Sewing With Nancy

During our last Nancy's Corner segment Enchanted Makeovers founder, Terry Grahl shared with us how volunteers transform often sterile shelters and rescue missions into very inviting surroundings and then how we can help by creating pillowcases for the residents. Terry is back with us today to encourage us to sew for the kids who are staying in shelters creating capes, capes that give superpowers the ability to tap their imaginations. Welcome back to Sewing with Nancy, Terry. You started a great thing in what year was it? 2007. Transforming women's and children's shelters and making them homelike and giving them new pillowcases, quilts, bedding. Handmade curtains, the whole thing. Handmade is your mantra. Yeah. You had a great analogy-- Not analogy, but explanation why you stress handmade. Well, I just believe that with handmade that creator that is making that pillowcase or the doll, that their love and the positive energy is going into that item and that's part of the healing process for the women and children. Many women and children in shelters have not had the opportunity of having something handmade and given to them. No, they haven't. What a positive thing you're allowing. I think it's full circle for everyone for the giver, too. I often say the gift is in the giving. Yes. Very much so. The gifts that are talking about during this segment are toys, specifically dolls for the girls that are in the shelters. And boys, too. There's a boy pattern doll. It can be any doll. Anything that the crafter, sewer wants to make. This cute little one, you pointed out is especially important for little girls because it doesn't have any button eyes. Yes, embroidered or painted faces are safer. This makes you smile when you see this little doll, doesn't it? Yes. Then we talked earlier in the opening about capes. Here's a photo of the capes that you have taken. Why did you start talking about and asking for capes? Well, it actually was a segment I saw on "Oprah" about a gentleman that said how his mother said that "no Superman was going to come save you." I knew that the children needed to have a cape to say that you can do it, to give them a positive outlook. When my boys were little they often had capes for Halloween or dress up. They're fun. Imagination, creativity. Yes, the power of the imagination. If you're not in your home you're in a home away from home this definitely could give you some positive energy some positive thinking. Yes, you say, "I can do it." "I can get through this." You have cape instructions on the Enchanted Makeovers website. It's not very difficult stitching. No, not at all. We like the Velcro, just for safety reasons. It's sure fun. Then we have another one for a little girl. There we go, cute. This one has a star on it. You don't have to place an "S" if you don't like it. You told a story of a little girl who was given a cape. Yes, we did a special event at the shelter. It was in Detroit. One of the girls received a cape. She made sure she wore it to bed every night. And the pillowcase, she didn't want to put on her pillow. She wanted it on the wall for a piece of artwork. This tells you how important this is for the women and the children, to receive handmade. You know, probably a cape like this takes maybe two yards of fabric at most and maybe an evening of sewing, or less. You could certainly make one of these very simple. But it looks fun. I mean, if I were little again, it would be great to wear. Oh, yes. When the kids put them on, it's amazing the confidence and how good they feel about themselves. What some fabric can do what some stitching, and some volunteering it's an amazing thing. You can transform lives. Transform lives just giving encouragement through fabric. I think that's an important thing. We encourage you, as Sewing with Nancy viewers to make a cape.

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NancyZieman.com It has everything Sewing with Nancy. You can click on Nancy's Corner, and under the 2500 series you'll find the link to Enchanted Makeovers. Also at NancyZieman.com you can watch current Sewing with Nancy programs online. You can re-watch this episode, if you'd like. Then you can read my blog for updates on sewing, quilting and embroidery. This concludes our two-part series on "30-Minute Doll Clothes." We thank our guest, Joan Hinds for being with us during this two-part series. Also, Terry, thank you for joining us. and for telling us your encouraging stories. We always thank you for watching. Bye for now.