We were blessed with a great program, plus several visitors who spoke, too!
First, Stan East presented a check to the guild as a result of memorials for his wife, Kathy East, a guild member who passed away earlier this year.
Next, Macy Nunan and her father Lathe spoke to the group about Beads of Courage. Macy is a ten-year-old girl who had a benign tumor in her jaw and was treated at University of Missouri Women’s and Children’s Hospital. The ordeal kept her out of school for about a year.
Beads of Courage is a program for children with chronic conditions. It allows them to tell their own story. The child receives a bead for every treatment that is done; e.g., x-ray, taking of blood, etc. Bags are used to store the beads. Each bag has an official tag to indicate that it is a Beads of Courage bead bag. This program is for girls and boys up to age 18. Macy asked for our assistance to make bags. Pattern guidelines for making a bag were handed out along with an official label. The Hands of Friendship Guild decided to purchase 2,000 tags, and guild members will make bags in memory of Kathy East.
Lathe Nunan, Rose Marie Smith, and Macy Nunan.
Lathe and Macy told us about Beads of Courage bags.
Meredith Willcox has been working with Macy on how to make a quilt. Macy showed the baby quilt that she made for a new cousin who is due in April, and a quilt her great-great-grandmother made.
Macy Nunan and the quilt Meredith helped her with.
Macy Nunan and a quilt made by her great-great grandmother.
Our third guest was Thomas Richardson, a folklorist from the Missouri Folklore Society, who was here to observe. He wanted to visit with our members about quilting and to photograph our show and tell. The Missouri Folklore Society promotes folk and traditional arts in Missouri.
Sue Schneider presented our program on Days for Girls. She started the Kirksville chapter of the national organization after she read an article in the Rotary magazine that explained that girls would miss school because of their menstrual periods.
Days for Girls puts together sustainable menstrual kits. Each kit contains a ziplock bag, two shields (100% cotton), 8 liners (100% cotton flannel), two pair underpants, a washcloth, an extra ziplock bag, directions, a pictorial explanation, a cycle calendar, and a small bar of soap. There is also an education component to the program. Kits are expected to last three to five years. Fabrics should be bright and colorful and pretty to camouflage stains and be very attractive to look at so there is no taboo to hang on a clothesline. The colors should be dark, botanical, with no bugs or insects, and culturally sensitive.
The local chapter is looking for sewers. They meet on the first Saturday of each month from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Northeast Missouri Health Council conference room on Crown Drive. Sewers need to bring a sewing machine, tape measure, scissors, and seam ripper. The chapter will provide the pattern, fabric, and instructions. They now have three new sewing machines. They also have lots of non-sewing tasks. If a person wants to sew at home, he/she can start with a sample package, get the sewing inspected, and then can be on their own.
There will be a three-day event at Missouri Star Quilting Company in Hamilton at the end of September; this is sponsored by the international organizations Days for Girls. 250 plus 70 kits have already been made by the local chapter. The kits mostly go to Africa, including Malawi and Uganda. The program has a tremendous reach because the girls show their mothers, sisters, and aunts. One million women have been reached as of January 1, 2018; kits are also used in the United States.
If you plan on attending a Saturday session, please let Sue know that you are coming (www.kirksvillemo@daysforgirls.org).
