Brackenridge sewing group, Holy Scraps, uses skills for community good

When life gives you scraps, make a quilt.

That’s the motto of a weekly sewing group, Holy Scraps, run from the Salvation Army Allegheny Valley Worship and Service Center in Brackenridge.

“These ladies have a tremendous heart for serving the community,” Capt. Selah Bender said. “They really use their talents for good.”

The group, founded about three years ago, is open to anyone, sewing novices included. It’s as much social as it is service-oriented.

Up to a dozen people meet Tuesday mornings, cheerfully piecing together colorful patterns to create table runners, lap blankets and holiday-themed tea towels.

The group sews pumpkin-adorned aprons for the crew that serves the Salvation Army’s Thanksgiving meal and also makes bright butterfly-covered bags to hold electronics. There are quirky items too, like Popsicle sleeves to keep the icy treat from making a mess.

“We all teach each other,” said Georgetta Field, the unofficial head of the group. “There are some of us who have been sewing for years but we all have our specialties.”

A common thread of the group is to do good for the community.

Among the personal projects they might complete, the group stitches a variety of items to be donated to local nursing homes and elsewhere to people in need.

Last year, they crafted 300 holiday stockings with teddy bears, 25 purses, six wheelchair bags, 44 dresses, 14 jumpsuits, seven lap quilts and four bed quilts.

The designs went to Platinum Ridge and the Family Promise House, both in Brackenridge.

Shirley Woodcock of Lower Burrell has been with the club since nearly the beginning. Her passion project is making ruffled toddler dresses with matching outfits for dolls.

The clothes are donated to Samaritan’s Purse, a humanitarian aid group that ships gifts to 170 countries across the globe.

Woodcock has churned out up to 165 a year to donate.

“I feel this is such a service for the kids overseas,” Woodcock said. “They might not otherwise have a doll or a dress.”

Sue Timko of Brackenridge joined the group for the first time Tuesday. She arrived with moderate confidence, having some sewing background, but was eager to learn.

“I can do some things,” she said. “I know how to fix things. But I want to learn how to make a quilt or a table runner. I think it sounds like a nice time.”

The lone man in the group, Jayme Field, joked that he didn’t have much choice. Georgetta is his grandmother and has armed all 14 of her grandchildren with sewing skills from a young age.

A Springdale resident, Jayme Field said his first creation went awry but spurred a new project for the group.

He made a velvet cape for his daughter, but it didn’t fit. It became a doll accessory that has been copied many times over for other children.

Supplies for the group, including fabric, thread and buttons, are mostly donated by the public.

Nothing goes to waste under Sandy Kaminski’s watch. The Saxonburg resident has made it her mission to use even the smallest swatches for good.

“They know they can’t throw anything away,” Kaminski said. “I’ll take it out of the trash.”

She keeps a bin at her feet, overflowing with scraps, to be used to make mismatched lap quilts.

“I love the group,” she said. “I enjoy the fellowship.”

Georgetta Field said no one should feel too shy to join. Everyone learns to complete a table runner after their first two-hour gathering.

“We like to start with that to make sure they get to take something home,” she said. “Everyone is usually thrilled by it.

“It’s a happy group, and I’m just so glad we can make a difference.”