War Pups

For what avail the plough
 or sail, or land or life,
 if freedom fail?
              ~Ralph Waldo Emerson                               

   This little project is near and dear to my heart for so many reasons.  As  you can see there is nothing really complicated about it, but the cause just gives me warm fuzzies.  First of all, it was for my daughter's childhood best friend, and even though they have been separated by miles since their high school graduations, they continue to stay close and enjoy watching their children develop  friendships. 

    I never could have completed 50 of these little burp cloths without the help from friends, and a sweet friend from the company Darn It All digitized the design and  saw to it that the embroidery was completed.  This would have taken quite some time even on my speedy Bernina 780, with just one needle, so Linda had them completed  on a multi head machine.  Lin and her trusty little snips helped me cut lots of  stray threads.

  Most importantly, it is heartwarming to think of the little ones who will be wrapped in love by mommies wiping up spit ups and burps with these little cloths.

   And so many fine men came to mind as I sewed.  My father and Uncle Earl who were so proud to serve as marines.  Mary's husband and Lin's Daddy. Lots and lots of love went into this little project, that is for sure, andI loved doing it.

Easy Zip Pouch

Zip it Up!

     I'm going to teach a class of little girls soon, and during our last class one of the girls requested that they learn to put in a zipper.  I have made several different little pouches with zippers and have decided which one I will use for the class.  I loved a little one that was pieced, but decided it may be a little more difficult than it should be for a beginning sewist.

     I found this little pattern in the Kids' Clubhouse booklet from Babylock.  I thought it might look a little cuter with 2 different black and white fabrics, with the added touch of lime green.  It is made like any of the other fabric pouches that you can find on the internet, but before I sewed up the end seams, I rolled the pouch to get a top closure.  The 2 fabrics are cut 5" by 12", and a stabilizer was used to give the pouch a little structure.  You cannot see the quilting detail, but the fabric is quilted in 1" intervals.  When I make another I think I will use a little heavier interfacing to give the pouch some bulk.

     I'm looking forward to teaching zippers to my little girls, and hope to take away the fear of them that they all seem to feel.  Wish me luck, and I hope I have some cute examples to show you soon!