Love in a Shoebag

Our church partners with a community in Mexico. We support a young couple working there. Each year we send two work groups to build houses. And at Christmas time, we send "shoeboxes" full of gifts for the children. I always enjoy filling the boxes and thinking of the little ones who will receive them.

This year I made a few small soft dolls for the baby boxes. I have so many pieces of leftover fabric I think I could stitch and sew for a year without running out. These dolls are about 6 inches high and made from soft cottons and linens with painted faces. All the trims are firmly stitched on and I'll probably add a dot of non-toxic glue as well.

Each one has open eyes on one side and closed eyes on the other. I had such fun making these. I hope they are cuddled and loved.

We've tried different containers for the gifts - cardboard doesn't last long in a tropical climate so for the past years we've packed the items into reusable plastic boxes. However, they break easily and last year quite a few were crushed in shipping. So this year we're making "love in a shoebag." A decorating shop donated all their out of date upholstery samples. We stitch two together. They come with holes in the top and many with grommets. A ribbon laced through the holes closes the bags nicely.

Over the weekend I stitched about 15 bags and I'm filling two. The fabrics are heavy weight and just beautiful. We're also making bags for seniors this year in addition to the children's bags.

When we lived in Ecuador we were privileged to hand out the Samaritan's Purse shoeboxes one year. They were received with so much eagerness. For many, this is only Christmas many children will have.
Sharing with others is part of this wonderful season. Even when times are hard here in North America, we still have so much more than many parts of the world.