Archive for Crochet Ideas
Soft dollies, cuddly blankets equals happy children.
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Soft dollies, cuddly quilts - love in action for the children!
Being in hospital looking out the windows and seeing other children happily playing in the sunshine can be hard for little ones. One of our ongoing donors continues to spread sunshine and dry tears with her sweet donations of blankets, dollies, teddies.
Included in her donations are some very special preemie receiving blankets. She takes the time to carefully crochet lacy edges around the blankets to make them beautiful. These soft pretty blankets are used for the most precious of God’s children who need only one last blanket to be cuddled in. Those who are too perfect, too special, to remain here on earth for long are gently placed and wrapped in the blankets made with so much love and then they go on to God’s arms from ours.
Some of the little ones, born too soon or very small, are strong enough to fight and and stay here to continue to bless the lives of the families God has sent them to, and their blankets become a family heirloom.
We are grateful to R. M. for her love and continuing kindness to God’s precious sick and needy babies and children. She continues to reach out and bless the lives of strangers with love in action through her donations 
Carol C Green
Relief Share President
info@Relief Share.org
Busy fun FUNDRAISER! Donations in and out – the flow and ebb of love!
Posted by: | CommentsWe are now in our third week of sales for our fundraiser for Relief Share. Instead of having folks come inside our building, we took it to the parking lot in our mall. It’s been very busy as we set everything up like a garage sale to attract people and have a HUGE room all set up inside with tables and everything is just one dollar! The room was donated by a wonderful gentleman who owns the mall so we have a place to haul things in quickly when the rain shows up and to put things in for the duration of the fundraiser & business inventory liquidation sale at night so everything doesn’t need to be dragged around the end of the building.
Outside we have items that are half the original prices and sales from GrandmothersAttic.net, a store located in the same mall, are also being donated to Relief Share to help. We are hoping to have enough money from the fundraising to be able to purchase the material needed for the hospital gowns for Shriners, the x-ray shorts, and the twin size quilts for the patient’s beds. We also have many other projects we need supplies for – mama pads, diaper bags, diaper covers, bibs, clothing and quilts for sick and needy families.
Relief Share is blessed to have the Lucky Dollar Store down the road in Licking who has fabric at very reasonable prices and gives us a discount because it’s for charity. Now that our local Wal Mart no longer carries fabrics (don’t get us started on that…), we are grateful for the Lucky Dollar Store and Mel Porter – the owner.
A huge thank you to Ashley Green who has set up, taken down and spend the entire time monitoring and running the sales. She has been sunburned, tired, sore from dragging heavy items in and out of buildings and pressed into service more than she could ever imagine. What started out as a weekend sale has now turned into three weeks. She needs a medal and we are most grateful to her. A thank you to all the wonderful people who donated their time and effort helping.
Today 100 baby hats were donated out to Tennessee for the babies there. We pray none of them suffered from the recent flooding that has caused so much problems in that state. We also donated out preemie clothing to a little baby born to soon and only lived long enough for momma to say goodbye. A tiny baby doll was donated to baby’s older brother so he would have something to remember her by. A large donation went out to an expectant abandoned mother for her little one. Donations of household items to needy folks were given out and baby blankets and clothing were given out to a young family in need. Yarn donations have gone out to volunteers who are knitting and crocheting for the sick and needy in their area – those donations were possible from a large donation of cone yarn from a shop that shut down. Beautiful tiny baby blankets with gorgeous hand crocheted edges done by a very special volunteer were donated to the local hospital – thank you Roberta – your work is lovely and the hospital so appreciative.
Recent donations in – supplies, children’s clothing and more & Donations out
Posted by: | CommentsRelief Share has been very blessed with donations to help the sick and/or needy families we serve. Donations of baby and toddler clothing, shoes, diaper bags, quilts, blankets, sheets, and toys came in and very quickly were donated out to where they were needed the most.
A generous donation of books from Alma Mooney of Licking was received as a fundraiser to raise money needed to purchase flannel for the backing of the Relief Share Quilts for Kids project.
Donations out include helping a family with a young child and another on the way with nursing pillow covers, household goods, food, baby clothing and bedding, essential supplies, toys, and other needed items. Newborns in Need Ozarks Chapter was the recipient of a large donation of cone yarn, baby clothing, bedding, fabric and diaper bags.
Donations of clothing to area residents in need of warmer seasonal clothing and food was also given out.
Wonder what you can help with? Here is a handy urgent needs list that you can print out and take with you when you do your shopping. Just get one or two extra items and send them to:
Relief Share
6078 Lundy Rd
Houston, MO 65483-2225
All donations are tax deductible.
Urgent Needs List:
Basic food item suggestions – Sugar, flour, salt, pepper, oil, cereal, tinned food such as beans, vegetables, fruit, soup, etc. Baby food, formula, crackers, tuna, etc. Many of the families we serve are very grateful for the food given them. A package of animal crackers, macaroni and cheese or juice boxes can make the world of difference to a hungry child. A Wal Mart gift card is also a great donation item as volunteers in our Relief Share office are happy to take the list of what is needed and purchase food and personal items, like toilet paper and shampoo and deliver it to the needy family – this also saves on shipping cost to us.
Clothing – clean gently used clothing or new. Socks, pants, tops, coats, shoes, undergarments, hats, mittens, etc. Accessories like purses or wallets, belts and backpacks are very gratefully accepted by recipients.
Bedding – home made, clean gently used or new. sheets, blankets, baby blankets, receiving blankets, pillows, pillow cases, crib sets, afghans.
Personal hygiene items – shampoo, conditioner, soap, razors, deodorant, moisturizer, lotion, wet wipes, baby oil, baby diaper cream, baby powder, etc.
Books, toys, movies, games, and furniture is also welcome. Christmas is coming and many of the families we care for have little or nothing for the holiday. Full size filled stockings are a huge blessing at the Christmas season. We donate the stockings, when available, to foster homes, hospitals, medical centers, crisis centers, homeless shelters and area churches who care for the sick and needy. A doll or book can make a wonderful difference in a little one’s holiday season. A mother struggling to care for her family with no partner for support is grateful for a soft warm scarf from a donor to show her someone cares for her.
You can make Christmas brighter and more blessed by showing your love to a stranger who has need of your care.
Here are some ideas for you to consider making items to donate:
Sewing – quilts, baby clothing, bedding, blankets, tote bags, diaper bags, toys, dresses, diapers
Quilting – baby quilts, twin size quilts, toys, Christmas ornaments, tree skirts, wall hangings, totes
Knitting – hats, sweaters, mittens, socks, pants, tops, blankets, afghans, toys
Crochet – afghans, blankets, hats, dish cloths, toys, clothing, sweaters, mittens
Tat – handkerchiefs, bonnets, doilies , lace trim for baby gowns
Embroider – blankets, hats, clothing, toys
If you have questions or would like to talk with representatives from Relief Share – please feel free to email info@ReliefShare.org or call 417-967-3340 and ask for Stephanie or Carol. Please note: all Relief Share workers are volunteers – no one is paid – this is a work of the heart in Christ’s name giving relief through sharing to God’s children. We are his hands and feet showing mercy to the less fortunate – join us and make a difference today.
Crochet pattern for quick cloth or quilt
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Basket weave crochet
Well, I am back with Ashley from Dallas and the American Idol tryouts. It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed our experience. There were 10,000 people there and only 200 chosen according to the scuttlebutt that was going around. Everyone had fun and was very pleasant.
While I was there waiting (and that was a large part of it), I tried out some new patterns and yarn and found this was a quick easy pattern to do that you didn’t have to pay too much attention to. As we stood for hours in the 105 degree heat outside the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium, I tucked a ball of yarn under my elbow and went to town with a size G hook.
Here is the pattern that can be used for something as small as a face cloth and can be made as big as an afghan to give to the hospital for the sick and needy.
Make a chain row as long as you want the item you are making. For the second row, double crochet in each chain, starting from the 3rd chain from the end. For the third row, instead of DC in the top of the chain, alternate from crocheting around the front of the dc in the first stitch to crocheting around the back of the dc for the next stitch, and so forth to the end of the row. This makes a basketweave looking pattern and if you use a rougher yarn, it makes a wonderful scrubber for the kitchen. Use a soft yarn with a larger hook and you can make a beautiful soft baby afghan or a larger afghan for a cancer patient.
Crocheting at American Idol!
Posted by: | CommentsIts’ been a really fun 2 days. My daughter, Ashley, is trying out for American Idol and we made a strafing run from Missouri to Dallas Texas in 9 hours so she could be here and audition. Yesterday we stood in line for 3 hours in the wee hours of the morning to get registered and I was really glad I had my crocheting with me. I made 2 washcloths and started a third one that I will finish tomorrow as we are there for auditions.
The washcloths are for Shriners Hospital for the parents of the children needing surgery who stay at the parent’s wing. You can either make them as wash cloths or you can double them over and crochet them together on the bottom and sides and add a drawstring to make them into soap sacks and add a bar of soap.
Here is how to make the washcloths – Chain a row as wide as you want the cloth. Do two rows of half double crochet, then do two rows of double crochet but crochet alternating around behind and in front of the dc stitches to give a raised texture to the cloth instead of crocheting in the top of the chain. Alternate the two rows of hdc with the two rows of dc and finish with 2 rows of hdc. I like to do a slip stitch all the way around the edge of the cloth to stabilize it but you don’t have to.
Remember that the cloth will shrink after it’s washed so make it slightly larger. I use 100% cotton yarn. Wal Mart carries a nice line of cotton yarn – my favorite is the variegated colors.
Closeup of stitches - crochet
Crochet Ideas – working on fundraisers and donations
Posted by: | CommentsThis is a super idea to handle all the left over skeins and bits of yarn from leftover projects and when you find bags of the nicest yarn remnants at garage sales or flea markets. Children ( and adults) love the scrappy afghans. We also use them for fundraisers to get the batting and fabric needed for the twin size quilts we are making for the hospital beds.
Turning scraps into fun afghans.
The pattern is quick and easy. Chain a row the size of the afghan you want to make.
- Crib: 45 by 60 inches
- Twin: 66 by 90 inches – the twin size quilts we are making are approx 70 to 75″ x 90″ – the extra inches allow for more cuddle room side to side for children in body casts.
- Double: 80 by 90 inches
- Queen: 90 by 90 to 100 inches
- King: 108 by 90 to 100 inches
After you have chained your first row, insert hook into third stitch from hook, under the two upper strands and make a dc. Skip one stitch and make 2 double crochet stitches in the next stitch. Do this until the end of the row. In other words – instead of making a dc in each stitch, you are making 2 dc in a stitch, skipping the next stitch and then doing 2 dc in the next stitch.
This is the pattern for the entire afghan. Use a large hook and keep your stitches uniform and loose. When changing color, either make a square knot or tie both ends together by making a loop, passing the ends through the loop, and pulling it tight to make a knot. Leave an inch of ends when you change colors to make the afghan even more scrappier – see picture.
This type of afghan crochets up very quickly and is a lot of fun to do. When you are done, put your afghan (or afghans) in a box and send them to:
Relief Share
6078 Lundy Rd
Houston, MO 665483-2225
Please include a note in the box with your name and address so we can send you a thank you letter and tax deductible receipt.
Snuggle blanket from scrap yarn.
Happy colors make for happy kids.
Look what a difference a bit of eyelash yarn can make.
If you don’t have time to make the afghans – please send your yarn skeins and scraps to us and our volunteers will be happy to crochet them up into bundles of love.
Hugs
Carol