These are the Christmas hats, booties and blankets that I'm sending to The Preemie Project. It may look like a lot, but it doesn't take as much time as you might think to make these little items. In my case, I can knit a pair of booties in an hour and a hat takes an hour or two depending on the size. So, it is very possible to knit a whole set in an evening, two at the most. The blankets go together even faster. This work brings me joy. Can you tell I love workin' for the little babies? I'm going to knit some every day anyway, why not spend a few hours making something for someone else? And still, there is time to knit for myself. I'm loving my new socks and with the weather a little on the cold side (even here in Texas), I've had a chance to wear some of the things I finished this year. My wool scarf kept me warm yesterday and I received several nice compliments. I was wearing nice warm socks too. And, this shawl has seen some action lately. Right now I'm working on mittens from some of this lovely yarn. So, if you've been thinking of knitting for a charity, but weren't sure you had time, I would like to encourage you to give it a try. The Preemie Project would love to have you as a volunteer...something to think about for the new year.

A Special Touch

Yesterday I found time to sew a few blankets for The Preemie Project. I love my new machine! One of the things I love is the decorative stitching choices. These are the two satin stitches I've tried so far. Adding a special touch to blankets is now easy and fun.

Pink is for Girls

Three hours of cutting...


gives you this.


Four hours of sewing...


gives you this.


Fifteen small blankets and one large blanket. All for The Preemie Project.

Blue is for Boys

From ten yards of fabric I got six small (20"x22") blankets and two large (30"x30") blankets. I also used a package of purchased receiving blankets to make three more large ones. I found them for a good price at Tuesday Morning and originally planned to crochet an edge on them. But, I changed my mind when I started thinking of how much time that would take. I like to make blankets, but I don't want to spend a lot of time doing it.

I make my blankets the quick and easy way. First pre-wash and dry your fabric, then iron so you can measure accurately. Decide how large you want the blanket to be and cut two pieces of fabric one inch larger than the finished size. For example, if you want a 30"x 30" blanket, cut each piece of fabric 31" x 31". I've invested in a cutting mat, rotary cutter and acrylic ruler to make this step easier, but it is not necessary. Next place the two pieces of cut fabric together with right sides together. Match the edges and smooth the fabric. If you are using coordinating fabrics and you cut each piece seperately, this is where you find out how good you were at measuring and cutting. Match as closely as possible, remembering a small discrepancy won't make much difference because of the 1/2" seam allowance. I then use a rotary cutter and a template I made from a piece of cardboard to round the corners (easier for sewing). You can pin the fabric together if you want, but I find that flannel does not slip on itself, so I skip that step. Now, sew around the edges using a 1/2" for the seam allowance. Do not sew all the way around. Leave a small opening. Clip the rounded corners so the seam will lay flat when turned. Then turn the blanket right side out through the opening. Using an iron, press seams flat. Topstitch all around close to the edge. That's it. If you decide not to topstitch, be sure to sew the opening closed.

I hope that makes sense. It takes almost as long to write about it as it does to do it. Back to the sewing machine.

Knitting on hold...

sewing in progress! Time to transform this stack of soft flannel into blankets for The Preemie Project. Most of this fabric was purchased at Wal-Mart for $1 a yard. I love the price and the quality of the fabric is good. Probably not as good as more expensive flannels, but in my opinion there's not enough difference to pay more. I'll probably be at the cutting table and sewing machine for a couple of days. Still hoping to knit a little in the evenings. So much to do...so much fun doing it!

Bluejays back on track: Needville 20, Sweeny 14.