Gross

When is gross not gross? When it is a Gross... like 144 of something. When I learned in grade school that twelve times twelve was 144 and was also called a Gross my friends and I made a lot of lame jokes about it. In this case, 144 of something is not gross at all but very loving, thoughtful and colorful. In this case it represents the output of the Kingwood neighborhood group, of the Houston Chapter of the American Sewing Guild, for the production of Anti-Ouch Pouches. Every year ASG has a national charitable project chosen by the host city chapter of the annual conference. This year the chapter is Chicago and they opted for the Anti-Ouch Pouches.

Anti-Ouch Pouches are thin, soft cushions that look like a tote bag and are used by women after breast cancer surgery to keep their arm from rubbing against the side of their body. An ASG member, and cancer survivor, designed the pouch and ASG members all over the country have been running sew-ins creating them by the time of the July conference. The Kingwood neighborhood group has many members who took to this challenge with a passion. Last October, I made about eight of them one evening and discovered that it was a quick and easy sew. One of our group, on her own and from her own stash, created thirty of these pouches and delivered them right after the January Retreat. Seven of our group have participated in our own three sew-ins and produced fifty bags from our own stashes, completed 32 pouches started by others and made up 24 kits from fabric in the chapter warehouse. So 8 + 30 + 50 + 32 + 24 = 144. I delivered 26 bags last month, will deliver 63 more on Saturday and will do a final delivery in a few days when we finish the final details on about 17 more bags.

This is a great project and, once we got organized, can be easily produced assembly line fashion. If you know of anyone who is going to have this type of surgery please consider making a few of them from the pattern here. We have also discovered that they are a real benefit to those with painful tumors even before surgery to keep their arm from pressing against the tumor, especially when sleeping.

So here's to Patricia and Barbara and Pat and Mary Jane and Margory and Charlotte for embracing this project and making it such a success. About half of these will go to Chicago as ASG's contribution to the host city while the rest will stay here and be distributed to our local cancer centers. At the conference we will probably here about hext year's project. I wonder what it will be? Whatever is chosen, I hope we will continue creating these items for our post-surgery friends.