Antonia's World

Sewing: The Xanax of the 21st Century

Sewing is Relaxing--and Not Biochemically Addictive

After spending my twenties and thirties working 12-hour days and traveling about a third of the time, I was burned out.   I had achieved great success in my professional life, but the only hobby I had time for was reading.  After taking time to raise my daughter in 2001, I formed three goals: learn to sew, become a quilter and study celestial navigation.

I learned to sew by attending a sewing class for nine-year-olds.  My daughter and the "other" kids were bored, but I loved it.  Five years later, I'm finally able to sew a good looking purse and I've taught myself to quilt well enough to make my work presents to people I care about.

Although quilting is not an aphrodisiac, I've learned to think in terms of color and texture, not just in words.  Last year I sewed quillows for my daughter and two of my nieces.  When I sewed, I prayed for the recipient. 

I've never practiced meditation, sewing seems to give me many of the benefits of serenity that I've read about. After I began sewing, I found that my pulse slowed and I almost always left my project for the night feeling calm.

2006 was the year of quilt.  After oggling a small project of a tweety bird being tortured by a cat, I SLOWLY created my first quilt and give it to my best friend.  Last Christmas, three members of my family received quilts and these were the gifts that meant the most to me to give.  In future postings I'll share many of the fabulous resources on the web that helped teach me to quilt. 

This year I'm learning to makes purses through a wonderful set of patterns written under the Lazy Girl brand.  Become a Lazy at www.lazygirl.com

I'm also planning to learn how to sew professionally because I have a daughter entering High School who will need lots of formal gowns, and I would also like to be proficient enough to create some clothing oneday that is a work-of-art.  

This year I'm learning to makes purses through a wonderful set of patterns written under the Lazy Girl brand.  I'm also planning to learn how to sew professionally because I have a daughter entering High School who will need lots of formal gowns.   I’d love to hear from other mothers who have learned to sew gowns well enough and with enough quality to save $400-$500 on a prom dress.

"What's your guilty sewing secret?  Mine?  I own six machines, not counting the two that need servicing in the trunk."

U. S. Soldiers Need Inexpensive Scarves To Fight The Elements

Scarves Keep Body Temperatures Down, and Desert Sand out of Troops' Noses and Mouths in Miserable Desert Climates

Pasadena, California – March  5, 2007 –Soldier’s Angels, a non-profit agency, announced today a fundraising drive to provide U. S. troops with scarves that provide an evaporative cooling system that lowers body temperature by several degrees, reducing the risk of heat stroke. A donation of five U. S. dollars enables the group to manufacture enough “Cool Scarves” and “Sand Scarves” to help many soldiers stay more comfortable in the punishing desert environments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The cool scarf is a great way to beat the heat,” said Patti Bader, founder and executive director of Soldier’s Angels. “Cool scarves are made from 100 percent cotton. The magic in these scarves comes from the non-toxic synthetic crystals which transform into a soft cooling gel. This cool gel enables the scarves to stay cool two to three days without refrigeration. After being hand washed by the soldiers’ in-country, the scarves are easy to reactivate again by soaking them in cool water for 15 minutes.”

“The sand scarves sent by Soldier’s Angeles are extremely important to us in many ways,” said SGT. Michael A. Kelly, from Illinois, who has been serving his tour in Iraq since May 2006.  “First, they help us keep our heads warm, the sand out of eyes and mouths, and they can even be used to clean our ballistic eye ware.  Most importantly, they show the soldiers that the U. S. public still supports us.  That means everything to us over here.  We want to thank the American people for their continued, unwavering support which never goes unnoticed or unappreciated by those of us serving our country overseas.”

There are two several easy ways to donate cool scarves and sand scarves to U. S. Soldiers. You can make a donation by going to www.soldiersangels.org  by credit card or by using Paypal.  Consumers should be sure to write “OPERATION COOL HERO” in the comments section.

Scarves can also be purchased online at the Soldiers Angels Store at http://www.soldersangels.org and sent directly to a specific soldier.   Checks can be made out to Solder’s Angels and mailed to the organization at 1792 E. Washington Blvd, Pasadena, Ca. 91104.

Founded in 2003 by the mother of U.S. soldier, Soldiers Angels is a non-profit Internet community dedicated to ensuring that members of the military know they are loved and supported. To date, more than 105,000 individuals have adopted soldiers worldwide. These “angels” provide aid and comfort to the military and to their families. Soldier’s Angels are asked to write their adopted soldier once a week, and to send small care packages to him or her twice a month. Soldiers Angels currently works with over 50,000 military units. Nearly 6,000 blankets have been given to injured service men and women in U. S. hospitals. During the Christmas holidays in 2006, more than 90,000 gift bags were sent to U. S. soldiers. All donations to Soldiers Angels are tax deductible. The organization can be reached at www.soldiersangels.org or by telephone at 1-615-676-0239.

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Soldiers Angels Need Blankets of Hope

Blogroll Me!

Did you know that seriously injured soldiers arrive in military hospitals without clothes or personal belongings?

Can you imagine waking up injured, in a foreign country, naked except for a hospital blanket, with everything you own back at your base? 

In the course of treating a serious trauma, a soldier's uniform is cut-off by emergency medical personnel as they treat trauma in-country.  A Pasadena-based organization called Soldier's Angels supplies military hospitals with home-made blankets sewed by average Americans and a back-pack containing everything from personal-care products like toothbrushes to pajamas.  A simple gift like a back-pack with a T-Shirt, pajamas, and other items lifts the morale of our young men and women in harm's way. 

SoldiersAngels

"When his parents arrived the first thing he showed them was his Puple Heart, the second was his Blanket of Hope from Soldiers Angels!  I cannot tell you the emotional thank you we recieved from this young soldiers mother!  Truely grateful for the Angels as I am !Way to go!" Michel

Many stories about the value of these blankets exist at soldiersangels.org.  If you don't feel creatively inclined you can donate a blanket by pressing here.

Soldiers Angels have even created blankets that children can decorate that are already sewed. Naturally, anything from simple, tyed blankets to quilts can be sewed for our countrymen wounded in the line of duty. For information about how you can help send a back-pack or how to put together a blanket for an injured soldiers, check out soldiers angels at soldiersangels.org