Tis the season... my favorite time of year when everyone is cleaning out... and selling out the goodies they no longer use.  Yard sales are where many people obtain their very first sewing machine.  The only unfortunate part of yard sale sewing equipment is that most of the time, the sewing machine manual is not with the sewing machine.  The best way to learn about a sewing machine... and not damage it by playing with it before you know what you are doing is to read the sewing machine manual. The good news is that you can find sewing machine manuals for almost any machine out there.

• Sewing Machine Manuals
• Every thing You Need to Enjoy Your Sewing Machine
• Solve Sewing Machine Problems - Trouble Shooting Guide to Fix Sewing Machine Malfunctions
• Sewing Machine Operation 101 - 8 Basics Steps to Operate a Sewing Machine
• Thread A Sewing Machine - Keep The Presser Foot Up
• Everything You Need to Know About Sewing Machine Needles

Graduations are almost done... and collage is ahead for many.  Hopefully you have visited the collage and know what your needs are for the dorm rooms.  You can save yourself a bundle ... and have a dorm room that is a true stand out... by sewing exactly what is needed to mask storage and decorate that dorm room.

• How to Sew a Non Standard Bed Skirt - Collage Dorms and Non-Standard Bed Sizes
• A Custom Bed Cover by Painting Fabric
• Free Step by Step Directions to Turn a Pillowcase in to a Laundry Bag
• Readers Respond: Ideas and Tips for Personalizing a Pillowcase Laundry Bag
• Free Sewing Patterns and Projects to Sew Your Own Bedding and Bedroom Decorating

As someone who has been personally effected by a tornado and as someone who has put in many volunteer hours for the American Red Cross, I can verify that monetary donations to the American Red Cross do go to the people who need the help and the money is spent on needs that aren't going to be filled any where else.  That  said, money is not the only way to help and more places are starting to surface that will be collecting for people who are homeless. Just remember that as much as these people need things, they need a place to keep them as well and until that place is established they are not ready for much in the way of material goods.

Totally Stitchin Net has posted a great page of ways we can help! They have links to the American Red Cross, a Quilt and Blanket Drive and Sew a Garment for "Sewing to Rebuild" which includes free patterns to sew for people in need.

• Ways to Help Moore, OK
• Charity Sewing Opportunities and Patterns

Summer time means travel time for many families.  One of the things no one ever has enough of is bags! They are so simple to make and since you are making them you can adjust the size and fabric to meet your needs.  I absolutely LOVE my screen bag when we head for the beach. It allows the towels to breath and sifts out a lot of the sand before we even get to the car which leads to much less sand on the laundry room floor!

I recommend that every mother have some folded tote bags ready to distribute the load... you know what I mean... all those things that everyone thinks can land in Mom's pocketbook... until Mom's back is ready to give.  Having some bags ready, allows you to have others help carry the "stuff" they want to collect.

• Free Beach Sewing Projects - Sewing Projects for Beach and Swimming
• Free Utility Type Bag Patterns - Shopping Bags, Fire Log Carriers, Walker Tote, Beach Bags, Backpacks and More