Sean C. Morgan
A local sewing group is preparing blankets, pajamas, pillow cases and slippers for the incoming residents of the Edward C. Allworth Veterans Home in Lebanon.
The Sew Sweets Group, a part of the Willamette Valley Chapter of the American Sewing Guild, initiated the project, which will provide each item to each veteran who checks in at the home when it opens.
The American Sewing Guild has three chapters in Oregon. Each chapter is divided into groups, said co-leader Charlotte deVries. The Willamette Chaper operates between the coast and Central Oregon and between Woodburn and Medford, with 208 members. The Sew Sweets have six members.
The group meets monthly for four hours. The co-leaders come up with fun, challenging sewing projects.
“We’ve made pillow cases,” deVries said. “We’ve made bags. We’ve made little cosmetic bags, potholders that look like star bursts.”
“For me, it’s a learning process,” deVries said. “Every time I sit down in front of the machine, I learn something new.”
Invariably, someone in the group will know something she doesn’t, deVries said. “The social aspect of it is healthy for women. It’s a useful skill – just to do a hem or put a zipper in. It’s fun. We have a lot of fun and giggles.”
It’s a social time for sewing enthusiasts, she said, but the members also do community service projects annually in addition to chapter-wide projects.
One member expected that her husband would be moving into the home, deVries said, and she suggested the veterans project. Although her husband has passed away prior to construction of the new facility, the group took the project idea to the chapter level, and the entire chapter has joined.
So far, the chapter has made 84 quilts, 77 pajama bottoms, 127 pillow cases and 39 pairs of slippers.
“The last we heard, they were supposed to open up with 116 veterans,” deVries said. The group wants to make sure there is enough for every veteran. Afterward, one or two members will visit once a month to mend the items as needed.
As veterans leave, they can take quilts and items to their families, and the sewing group will replace them, deVries said.
Locally, the Sew Sweets adopt a family for Christmas, deVries said. This year, they adopted a family of four, providing presents for each member. Sweet Home Emergency Ministries provided the name of the family to the Sew Sweets.
The Sew Sweets hosted an open house Saturday to show what they’ve been working on. The event included demonstrations, food and door prizes.
Regular meetings of the group are on the third Saturday of the month at LBCC Sweet Home Center.
For more information, call Charlotte at (541) 367-8666 or Kathleen at (541) 491-3700.