Stockings for Soldiers

 What do you get when you add 35 high school students, a bunch of donated fabric, 6 sewing machines, a little food and 3 hours of time?

 About 500 stockings, lots of laughs, two newspaper reporters and a really great afternoon.

 I emptied several buckets of scraps, created a huge mess in someone else's house (thanks Carla!) and now have a car loaded full of sorted fabric scraps.  That will take me a long time to work through.  I need to pick a bucket a week and make as many quilts as I can from all those scraps.  I bet there are 560 quilts waiting to be made from all those scraps.  I should take a picture of my fully loaded car before I unload it.  Good thing I have my daughter's car to drive tomorrow.

 This was the newspaper reporter talking to the club president.

 Here's the photographer taking names of students.

 As always, the kids found some half made clothing to try on.  We get some strange donations sometimes.  The kids always love the half finished projects.

 There was lots of sorting to do this time.  The kids didn't complain, they just sorted and sorted.

 And look at all the boys sewing.  The guy on the end said he found sewing very relaxing.  Oh, maybe we shouldn't let them know just how relaxing sewing is, or they will take over the sewing room.  That's my son in the back with the light grey shirt.  He's been sewing since he was about 5.

 The kids took turns sewing and cutting and matching fabric.  Only two kids came in knowing how to sew.  About 10 left knowing.  I love it when they learn a new skill.

And of course, lots of eating went on.  You have to feed these guys to keep them working and happy.  But such a small price for all the work they did.  It was so worth it.  One girl took home the stockings to have her mom finish them off.  She will sew around the tops and put the loops on for hanging.  Hooray!  I don't have to finish them up this year :)