A Group Photo

Donated to date:
3 Crochetted Blankets
13 Quilts
4 Knitted Caps
58 Crochetted Caps
2 Boy Bereavement Sets (includes cap, blanket, & gown)
3 Girl Bereavement Sets (includes bonnet, blanket, & gown)
2 Isolette Shirts
2 Fleece Blankets
2 Small Bears
13 Baggies for Locks of Hair
1 Hand/Foot Mold Kit

and there's still more to come!

2 Donations in 1 Day!!

I am absolutely blown away by the talent and the participation in the Remembering Emma Grace NICU project. I cannot thank everyone enough for working so hard to make a difference!!!

Below are beautifully crochetted (I think!) blankets made by my friend Christina! They are absolutely gorgeous in person.



And, Nancy sent 3 more quilts! I love the pink one, but I am partial to girls. hee! hee!



Thank you soooooooo very much, Christina & Nancy!!

My Model

Here she is! It looks like it's going to be large enough for next year, too!

Lastest Addition: 18 Crochetted Caps

Aren't they precious in the pastels? These were made by Pat, a nice lady from back home. Mom sent the 4 rolls of ribbon. She was a day late on a 3/$1 sale, but picked up a few anyway.

Rag Quilts from Finn

Wow! Donations 2 days in a row and I'm expecting another package any day now. Check out these precious rag quilts from Finn. They are small, but will be perfect for kangaroo care or even to put between the baby and the isolette pad. The night that Emma became ill, we had taken in a blanket to do just that. Thanks so much, Finn!!!

The Crab Jumper is Complete

So here it is....my first attempt at picture smocking. I'm pretty pleased with it. The crabs are a little off center (although they are centered per the pleats, they aren't quite centered on the jumper). My battery is about gone, so I have to get another one. When I do and find my model cooperating, I'll post a picture of Hannah wearing the jumper. Back to charity work, now.

Three Knitted Caps

These three knitted caps came all the way from New York. A great big thank you to my friend Ruth! She donated them in memory of her father.

Next Week's Project

I HAVE to put down the charity sewing and work on Hannah's smocked crab sundress. I started smocking this (only got 1/2 of one of the cable rows completed) before the preterm labor last year. For several weeks now I've been working on it off and on. It's my first picture smocking attempt. Hannah goes to "camp" next week from 9-12 at the preschool that she'll enter in the fall. I'm going to devote all my time to finishing this. I have about 1.5 rows to back smock and then I can sew. So........I SHOULD be able to finish it without any problems.

Also, all I have left on another CareBear isolette shirt is to sew on the velco.

Oh! Oh! I can't forget my shopping spree. Today I spent wwwaaayyy too much money at JoAnn Fabrics. They had a big sale going on. Since Hannah thinks she can sleep in only a diaper, I picked up some pink heart sleepware thinking that if I made something for her that she'd sleep in it. Well, as many would guess, as soon as I showed it too her she said, "I don't like hearts." 3 year olds!!! I also got lots of thread that was 1/2 off and some cozy flannel for isolette shirts and some eyelette for a sundress for Hannah and some denim for a backpack for her this fall and some......ok, better stop there. See, I told you I spent too much money.

Happy Sewing!

Tiny Blue Cap

I just realized that I left out another special donation from the photos below. Sorry Linda! Several weeks ago, my friend Linda sent the teeny tiny cap for me to judge the size. In the photo is Emma's yellow cap that she wore immediately upon birth, special crochetted booties made by the mom (whose now deceased) of one of the NICU doctors, and Emma's purple cap that was WAY too large for her. BTW, the booties were entirely too big also. I photographed a business card in the picture for size comparison. Thanks Linda! It's precious!!

A Boo-Boo Backpack

I has just been brought to my attention that my niece is upset that her backpack isn't posted. So....here you go. I made this for her 3rd Birthday. In Lizzie language, Boo-Boo = Carebear. Love you Squiz! Oh, Hannah thought the purple was a must. I would have chosen something different, like a demin. Hannah typically "wins".

Another Baby Girl Gown

I just finished this one. It's in the 3-6 lbs size. I think I'll switch over to some more isolette shirts now. I picked up some holiday fabric the other day and thought it would be nice to make a few isolette shirts out of it. I remember planning to dress Emma for Halloween.

A Great Day for Donations

Today, donations from 2 of my friends came in. I am so excited, especially since we were afraid Nancy's quilts were lost in the mail.

Nancy sent so many quilts that I had to take a couple of pictures. Aren't the wonderful? I wasn't expecting so many. They vary in size from about 18"x18" to 36"x42". Nancy, thanks so very much for sharing your talent like this!!

Kristine sent a baby girl bereavement gown and bonnet in the 1-3 lb size and a baby boy kimono in the smallest size. Kristine, you know I love your sewing and thank you so very much. Kristine knows the NICU experience as she has boy/girl twins (born at 26 wks gestation) that are now 3 years old.



Lastly, I forgot to mention in my first post. I donated 9 (for the 9 months since Emma has been gone) of the crocheted caps that Sue made to the Lucybug Knit-A-Long. www.lucybug.org I sent them priority mail so I think they should have received them today. A nice member of the group has set up a contest. If I win, I'll donate the yarn to Sue, since I don't knit or crochet and I entered her items.

Apron for My Sister

http://ejmtph.crosswinds.net/sew/apron.html

Here's an apron I just mailed my sister. Just something quick and simple to keep her clothes clean at her florist job.

Easter Dresses

My first big sewing project ever was Hannah's Easter dress last year. I smocked a basic yoke dress, Ellen McCarn's Basic Yoke Dress pattern. It really was too difficult of a job for a beginning sewer, but my sewing teacher talked me into it. I thought I never was going to finish it. Here's the final version in Hannah's 2 year pictures.



So, this year I didn't want to do anything as tedious as the smocking, so I chose to do lace insertion. LOL! It went pretty well, except for adding the gathered lace to the entredeaux. I couldn't do it by machine, so ended up having to gather it by hand around the bottom of the dress. This is the pink linen dress by Nancy Coburn of www.gingersnapsdesign.com I love it and think it turned out beautifully!




And, last is a doll dress I made to match Hannah's dress. While working on the Easter dress this year, I couldn't help but be sad because I didn't have 2 dresses to make. While home for Easter, I realized what I needed to do with the scraps....make a dress for Emma's doll. I had gotten a doll for Emma's grave for Christmas. By Easter, the dress was all faded. Here's the finished product. I hope to have a photo of the doll all dressed up soon. My Mom just took a picture for me.

NICU items are arriving!

Things have started coming in for the NICU project. To me, this is a great way to honor and remember Sweet Em. I will be sending items back to the NICU in MS in late Aug/early Sept, just in time for her first anniversaries.

Sue, a lady from my hometown, has crocheted 40 caps. She must be a crocheting machine! I weaved the ribbons through them. Here is an example:


This is a bereavement gown for a little girl in the 1-3 lbs size that I have completed. I used the Threads of Love pattern for this one.


Here's the first isolette shirt. I made it from a pattern from Ginger Snaps Designs.
The picture is a little small, so you can't see it well. There are velcro closers at the shoulders and front opening to provide easy access for any monitors that might be placed on the baby.

Here is the baby boy gown I have complete. I think I'll pair it up with a crocheted cap that has been donated.


Lastly, here are some non-handmade items that have been donated. The special items are a hand/foot mold kit and some little baggies for locks of hair. They are donated by my friend Sonya in memory of her son, Baby Tom, born too soon.


A great big thanks to all that have donated!!!