Pillowcases For CAPSA

UPDATE: PO Box for all donations is:

Julie Allen

PO Box  138

Hyde Park, UT 84318

Well, friends, I am constantly amazed by the outpouring of support and love that people are willing to give when they have a cause to rally!  When I blurted out my goal to donate 200 pillowcases to our local women's shelter, CAPSA, I was so nervous.  I am not a well-known social media presence - I just overshare pictures of my kids and life with some family and friends.  I had no idea how on earth I was going to get the word out about this project and what the response would be.  But because of the goodness of many friends sharing my original post, the response has been awesome - even just 15 hours into the project!

I am going to share a little about what led to this whole thing at the end of this post, but first, the details on how you can help.  There are several ways.

*The best is to sew as many pillowcases as you can and send them to me!  I will have a PO Box set up by the end of the day.  Please check back here for that.  I will also post it on Insta.

I know many of you think that sewing a pillowcase is beyond your skill set, but I PROMISE you that it is the simplest of sewing projects!  It is a FUN one, too, because they come together so quickly.  You can have one cut out and sewn in 30 minutes, even as a beginner!  If you do several at once, you can reduce the time per pillowcase exponentially.  They were made for assembly line-style cutting and sewing!

Here is a fantastic tutorial to get you started:  http://www.seasonedhomemaker.com/2012/11/pillowcase-tutorial-burrito-style.html.  It makes for a clever little case that has no exposed seams and you will feel so cool when you see that finished product!  If you want to make things even more simple, omit the little piece of trim she mentions.  It is super cute, though.  :)

If you happen to have a serger, this is a great one to use:
http://www.simplesimonandco.com/2013/04/a-five-minute-pillowcase-how-to-and-a-riley-blake-fabric-giveaway.html.

If YouTube videos are more your style, here are two great ones:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrYWCma9wgM
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAomYjHzUQk
(I actually think this one is the best - it leaves no exposed seams (So they are very durable) and requires no serger)
here is one more
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjb6_KKIBCo

You're sure to find one that works!

Okay- YOU CAN DO THIS!  And your kids can, too!  My boys, ages 6 & 8 each made one this summer with help from me.  Yes, it took more than 30 minutes, but it was a great experience.  And may I make a little request?  Please choose fabrics you'd enjoy looking at and using yourself!  We want these to be special and something that can be loved and used.  You can find a lot of great deals on fabric this time of year.  Oh, and they would prefer non-holiday pillowcases so they can be used year-round.  THANK YOU!


*Now, if you really still don't think you can sew a pillowcase (you can!) or if you happen to have more money than time this year, another way you can help is by donating money so others can buy more fabric and sew more pillowcases!
The best way to do that is to either A) work with a friend who wants to sew and buy fabric for them or B) donate via PayPal.  My email address is julierallen@me.com.  You will need a PayPal account to donate (easy, free) and you will simply make a personal payment - if you do it that way, neither you nor I will accrue any associated fees.
You can also send a check or cash to the PO Box.
This is a terrific way to help!  We have already had enough donated to make 20 pillowcases!  I do ask that all monetary donations be made by November 20th so that we have time to purchase fabric and make pillowcases by the deadline.

*If you happen to have more time/skill than money over the next month and would like to sew more pillowcases than you can afford fabric for, please contact me!  I will send either fabric or money, depending on the feasibility of shipping, so that you can help get these sewn!
This will be super helpful!

*If you find yourself in the position of having a lot of stash, you can definitely donate fabric, too!  You can send it to the PO Box and I will distribute to willing sewers.

*You can also spread the word, of course!  Feel free to snag the picture above from my Instagram feed and share it over whatever social media you use.

Now, as for how this came about... (this is mostly copied from a text I sent to a friend, so apologies for the poor grammar, etc).
I have felt really prompted to do this for months, but didn't know how I could add another thing into my life, especially something that I perceived would be a work/organizing/time-intensive project. When the prompting wouldn't go away, I finally started calling around - this was just last week, but I just couldn't get any feedback. I left a few messages. Well, I finally called the care center where my husband's grandmothers lived before their passing and talked with their coordinator. She said they would love 24 pillowcases for their Alzheimer's unit. I thought that was my answer because I hadn't had any success with CAPSA, so I went to the store, bought enough fabric for 24 cases and got them all cut out yesterday morning. I was feeling pretty relieved that the prompting only ended up meaning 24 of them!  
Well, one thing led to another and I was totally reorganizing my fabric stash in the middle of our chaotic afternoon with Hank and Elsie crawling all over me and my big kids being particularly obnoxious, when the coordinator from CAPSA called me. 
I almost told her I'd found another place to donate, but stayed chatting with her long enough to hear that they actually give pillowcases to every woman and family who comes to the shelter. She said she sometimes has to give Christmas pillowcases in June because of need for the non-holiday ones. It was just so incredible to me that this was an actual real-life need that they have, not just a "how nice of this girl to want to do some crafty thing" thing, you know? The spirit was very direct in reminding me that sometimes things have to be bigger than we're comfortable with. It is an experience I won't soon forget.

I know we can do great things together! My original goal was for 200 pillowcases by December 6th. If word spreads quickly enough, however, and we can get 2 times that or even more, I promise we will find another shelter in need! There are so many who can use our support - and it takes tremendous courage to leave an abusive relationship. I can't imaging the fear, concern, and hope for something better these brave women must be feeling. My heart aches for them and for their children. If we can make that next step even just a little more bearable by giving them something from our hearts, I have faith it can show them that there are women they don't even know cheering for them and supporting them.

Thanks so much for being part of this!

OH- One more thing! Will you comment either here or on Instagram to let me know if you're planning to participate and what your donation goal is? I'd like to have some idea of what to expect! Thanks!

Julie

Cannon and Henry. My Buddies.

I just finished a disappearing 9-patch quilt. My first one ever!  (Side note- I made a quilt for Lily when I was pregnant with her, but it was basic squares with appliqué and I didn't follow any rules. The binding was hilariously awful. 

This quilt is much the same- there are many, MANY mistakes in it and I machine bound it because I was afraid it would fall apart in the wash. BUT, I am SO proud of this darn thing. I'm even taking a quilting 101 class at our local quilt shop this month to improve. 

Anyway, it has been hanging over a chair in our living room lately and I just looked over to find Henry had pulled it off the chair and snuggled up with it. The corduroy backing is definitely snugglicious. So is Henry. 

And sweet Cannon, whom I will miss terribly when he goes to first grade next year, built this Lego set completely by himself! 

Things That Make Me Really Happy

Alice & Chloe at ward choir practice. 

(I was released on Sunday - replaced by Brother Alan Hastings, about whom I am SOOOO excited. He is going to be so incredible). 

These two helped sing the children's part in the last number I'll lead- "All Creatures of our God and King" for Thanksgiving.  Their voices, Lily's voice, the other children's voices. Gracious, it's beautiful. 

Lily had a tummy ache and when I went to tuck her in, I found her asleep with  Cannon's minion- he had lovingly given it to her for comfort when she wasn't feeling well. What a sugar boy. 

While I was at it, I took pictures of my other darlings asleep. What is it about sleeping children?  They are precious. I didn't dare sneak in on Henry to snap a picture of him. 

I did snap a picture of sleeping Charlie--- because I tripped over him in the hallway. 

Chloe and Alice again. Oh gosh, I love these two. Please be best friends forever. You'll be better young women for it. I love you!!

The finished product of that crafting session above.  Their turkey disguises for school. Chloe's words to Stanton when showing it to him, "I guess it's pretty obvious I would make mine a gymnast, huh?!"  Then that cute laugh face. 

For the record, I thought her disguise was very creative and well executed. 

Sweet Lily, who is LOVING tennis. LOVING. IT. 

Cannon was doing a page in his kindergarten summer bridge book. The instructions were to draw your favorite foods and drink. He drew a tomato, corn on the cob, red peppers, and orange juice. I mean, seriously. Is this kid for real???  He is and I'm so thankful he's mine. (Also, he has a hair trigger temper, lest I make him appear ready for translation). 

Turkey Tumble Meet, Nov 9, 2013

Chloe competed in the Academy West Turkey Tumble on Saturday. Her goal with this meet was to score a 31 All Around in order to advance to Level 5 without spending a season at Level 4. She rocked it!  She ended up with a 34.05 AA score. Her floor and vault were both in the low 9s and her beam was an 8.15. She has had MUCH better beam sets (ones that easily could have been low 9s) before, so that one was a disappointing score. Her bars were also a bummer. She only score a 7.8 on them. The judges were tough, but Chloe also knew every single mistake she made and where her deductions fell. She has done 8.7 bar routines in practice, so she knows she can improve there- especially as she adds the new skills for Level 5. 

She was very happy with the overall results of this meet, though, especially considering that she's only been working these routines for a little over a month. 

I didn't get the video of her bars, darn it. 

Erg. Can't post videos from my phone. 

On a side note, and the most important part of the whole experience, in my opinion, Chloe's teammates didn't have quite as successful a meet at she did. Beth, the darling brunette there, barely edged out a 31.957 to move up. Ellie, however, missed it by 4/10 of a point, getting a 30.575 AA. It was so heartbreaking for everyone. 

As we were leaving to say goodbye, Chloe took off all of her medals from the awards ceremony, put them in her gym bag, and only then went to give Ellie a hug. Her sensitivity to the situation and the struggle that Ellie was having was so meaningful to me. She is becoming a Christ-like young lady in so many ways. How we love her. 

Stanton Turns 30. Just kidding. 38.

Seriously- I remember that once upon a time, 40 seemed on the older end of middle age. Uh, what happened???!!!

Well, Stanton is officially staring down thebarrel  of 40 and we had a fun day to celebrate it. 

He worked. Haha!  That's real life for ya!

After work, I surprised him with a hike along Crimson Trail with Tyler and Jana. Conversation was great, the hike was beautiful (and HOT), and we went to sushi at Takara afterward. It was a birthday well spent. Oh, and he got some new hiking socks and a GPS watch. :)

The kids did a few little things for him and we had a quick breakfast before he left for work. 

We took German's chocolate cupcakes to work. The girls at the office had brought in tons of treats, too!

Ice cream to finish off a great evening!  Seriously- there is nothing more perfect than a summer night in Cache valley. Heaven. 

Family Trip to Lagoon

We hoped to go to Lagoon with the Farleys, but pregnancy sickness prevented that one from happening. Sad, but beyond thrilling that Angie is pregnant!!

So, we forged ahead and had a wonderful trip at Lagoon. Man, I had forgotten how fun that place is- I hadn't been there since my high school

Senior trip!

I spent the first part of the day on the smaller rides with Cannon. He was just a bit too short for the other ones. Stanton took the bigger kids on those. We met up later to eat lunch and do Rattlesnake Rapids, etc. the kids were SO good and so darn fun. We stayed clear until closing time. That was only possible because Jana watched Henry all day for us. 

More Summer Odds & Ends

I made these shorts for Cannon. They were too small. His stretchy pants. He still wore them a bunch and liked life even better when I made a new park in a bigger size. 

Charlie acting like a human. Again. 

Cannon loved the hot wings. Until his mouth set on fire. Then he appreciated the bread. 

Sometimes he's so cute I have to take a picture. 

Sushi dates are our favorite. 

We had our 11th anniversary on the 30th of August. 

Henry finally cut his first tooth about 2 weeks before his first birthday. 

The kids performed with Altius at the Logan city 24th of July parade. 

They were very dirty and sweaty by the time it was over. 

We sure like our gym. 

Jana with twinnies. 

Rediscovered this absolutely stunning picture of my grandparents and uncle mike. Grandpa had been away at war for the first 18 months of Mike's life and this was their first meeting. 

24th Celebration and Judy Reunion

We spend every 24th of July holiday (usually the Saturday before) with the Allens in Hyde Park. We decorate a float (we were at Music Camp all week, so we didn't helps with that this year), ride in the parade, have good food, and play on a big water slide all afternoon. We all love it. It was awesome to have the Webbs there. Man, we missed them while they were in Singapore. 

The middle age grand kids got to ride in grandpa's fun float while the youngest and oldest, along with the siblings, rode on the trailer, pulled by our Jeep. I love seeing all the Hyde Park families Stanton grew up with lining the street. It's also so fun to see all the kids my kids go to school with. We are lucky to live in such great communities. 

I got up really early in the morning to make these skirts for the girls. I couldn't resist. I love that pirate fabric so much- especially with the contrasting polka dots and stripes!

I love these family reunions so much. It's so fun to visit with Stanton's siblings. They are such awesome people and I'm so thankful to be part of this great family. 

Music Camp 2013

We had such a fun week at music camp in Rupert. Lori hosted Cindy's and my families and we were a FULL HOUSE. It was a lot of fun. The kids went to camp most of the day and swam all afternoon and evening. Henry was sick and not sleeping well, which meant that I was tired and emotional (oh, and I was assigned to speak in sacrament meeting the day after we returned home, so I was working on my talk the whole week, too) but man, oh man, the kids grew so much during this experience. They loved every second!!