The Giving Gemini

The Giving Gemini Bringing together a heart's desire to
create joyful gifts and to help those in need.

Check this out! A small team of volunteers have spent the last few weeks teaching boys at The Outlet how to sew, and tog...
05/30/2026

Check this out! A small team of volunteers have spent the last few weeks teaching boys at The Outlet how to sew, and together we've created 60 one-of-a-kind dog bandanas. Each is reversible and has elastic instead of ties in order to easily slip them over your fur baby's head.

This activity has been fun for everyone involved. All fabric, supplies, and use of sewing machines were completely donated by the volunteer instructors, which means every bandana purchased is $10 that completely goes toward summer programs. Let's sell every one and reach our $600 goal!

These will be sold this Saturday at the sold-out annual shrimp boil. If there are any remaining, they will be available to purchase through Facebook.

The last wedding gift is finished! I bought them kitchen items fron their wedding registry, and made 3 aprons, 4 placema...
05/17/2026

The last wedding gift is finished! I bought them kitchen items fron their wedding registry, and made 3 aprons, 4 placemats and 4 napkins, all reversible. I attempted to make matching oven mitts, but hilariously failed with the first one and didn't have time to start over, so that will be a project for another day 😊🧡🌼

What to do when heading out of state to attend a wedding and you realize you don't have an appropriate bag to go with yo...
05/17/2026

What to do when heading out of state to attend a wedding and you realize you don't have an appropriate bag to go with your new dress? If you're me, you pack up your sewing machine, supplies, and coordinating fabric, and then sew a cute fold over clutch.

I found this pattern on a YouTube video yesterday, and today I have a new clutch. I can't express how much I love sewing 😊🧡🌼

05/09/2026

This little guy was just fantastic, learned how to do just about every step of the process, and pretty much just needed guidance to complete this dog bandana.

This morning, a few of the boys were paired up with volunteers at The Outlet to sew several reversible dog bandanas. It ...
05/09/2026

This morning, a few of the boys were paired up with volunteers at The Outlet to sew several reversible dog bandanas. It was a great time as we learned so many things together. These will be available to purchase on May 30th as part of a fundraiser for summer activities.

Check out this irresistible collection I picked up from The Fabric Cobbler! Lovely colors and prints get me every time. ...
05/06/2026

Check out this irresistible collection I picked up from The Fabric Cobbler! Lovely colors and prints get me every time. These are from the Peacock Flourish collection from Benartex fabrics. I see a small bag collection from these, and can't wait until this summer when I can dive in 😊

Spent some time today with a student teaching her how to make a tote bag. She is working on her volunteer hours and want...
05/03/2026

Spent some time today with a student teaching her how to make a tote bag. She is working on her volunteer hours and wanted to learn how to make giving bags. She chose this super fun doughnut print, and the bag turned out great! We then filled the bag with a variety of cotton prints which she'll use to make more bags. There's something special and oh-so satisfying about sharing with others my passion for sewing and volunteering. 😊🧡🌼

05/01/2026

Yesterday on my lunchbreak I visited The Fabric Cobbler in Decatur, IL. SOOO many things to love about this business, from the HUGE number of cotton prints to choose from, to the every-single-person-is-welcome-here attitude by the owner.

This video is just one small section. I thought i had made it to the back of the store when I saw this "bonus" room. I had to take a video and share it with you all.

Last night I began a sewing project with a group of boys at The Outlet. They will learn how to sew reversible dog bandan...
04/24/2026

Last night I began a sewing project with a group of boys at The Outlet. They will learn how to sew reversible dog bandanas--a great first project--that will be part of fundraising for future programs. I am excited to see what they create!

I made these placemats and napkins as part of a wedding gift, and I am so very happy with how they turned out! I chose t...
04/18/2026

I made these placemats and napkins as part of a wedding gift, and I am so very happy with how they turned out! I chose the placemat prints so that one side is elegant, and the other side is bright and happy. The tricky part was finding a napkin print that would work with both sides. I was in Carbondale and went to Calico Country Sew & Vac and found several options but fell in love with the gold/tan floral print. When I started making them, I decided to make them reversible as well by adding the white and gold print. I truly love how well these work together. Each placemat and napkin has four combination options--I've never seen this before, have you? I would love to make more of these! The light floral and the gold and white prints came from Jackman's Fabrics St Louis, and the black floral came from Sew Sweet Quilt Shop in Springfield, IL.

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