Turquoise!

Days Remaining until hearts are due for The Giving Heart:  32
Hearts Completed:  51

Now I'm more than halfway to the smaller goal I set for myself, to complete 100 hearts for the charity Christmas tree for The Giving Heart in Richmond, Virginia.  The next batch of hearts will each feature the name of one of their volunteers--I'm excited to get started on those!

Yellow!

Days Remaining until hearts are due for The Giving Heart:  33
Hearts Completed:  43

Seven more hearts and my total is inching closer to my minimum goal of 100 hearts.

Green!

Days Remaining until hearts are due for The Giving Heart:  34
Hearts Completed:  36

Here are five more hearts to add to my total.  The bright green fabric has glitter in/on it, so it's really festive!

Pink!

Days Remaining until my hearts are due for The Giving Heart: 38
Hearts Completed:  31/200


I added 6 more hearts to my total today.  I have gotten away from traditional Christmas colors--yay!

Do you feel inspired to make some hearts to donate to The Giving Heart's charity Christmas tree?  If so, all the information you need can be found HERE in the original post.

43 Days and Counting

Days Remaining until my hearts are due for The Giving Heart:  43
Heart Completed:  25/ 200

Today I add nine more hearts to my total.

Click HERE if you would like to find out how you can contribute hearts to The Giving Heart's charity Christmas tree.

Sixteen Down...

Days Remaining until my hearts are due for The Giving Heart:  47
Hearts Completed:  16/ 200

Here are the first 16 hearts I've completed for The Giving Heart's charity Christmas tree.  Even though I plan to use a wide range of colors, I was irresistibly drawn to Christmas fabrics for this first batch.  I'm sure I will loosen up and get wilder with my fabric choices as I get closer to 200.

I would love your help; there is still plenty of time for you to make a heart (or two or three) and send them to:

Vicki Neilson, Director
The Giving Heart
11527 Primrose Lane
Rockville, VA 23146

You may want to visit The Giving Heart's web page to find inspiration for your hearts.  You can read a bit more about this project HERE.

Christmas Tree Hearts

I've started working on my hearts for The Giving Heart's Christmas tree (check my previous post for details).   When I think about how many I will need to make, I have two numbers in mind:  100 is the minimum number that would probably cover the 7 1/2-foot tree, and is a number I can realistically see myself reaching within the next 50 days; and 200 is the number I would like to aim for, because I think it would make for an extravagantly full Christmas tree.

I know that some of you will be sending hearts--thank you so much!  With your help I think we can reach 200!  The tree will be set up during the first week of December, so I plan to be done with my hearts at the end of November.  Since I live close enough to Richmond, Virginia, to deliver them in person, I don't have to allow extra time for mailing.  If you would like to help, just make a heart or two (or as many as you want!), and put them in the mail by mid-November.  Send them to:

Vicki Neilson, Director
The Giving Heart
11527 Primrose Lane
Rockville, VA 23146

So, 50 days from today my sewing time will be up!  I got a good start on the hearts this week, with a batch of 16 similar ones in various stages of completion at this moment.  I managed to fiinish one so I could show you:

If you are working on some hearts for The Giving Heart, I would love to hear how it's going--leave a comment below.  I would also love to see pictures when you are done; you can email them to me at leslieandersen4@gmail.com .

Sewing Hearts for The Giving Heart

The Giving Heart is a wonderful organization in nearby Richmond, Virginia, which serves the community by distributing essential items to those in need, and by hosting a big Thanksgiving Feast every year.

Additionally, in December, The Giving Heart will be one of 50 non-profits that will decorate a Christmas tree during the Miller and Rhoads Charity Christmas Tree event.  Since the word "heart" is part of the name, they hope to decorate their tree with hearts.

But who will make the the hearts?

You and I will, of course!!

We need to make enough hearts to cover a 7 1/2-foot-tall Christmas tree.  I estimate a minimum of 100 hearts will be necessary to do the job, and I would truly welcome your help.  If you would like to make a heart or two, just jump right in--you can use your own pattern, or one of the three below (just keep it under 5" wide and tall).  You can find a tutorial for sewing a heart by clicking HERE.  Be sure to add a hanging loop or cord to the top.  You can look through this blog for heart ideas, and feel free to borrow any idea you like!  I will post pictures of the hearts I make in the coming weeks, and if you send me pictures of the hearts you make, I will post them here too!  Send them to leslieandersen4@gmail.com .

We want to make a colorful tree, so in addition to red, green and white, you can use fabric of any color to make your heart.  For the decoration on the front, we want to use words that relate to The Giving Heart.  Here is a list of suggested words and phrases:

The Giving Heart
Giving Bags
Thanksgiving Feast
Got You Covered
Community
Fellowship
Gratitude
Patience
Kindness
Love
Peace
Friendship
Hope
Caring
Helping
Sharing
Joy

You may use any technique to put the word on the heart--paint, embroidery, permanent marker, etc. You may also embellish the heart with other things, like beads, buttons, ribbon, fabric or felt. Perfection is not required!

I'm waiting to hear the final date by which the hearts may be submitted; but to be on the safe side, I would suggest that you plan to send your hearts by early November.  Finished hearts may be mailed to:

Vicki Neilson, Director
The Giving Heart
11527 Primrose Lane
Rockville, VA  23146

You don't have to sign up to make hearts for the tree, but if you plan to make one or more hearts, please leave a comment below so I can have a rough idea of how much help I will have with this.

If you have any questions, you can e-mail me at leslieandersen4@gmail.com; or leave a comment below and I will respond there.  Thanks in advance for your help!