Londa's
Creative Threads
804 Vista Dr. Savoy, IL 61874
T. 217-398-5166
F. 217-398-9853
or Email Us
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April, 2008
Sadly, Dr. Deborah reports that she has
to end this effort - due to the unrest in
Israel. The women there are not willing
to come to the cottage - and it has been
rented to someone else. With much
integrity, Dr. Deborah will be returning
unused funds, and the sewing machine to me in
the coming weeks. I am in search of a
new 'charity' project in which to involve
myself and my customers - funded with a tithe
of my Creative Sweatshirt Jacket sales.
If you have a suggestion, please email me
regarding it -
londa@londas-sewing.com
Thanks -
and our very very best and most fervent
prayers to Dr. Deborah and the sewing women of
Israel.
Londa
For Shopping in
Jerusalem with Dr. Deborah - Click
HERE
For a
quick look at the great things Dr. Deborah is
doing at her Sewing Cottage in Israel to help
underprivileged MIddle East women, click on
the video below - also found on You-Tube
10% of all my pattern
sales for my Creative Sweatshirt Jacket
Patterns is donated to Dr. Deborah's Cottage
on a monthly basis. Thanks for your
support!
Below,
find a running 'Diary' of Dr. Deborah's
valiant efforts to share her love of sewing
- and in doing so, to better the lives of
women in the Middle East - Israel. The
most recent postings are placed at the top.
February 9, 2007
The sewing machine (Brother PaceSetter
PC210) you all helped me 'earn' has
arrived safely to Dr. Deborah's Sewing
Network in Israel!
Here is what Dr. Deborah writes:
"The
machine I just received from Londa because
of the combined efforts of she and her
customers is just amazing, and I want to
thank everyone involved in the
arrangements and purchasing of this
machine! Londa paid over $120 mailing
fee, and the waiting time was about a
month to receive it. Customs fee was
another almost $50. Almost a month of
prayers were answered and then we all
breathed a sigh of relief when the machine
arrived undamaged.
You in
America cannot know the feeling of such a
precious thing to us here. Our urgent
need of a sewing machine has been
answered, and we are thanking the Lord
that He has provided so richly for us. It
is not so simple to just go and buy a
machine here. Even used ones are so
expensive, and are worn to within an inch
of their life, in many cases. Here we
have sitting in front of us the evidence
of love from a distance, of sharing and
realizing dreams. Of comraderie and
sewing buddies from across the world. To
look at that machine and know that others
literally sent it here on wings of
prayer...is just to marvelous to
understand.
The Israel Sewing Network can now go
forward in its work of providing the
substance of sewing in Israel."
Wow! Thanks
again, sew very, very much! Among my wonderful customers,
Carolyn and her husband wrote and offered
to build a website for Dr. Deborah's
Sewing Network. I'm sure we'll hear more
about that in the future. Another
customer has packed up the sewing supplies
from her mother's estate and has them
ready to send. If you would like to send
supplies to Dr. Deborah, just send me an
email, or contact Dr. Deborah directly at
neveshalom@yahoo.com. You can see
just how special your sharing is to the
women of the war-torn country!
Special summary statements and my ideas for
helping Dr. Deborah are
in Pink letters....
I thank all of you who have emailed,
and written, and sent things to support this
project. For safety of all, I have
omitted your last names.
1-09-07: Today I shipped off a Brother
PaceSetter Sewing Machine PC210 To Dr.
Deborah and the Israeli Sewing Network.
Please help me 'pray' it over safely, and
that it can be accepted without tax of 17%,
as it is truly a gift.
My
offer in Thanksgiving for all the blessings
showered on us by our Lord is to tithe 10%
of all retail sales between Thanksgiving and
Christmas Day, 2006 toward the purchase of
the machine and serger (hopefully plural!)
that Dr. Deborah so drastically needs.
November,
2006
Blessings, All Londa’s Fans!
You might remember
that I have been working to create the
Israel Sewing Network, a place where
underprivileged women can learn to sew and
receive sewing supplies. This year,
I thank God for several contributors.
Michelle and her church group have donated 3
boxes of fabric, meticulously labeled, along
with some maternity patterns, while trying
to create her own organization, similar to
mine for American women, in West Virginia.
Please pray for their endeavor-that all
roadblocks to their work will clear and they
will have the cooperation of the officials.
Barb, the owner of Material Girls online
fabric store has donated some back issues of
sewing magazines. And there is Cheyenne’s
gift, which I will explain in detail later
in the newsletter.
I think that God must
have a sense of humor, because I spent the
summer playing ‘musical chairs’ with houses.
I found a place to house the Israel Sewing
Network, and got the rooms painted and
decorated, only to have to relocate, due to
family struggles for the house owners. I
managed to find another house in the same
area, and have finished painting and
decorating the inside. The outside hasn’t
yet been painted, and it looks really awful,
but the future looks bright for 2007.
There’s no money for advertising, but
several women who believe in this work are
spreading the word, and I hope to have
things put together and running smoothly by
the middle of next year. I am hoping at
that time I will be able to start a monthly
newsletter, and, prayerfully, someone will
step forward and create a website for us.
Well, it’s that time
of year when everyone wishes for something,
and I guess I am no different. The
needs are so vast, but if pressed to state
the most needed items, I would have to say
that the Israel Sewing Network needs a
simple sewing machine and 4-thread serger.
For a list of other
things they would appreciate, scroll on down
- way to the bottom of this html page.
In an age of sewing machines and sergers
that can leave one speechless at the
technological advances and modernity, I find
myself wishing for the simple. You see,
many women who are first learning to sew
have little knowledge about sewing machines.
Some women are simply paralyzed with fear
when they turn on a computerized machine.
These types of women not only have to learn
HOW to sew, but they have to learn HOW to
operate a machine with so many “bells and
whistles”. Overawed and confused, many balk
at the experience simply because they don’t
feel adequate enough to handle a computer,
much less a computerized sewing machine.
For those that do own the higher technology
in sewing, you may remember those
panic-stricken moments without your local
sewing machine dealer’s guidance. For those
who purchased their machines online (like
me), the experience may be magnified one
hundredfold as you begin to sign up for all
kinds of online sewing groups to find out
how to develop the skill of using your
machine to its maximum potential.
At present, The Israel Sewing Network is
using my machines, costing thousands of
dollars, and purchased with my sewing
experience in mind (before I started The
Israel Sewing Network). My Janome
MemoryCraft 10K, Janome MemoryCraft 4800,
Brother PR600, and Juki 735 5-thread serger
seems to throw some women in a tailspin due
to language barrier and technological
shyness. And it is a bit stressful trying to
teach someone who cannot read the screen and
know which button to push. Not to mention
the wear and tear on the machines and
frequent trips to the dealer to have them
tuned. When I upgraded my MemoryCraft 10K
to a MemoryCraft10001, something went
drastically wrong and I ended up paying more
than $400 to replace my Motherboard A.
Needless to say I am at present a bit
afraid to put my MemoryCraft 10K into
full-time usage.
Last year, in
December, I purchased a basic Janome sewing
machine and Juki 4 thread serger, and
donated them to the Gush Katif refugees that
were still living in hotels. The
machines kept the young women out of the
hotel lobbies and off the streets, and gave
them a sense of normalcy to their lives.
The machines were well
received, and no one seemed to complain
about not being able to run the machines.
I think if I were to add the same such items
to my Israel Sewing Network, then perhaps
that will solve the problems I am
encountering at present.
This summer, Cheyenne
of Washington State a monumental effort to
mail me a basic sewing machine. She
saved her money, purchased the machine in
May and told me to please let her know when
it arrived. Promising pictures of the women
training on her machine, I waited all summer
for the machine to arrive. In September, it
came back to Cheyenne in pieces. Her heroic
effort to help dashed to pieces. When
mailing things like this, there is no way to
know what will become of the treasure. I
love and appreciate Cheyenne for at least
trying to help.
One answer would be to purchase a simple
sewing machine and serger locally. I checked
a Bernina store in downtown Jerusalem and
they want more than $200 for a used basic
machine that appears to be a Russian brand
and completely worn out. There were no used
sergers, but I did see a 4 thread serger in
downtown Hadera for about $400. The prices
on items here are more than double what you
are paying in the US. There are never any
sales.
Another idea would be
to wait until one of you wonderful fans will
be visiting Israel, and have you bring in a
donated used machine. With someone
else bringing in a machine, I will not have
to pay customs on the item. If it is mailed
I pay customs, EVEN IF I WERE A NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION. I would be paying 17% of the
retail price of the item.
Here's
where I can really be of help, I pray!
I have friends here in my town that run a
Christian radio station(s) and go to Israel
several times a year - taking people to
serve and walk where Jesus walked. My
hubby and I had the privilege of being on
their first trip back in February of2000...
I'm praying that through this connection,
that we can deliver some machines and
sergers directly to Israel!
Prayerfully hoping that someone can help,
Dr. Deborah
February 2005
Shalom
from Jerusalem!
As I watch the
snow fall silently on the stones of
Jerusalem today (Feb. 14), I am reminded
that, according to statistics, 1 in 5
elderly are hungry, 1 in 3 children are
hungry and over 30% of the elderly cannot
afford to heat their homes (source:
www.bridgesforpeace.com ). It is into
this environment of poverty and lack that I
bring my charity.
Shopping
for fabric, notions and sewing machines in
Jerusalem
Forget the
lovely displays of fabrics, wide aisles,
shopping carts and discount
coupons. Shopping for fabric in Israel is
not like shopping in JoAnn's or Hancock's
fabric stores; nothing like that exists
here. Fabric is propped against the wall or
stacked on a shelf in narrow shops. You
cannot buy notions in a fabric store; just
fabric. I found 1 fabric store in Israel
that sells American patterns such as the
"Big 4: Butterick, Vogue, McCalls and
Simplicity; these were cost prohibitive to
purchase, because the suggested retail price
was the price charged. And forget about
purchasing the other patternproducers, such
as Saf-T-Pockets, Loes Hinse, McPhee, Lois
Cutting, Nancy Erikson and others. Sewists
here use the Burda Magazine and a few other
German pattern magazines, which must be
traced off economically produced papers.
Approximately 30 patterns are printed on 2
to 4 sheets, one on top of the other, and
sewists must find the lines to each patter!
n and trace them onto newspaper or other
inexpensive options. Not a real pleasant
task if you have trouble doing puzzles and
reading maps.
The selection
of linings is scarce, and interfacing is
also scarce. I found only one shop so far
that sells 1 kind of lightweight non-fusible
interfacing, and have found no place that
carries Ambience lining. I found one shop
that carried a brand of linings that I did
not recognize- but only in 3 colors.
Generally
speaking, sewing notions are not found in
fabric shops, but are found in shops that
also carry costume jewelry, hats and
scarves. The notions are simple; a few
varieties of thread, needles,elastic,
buttons, laces, fringes and zippers. The
last time I wanted a seam ripper and pin
cushion, I had to search several stores to
find one. When shopping for notions in
Israel, it is best to forget your JoAnn's
and Hancock's experiences. No joy of being
able to hand select your notions from
beautiful displays and walk with them in a
shopping cart through the store while you
browse for fabric. Notions are kept behind a
counter and you have to ask to see them
before you purchase them; my guess is that
store owners are afraid of theft of small
items, and jealously guard them to prevent
loss.
Shopping for
sewing machines and sergers is a nightmare.
In 2001, I bought 2 used machines, each
costing $200 each. And each machine fell
apart in a matter of months; sewing machines
are used until they are nearly exhausted and
then traded because sewing machines are very
expensive here. I noted that in the US, a
person can buy a brand new machine for
$200. There are few places with the
top-of-the-line embroidery machines to show
and test drive. One store owner offered to
sell me a Viking Designer 1 for $3000
without the embroidery arm, but I could not
test drive it because she didn't have one.
No D2 or Pfaff 2144, either. She said that
she could get it, though, and acted as if
she had done her best to sell me a machine,
even though I could not even test the
machine. The same happened at the
Janome-Brother sewing machine shop down the
road. I could not try a MemoryCraft1001 or
a Brother Ult 2003, but they said the mac!
hines were available. I would have to wait
3 days for it to arrive. The Bernina dealer
on King George street told me the same
thing. Every store offered NO PERKS, like
what you see in the US-with software and
notions thrown in with the purchase of your
machines.
And, get
this-all you sewing enthusiasts- I found NO
ONE- I repeat NO ONE that had their own
sewing room or sewing studio. Houses and
apartments are so cramped that an area
dedicated solely to sewing is impractical.
And, forget
about those lovely "Sew News", "Creative
Embroidery" and "Threads" Magazines you can
purchase in shops in the US. In 3 years of
shopping for sewing items in Israel, I have
never found any of the above periodicals for
sale. Instead, I see a few titles from a
German company, that pales in comparison to
the above listing, and often not found in
English.
No problem-you
say- just go online and order what you need
through the postal system. Well, have I got
news for you! If you're brave enough to
order fabric, patterns, notions and
magazines, you have two problems: TAX (there
is a tax for everything in Israel), levied
at approximately 17% of total dollar value,
and TIME. Terrorism through mail is a very
real threat here, so each package in
stacked, waiting to be inspected before
delivery. I saw a poll on an Israeli forum
about packages, and many say the the waiting
time is over two months, and many said they
never received the packages at all.
And, of
course before you consider purchasing and
waiting for the package, you have to find out
if the item can even be shipped to Israel.
Many places will not ship to Israel because of
the problems specified above. And, postage to
Israel is very costly. In June of last year,
I purchased 5 yards of linen on sale, at an
online fabric store located in the US. The
price for the linen was a little under $25,
but postage was over $27. In essence, it cost
more to ship it than the cost of the fabric.
And, of course I had to wait a while for it to
show up here, even though it was sent Global
Priority.
With all the
problems getting notions and patterns to
support the sewing habit, you would think that
sewing is a lost art in Israel; nothing is
further from the truth. People here either
find a way to substitute for the missing item
or they do without it-which you and I know
affects the quality and eye appeal of the
garment.
These are
harsh realities facing sewists in Israel.
There are a few charity organizations; one
American lady has a charity called "Quilts for
Terror Victims". She appeals to quilters for
donations of cotton fabrics and thread. She
also sponsors all day Quilt-a-Thons where
sewists can come and help complete quilts
which are donated to terror victims. She held
two such Quilt-a-thons in February.
Another
American lady hosts a library of American
sewing patterns, to meet the demands of
sewists who cannot afford to buy patterns.
According to Mrs. Firrsch, anyone can borrow
these patterns, which are located in an area
in her home. She says that things are really
crowded already in her home, but she felt an
urge to help sewists.
Since sewing
is a much more impoverished experience here,
my heart longs to reach out and help make
sewing the experience that will draw young
women and create jobs and commerce for Israel.
THE PLAN
I began to
formulate a plan to help sewists in Israel about a
year ago. The plan consists of setting up a shop
with 3 areas. There is the BOUTIQUE, where
sewists can place their garments for sale to the
public. The public purchases the garments and the
money goes to whomever makes the garments.
Then, there's the
PAYSEW area, where women with money can come and
rent time on machines (Viking D1, MemoryCraft
10K,etc) on an hourly basis, much like an internet
cafe is run. In this area purchases can be made
for linings, stabilizers, notions, etc. I ran a
poll and found out that there is an interest in
this type of area, because sewists that can't
purchase top-of-the-line machines or only want to
use one for a few times would gladly use this
area. The paying area basically supports the
whole charity, since funds are put back into the
areas to keep them running.
Then, there's the
CHARITY section. Women who have no money to sew,
or even to purchase fabric can come, pick out
fabric, sew a garment and place it in the BOUTIQUE
for sale, or keep the garment. When the women
place the garments into the BOUTIQUE, it
will provide jobs for women who can't work full
time, but need an extra income for food. These
women can come in, sew and sell a garment, and not
have to worry about a rigid schedule; this is
perfect for young mothers.
I can forsee a
fourth area, called EDUCATION that can be
developed when the other areas are 'up and
running'. Somehow, people seem to come out of
hiding when they see things are working, and want
to be a part of it. This can also be an area of
employment, since sewing educators can earn money
teaching classes. A small fee would be charged
for classes, and the educator's income would be
augmented with another fund, so that teaching
would not become a no-pay burden for those that
need to feed families.
WHAT I HAVE
ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR
I approached a
lawyer last week about setting up a non-profit
organization so that I could make my sewing
charity a reality. By creating a non-profit tax
number, any donations would have the "blessing" of
the US tax folks, and would therefore be
deductible on yearly tax forms. My lawyer said
that starting a non-profit organization would be
expensive, and felt that sewists in the US would
not support the charity on a long-term basis. She
cited many Israeli charities (none sewing) right
now that are in extreme financial crisis because
people in the US neglected them due to hard times
in the US after Sept. 11 terror attack on the WTC.
She said I could lose thousands of dollars trying
to start something that might be doomed to
failure. I would like to believe that she is
wrong.
HOW CAN YOU
HELP?
If by now you are
saying to yourself: I CAN HELP, but don't know
how, then I praise the Lord for you. Allow Him to
speak to your heart about this matter.
As you can see by
the description of my charity, I need EVERYTHING:
fabric, machines, notions, patterns and other
equipment.
But I also need a
way to get it here. I had thought that if someone
had a 20 foot or 40 foot shipping container on
their premises for donation-that would really
help. And someone to receive the donated items at
their own personal address, so that they can be
sent to the shipping container. And someone who
has connections with the shipping industry that
can get it to Haifa, Israel.
So, you see, I
need more than things. I need a US-based charity
system-logistics that can bring it from that side
of the world to this side of the world.
And, I need to
hire people here in Israel; a sewing machine
repairman to keep machines running, an accountant
to keep up with the Israeli forms (the lawyer said
this is a MUST), and a sales clerk to keep the
boutique running. So, in essence, I have to hire
at least 3 people here just to open my doors.
And, donations of
funds also helps. When the items arrive in Haifa,
I will be charged tax on the shipment. And
movement fees to destination.
Lots to do; lots
of planning; lots of hope.
But most of all,
lots of prayer.
Psalms 128:5
The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion; And thou
shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of
thy life.
We need:
5 Sewing machines
with basic stitches
5 Sergers with
differential feed, 4 or 5 thread
all types of
interfacings
all types of linings
all types of buttons
all types of seam
tapes and bindings
all types of sewing
needles and machine needles
all colors of thread
all types of
fasteners such as snap tape, hook tape
all types of fabrics
in all colors
any spare patterns?
these would help
pattern tracing
materials and equipment
2 ironing boards
2 irons
any sewing
magazines, i.e. Sew News
ironing equipment,
such as tailor hams, pressing cloths
fold-away tables for
laying out fabric and patterns for cutting
laces, ribbons and
other decorative clothing construction items
sewing lights, such
as Ott lights. These are crucial since many
places throughout the Holy land can get quite
dark, even in the daytime, during the winter.
