For the NICU

    Did you know it takes just 2 meters of fabric and 2 meters of lining to make 12 hospital gowns for premature babies? I didn't. It's something I learned yesterday as I was looking for a local charity to do some quilting work for.

    I found Miracle Babies Foundation in Australia which accepts sewn hospital gowns, knit and crochet beanies and memorial quilts to help families in an otherwise horrible situation. Hopefully these six gowns can bring a bit of sunshine to a NICU in Australia. These just need press studs and they'll be all set. They are quite quick to make, so I'm hoping to pull a few more together before I send them off. Patterns are available on their website, if you'd like to help out too.

    Do you do any charity sewing? Can you suggest other groups and hospitals that could use a helpful hand?

    Comments and faves

    1. ★

      emedoodle, GirlsWearBlueToo, The Land of the Raspberry Rainbow, Really Turning Japanese, and 35 other people added this photo to their favorites.

    2. rastis100 (12 months ago | reply)

      what a great thing to do amy!

    3. emedoodle (12 months ago | reply)

      Oh that is so sweet! I should look and see what my local hospital accepts... a friend of mine suffered the loss of delivering a baby stillborn. My heart will never forget that little girl.

    4. justmejay (12 months ago | reply)

      Oh, Amy - these are adorable - you are a good person :-)

    5. badskirt - amy (12 months ago | reply)

      Honestly, they took about an hour to make. Maybe two if you count futzing for perfect fabric combinations. I find the online community to be such a giving one. This is a small contribution compared to what others do. I was thinking these might be fun to make one afternoon in a group as an assembly line. We could all crash Lorena's place and make them there as she's got plenty of room for us. I'll put a tickle in her ear. Goodness knows we all have enough fabric.

    6. A Labour of Love (12 months ago | reply)

      What a great idea. I had pulled an article out of the local paper about an organisation that works with premmie babies with the intent of seeing if they needed premmie quilts. I am in the Care Circle of do.Good Stitches, there's a few of us Aussies in this circle plus a few in Europe/UK. We recently made premmie quilts for a Perth-based charity organised by Kat . They only need to be approx 24" - it's so doable and i would love to do that for a local hospital here. I would happily join a stitching afternoon if you organise one.

    7. Lorena in Sydney (12 months ago | reply)

      Very cute Amy! And how lovely to receive one of these at such a stressful time. We still have the red cross teddy Ollie got when he came out of general anesthetic at 8yo. He loves it still. Hospital Ted. Hospitals can be such cold soulless places, some hand made goodness is very comforting. I make charity quilts for the far west children's society and for the nursing homes. As dementia becomes more prominent I reckon quilts with old clothing and fabrics from the family home would be a lovely thing of comfort to someone who has to move into aged care.

    8. Lorena in Sydney (12 months ago | reply)

      Oh, just read the bit about a stitching afternoon. Great idea!!
      Just about to set up some tables in the studio and we are good to go. I have lots of wadding too. I get bundles from a group to make the charity quilts.

    9. justmejay (12 months ago | reply)

      - ok, let's!

    10. Lorena in Sydney (12 months ago | reply)

      I will ask my girlfriend who works as midwife at RHW what they accept.

    11. badskirt - amy (12 months ago | reply)

      Thank you guys for being on board. I feel lucky that we get to do something we love and help others out at the same time. It'll be great to hear what RHW needs. I couldn't figure out who to contact there to ask.

    12. Rachel @ 2nd Avenue Studio (12 months ago | reply)

      In my town there is a relief nursery that teaches life skills to parents & coping skills/preschool to at risk toddlers. I currently make quilts for them...

    13. The Land of the Raspberry Rainbow (12 months ago | reply)

      What a lovely idea! We were given an amazing baby quilt from a volunteer sewer when our daughter was in NICU, born 4 weeks early. I really need to make something too, to pay-it-forward. Yours are the most divine little hospital gowns I have ever seen!

    14. This photo was invited and added to the Charity Quilts group.

    15. smoochee (12 months ago | reply)

      They are darling !

    16. jennaappleton (12 months ago | reply)

      I'm in if I can get away from my two :)

      Our church's pastor's wife is a senior nurse at RPA Women and Babies, I have been meaning to ask her this very thing :)

    17. badskirt - amy (12 months ago | reply)

      I should mention that it was a wee bit rude of me to volunteer Lorena's house. We don't actually own a table and I only have the one small desk that I cut and sew on. If anyone had folding tables, we'd be welcome to do this at my house instead. I'm just woefully ill-equipped at the moment.

    18. jennaappleton (12 months ago | reply)

      I need to print the pattern to check, but it looks like you could almost make the small size using a layer cake... my heart breaks for tiny babies :(

    19. say i am you (12 months ago | reply)

      What a wonderful gift to the parents and babies. You are special, Amy. I've saved the pattern and plan to speak with the hospital where my daughter was born to see what donations they allow (we're in US).

    20. imaginegnats (12 months ago | reply)

      that's fabulous! i'll have to check if there is something like that her (plus those gowns are adorable!). most of the charity sewing i do is for craft hope.

    21. Vanessa@Designs By Sessa (12 months ago | reply)

      Oh my goodness! How precious!!!

    22. ~Dorrie (12 months ago | reply)

      That's so great Amy. My friend Tonya is the founder of Evan's Heart and we work with Girl Scouts making memorial quilts for NICU at Sutter-Memorial Hospital in Sacramento. We deliver twice a year, The Tuesday before Thanksgiving and the Thursday before Easter. Tears every. single. visit.

    23. thecraftykitty (12 months ago | reply)

      What a wonderful cause and such beautiful gowns!

    24. elnorac (12 months ago | reply)

      What a wonderful project, Amy! Gorgeous little gowns... I want to join do.GoodStitches. Filled out the form online but haven't heard back from them.

      Get this: my MIL, who has dementia, crochets hats for preemies. Pretty sweet, eh?

    25. mightyaphrodite128 (12 months ago | reply)

      reading this post has made my day! thanks for the 'virtual" kick up the butt...the gowns are gorgeous and all your good works are too! <3

    26. small quilts (12 months ago | reply)

      I know all these wee gowns will be very much appreciated !!
      I just had a stash clear out & my fabric has gone to make some charity quilts by a local group & some isolette covers for the NICU where I work as a midwife..
      If time is an issue , the fabric is also happily received :)

    27. A Labour of Love (12 months ago | reply)

      It took about 6mths after I filled out the form to get placed in a circle. There might be not enough people in your location for a circle?

    28. beeware70 (12 months ago | reply)

      Good idea Amy

    29. quirky granola girl (12 months ago | reply)

      these are so sweet, Amy.

      i've made a few quilts for babies on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The reservation covers 2 of the poorest counties in the whole US and has some unforgiving weather. When the kids outgrow the blankets they get passed to the elders for lap covers.

    30. badskirt - amy (12 months ago | reply)

      I've talked to Rachel (StitchedInColor) and it seems there is a shortage of quilters for do Good Stitches. The biggest hold up right now is finding people willing to quilt. Lots of people are signing up to make blocks, but not a lot of people are are there to finish things. I've volunteered to host another Australian circle (hopefully to benefit SCH, RWA, etc.. if we can get some quilters on board.)

      Anyone keen to join my circle and willing to quilt?

    31. smoochee (12 months ago | reply)

      What size are we talking amy ?? I dont really quilt big ones. I leave those for the long armers or hand quilting :)

    32. badskirt - amy (12 months ago | reply)

      Size will depend on which charity we sew for. I understand as I don't really quilt big ones either. My understanding of do Good Stitches is that each month a quilter chooses the the block style and colour palette. Then stitchers each submit two blocks. So a quilt would have 20 finished blocks (presumably 8-12"?)

      There are samples of the some finished quilts in the do Good Stitches finished quilt group:
      www.flickr.com/groups/dogoodstitchesfinished/ pool/

      and more details in the main group: www.flickr.com/groups/dogoodstitches/

      The thrill of being a quilter is that you get to pick the blocks, theme, colours, etc...

    33. imaginegnats (12 months ago | reply)

      jumping in here to say that i'm in the Heal circle of do.Good (as a stitcher, not quilter) - led by Nicke of Kiss Kiss Quilt - we typically make 12" finished blocks and the quilter has the option to use sashing or not which would change the finished size. i'm sure Nicke would be happy to answer any questions about the size and quilting and all of that good stuff :) here's our group pool: www.flickr.com/groups/1928374@N22/

    34. quirky granola girl (12 months ago | reply)

      i was in the dream circle of do.Good Stitches and we made quilts for kids and would often make 2 quilts a month of smaller size.

    35. {safieh} (11 months ago | reply)

      I would be happy to quilt for do.Good Stitches if only straight lines are required!!!

    36. jengee (9 months ago | reply)

      craft hope is currently collecting handmade blankets for wildfire victims:
      www.facebook.com/#!/events/271758042928990/

    keyboard shortcuts: ← previous photo → next photo L view in light box F favorite < scroll film strip left > scroll film strip right ? show all shortcuts