We are selling the neckies and woggles to raise money for the Three Nations expedition in 2009.
The Three Nations expedition is a three week cultural experience and service project where we will visit Russia, Mongolia and China. We will be visiting cultural sites in all three countries and performing service projects in Mongolia. We are hoping to help Unicef and work with the street children in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia's capital). We also plan to help restore a Buddhist temple which was destroyed by Communist purges in the 1930's. Around 100 UK Network Scouts will be going on the trip including 10 members of Moot International Service Team.
To find out more visit www.threenations.org.uk.
I had the idea of making Hi Vis neckies after seeing everyone "borrowing" the Hi Vis waistcoats at the Jamboree. Many phone calls later I found a company that no longer made Hi Vis material but did have a load of it they wanted rid off. I took it off their hands and we started making Hi Vis neckies in our flat. Soon demand was so high we got a company involved who helped us manufacture them. Needless to say we did have to store 800 metres of Hi Vis material in the flat, (including 200 metres in the bathroom).
We would like to thank all the people who have worked with us to enable us to cover the UK in glorious Hi Vis nis.
Namely -
Phil's Mum
Phil's Mums Mum
(Mr High Vis)
The distribution company who we were known to as the luminum roll guys
If nothing else most of us have learnt what a double over lock stitch is and we think you should too!
Here are some random sewing machine related facts for you to drool over courtesy of Phil's mums mum.
- Feed dogs: are saw shaped teeth that move the fabric through the machine. As the needle stitches, the feed dogs grab the fabric, moving it under the presser foot. The term "drop feed dog" means that the feed dogs can be used in either the up or down position. When the feed dogs are down or "dropped", you can use the machine for work such as machine embroidery where the fabric can be moved freely under the needle.
- Presser foot: The presser foot holds the fabric in place against the feed dogs so that it doesn't move about while you are sewing. You can buy specialised presser feet for different jobs.
- Needle plate: The needle plate is the part of the machine which fits over the feed dogs on the bed of the machine, with a hole that the needle passes through.
- Knee lifter: A knee lifter is a lever which can be pressed with your knee, allowing you to lift the presser foot and drop the feed dogs without taking your hands off the work. This is useful for quilting, sewing around curves and applique.
- Free arm: A free arm is a cylinder on the bed of the machine which allows you to sew items such as sleeves and trouser legs. This usually works by detaching a piece on the base of the machine, leaving the arm protruding.
If you would like to know about sewing machines I would suggest having a look at the sewing machine club of Great Britain at http://www.sew-and-sew.org.uk/. They are a self help group based in Tyne and Wear. Don't be put off by the £1.50 charge for their meetings, a cup of tea or coffee is also included!
Or check out - http://www.sewalot.com/sewing_machine_history.htm it gives the history of sewing machines but without the boring bits!