Charity Hearts DONE!

Days Remaining until hearts are due for The Giving Heart:  2
Hearts Completed: 144

With these last 23 hearts featuring the names of volunteers at The Giving Heart , this project is DONE!  I've taken pictures, now I just have to box up all the 144 completed hearts so they will be ready to mail first thing Monday morning.  I plan to write about it and include more pictures on my other blog, Leslie's Art and Sew on Monday.

Now that the year is coming to an end, and I reached my goal of sewing 365 hearts long ago, my friend and reader Kay asked if I will be starting a new challenge in 2013.  The answer is, YES! 

I plan to do another "365" challenge, this time revolving around my new interest in Blythe dolls. I want to post at least one new picture of a Blythe every day.  This time around, I want it to be more of a "true" 365 challenge--no working ahead like I did with the hearts!  

Some of the pictures will include clothes or accessories I've made for the dolls, and some will be interesting pictures of dolls "out and about".  There are actually quite a few Blythe blogs, and I really enjoy seeing how the bloggers pose the dolls so they appear lifelike, and I especially like it when the pictures are accompanied by a narrative telling the story of what the dollies were up to that day.  I hope to make most of my posts the story-telling kind.

I know this new blog won't appeal to all readers, but that's okay--I'm doing it for myself, to expand my horizons with photography, and to have fun making things for my dolls.  I still love hearts, and I will show you any hearts I make after December 31 on Leslie's Art and Sew.  In the meantime, there are still 44 days left in 2012, so I'm sure there will be at least a few more posts here on 365 Sewn Hearts before the end of the year!

Names, Part Six

Days Remaining until hearts are due for The Giving Heart:  4
Hearts Completed: 121

These blue and white hearts look so cool and wintery!  

My mailing deadline for these hearts for The Giving Heart's charity Christmas tree is fast approaching (Nov. 19th); I have the last batch of hearts sitting near my sewing chair, unstuffed.  I know what I will be doing for the next few evenings!

Names, Part Five

Days Remaining until hearts are due for The Giving Heart:  6
Hearts Completed: 109

I LOVE pink, and I think that the bright pink damask print I used on this batch of hearts is just beautiful.  As you can see, I only wrote female names on these!

Names, Part Four

Days Remaining until hearts are due for The Giving Heart:  9
Hearts Completed by Me:  92 /100 
Hearts from wonderful Kay:  10
Current total: 102!


Here's a big batch of 22 new hearts with the names of more volunteers at The Giving Heart:

I just heard from my friend Kay in England that she has made and sent 10 hearts directly to The Giving Heart for their charity Christmas tree--thanks so much Kay!!!  That pushes the current total over 100!!!

That is great news, because there has been a change of plans:  instead of delivering the hearts in person late in November, I will be mailing them, and the date for that is now November 19th, so I have a little less crafting time than I had expected.  I am therefore DITCHING my tentative hope of reaching 200 hearts;  I still have a pile of "name" hearts to finish, and when they are completed, I will call this project DONE!

Names, Part Three

Days Remaining until hearts are due for The Giving Heart:  26
Hearts Completed:  70 /100 (or 200?)


Here are eight more hearts with names of volunteers at The Giving Heart for their charity Christmas tree:

I love this striped fabric!

Names, Part Two

Days Remaining until hearts are due for The Giving Heart:  28
Hearts Completed:  62 /100 (or 200?)

I add five more hearts to the total today.  I kept the design of these name hearts simple for two reasons:  one, there will be so many colors and patterns on the tree that more details aren't necessary; and two, I need to speed things up if I'm going to finish on time!

For these hearts I printed all the names from my computer, then used a light box to trace each name onto the heart with a micron marker.

Names, Part One

Days Remaining until hearts are due for The Giving Heart:  29
Hearts Completed:  57 /100 (or 200?)

Here are the first six hearts with volunteers' names on them.  I thought the list I received contained 50 names, but it actually has more than 80(!), so this batch of hearts will push me much closer to 200 than I had expected it to!  There are many more to come in the days ahead.

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!