How This Project Is Starting

Being on the Soldier's Angels Letter Writing Team, I was informed that the women of Afghanistan are wanting to learn how to can food. The Women's Center is being formed and they are in need of canning equipment and aprons. These women don't have the luxury of laundering their clothes as we in America do, and if you've ever canned you know how messy it can be.

I contacted Captain Tammy Lanning who is working with the women there and told her I would make some aprons and send. I started cutting out whatever fabric I had on hand, some of which has been given to me for various charitable quilting projects. I first experimented with a few patterns and came up with an super easy way to construct the aprons. I was able to use up those pieces of fabric that I knew I would need someday.

In the next ten days I put together 14 aprons, and had fabric set aside for the cutting table. I have no idea how I'm going to pay the postage to do this: I only know that it feels like the right thing to be doing. I decided to let a few other people know what I'm doing including the Letter Writing Team. I also posted a message with a new group of quilters called Stashbusters Fling-it-all to request their excess and extra fabric scraps and pieces to be flung my way for this.

I explained the project and how I'm attaching labels that read: "Made by women in the USA for the women of Afghanistan." Immediately I heard from Mary Jane in Michigan requesting my address to send fabric. She also asked what pattern I'm using so she could make some aprons to send me for this project. I could just attach the labels before shipping them off. Within a few short hours, Mary Jane sent me an email to inform me the ladies at her church will be making aprons 2 days next week for this effort!!

Evelyn from California also promptly joined in, quickly followed by Debbie in Pennsylvania. Both are sending me fabric for aprons and are taking care of the postage bless their hearts.

That is when I decided I needed to make a blogspot for this project. So here we are: four women pioneering these gifts of colorful and necessary aprons to the Women's Center in Afghanistan. I will have photos posted very soon of the first batch of aprons.

I've also contacted the local Walmart asking for fabric donations and am still waiting to hear back. I've been told that their usual donation is worth $25. I'll keep you posted, of course.

I am so grateful to those who are helping me, and very excited to be starting this new project for women who desperately deserve it. They just want and need to be given a chance to learn.