NHS: For the love of scrubs

I haven't touched my sewing machine for such a long time now. For so many reasons, but the main one being... no time at all. My priorities however changed a bit lately, as the works shifted abruptly and dramatically with this pandemic.  I have to do a little to help out. And so, my sewing machine left its catacombs and I joined several Facebook groups as a volunteer, For the love of scrubs and a local one, #teamscrubbers.  Have to say there really is an army sewing non-stop to help our struggling NHS. To say  their needs is dire is not enough. As a volunteer I receive daily requests to make more scrubs.

Many years have been since I last sewed! I didn't even remember how to thread it! 

But slowly that knowledge resurfaced, I fed the machine with beautiful green thread and here we go... Firstly, lets try to understand the pattern. The main group luckily had free patterns, and I contacted several companies to print out patterns to distribute along our members. I have to acknowledge the generosity and the help that so many companies are providing our volunteers, by contacting companies by email I was able to source over 10 large prints of the pattern that were distributed to our seamstresses!

So cutting is a large and time consuming bit of the sewing process. Luckily for my next batch of scrubs I wont bee needing to cut, as once again companies aided and a local company laser cut the fabric so I will only have to stitch the pieces together.

Fist step, zigzag so that the fabric doesn't frail... After re-read both tutorial and pattern again.

Stitch pockets... Iron a lot!

Making the neckline was my favourite bit. I had the chance to try out edge stitching. The learning curve process never stops.

And a new way to use my never ended Happy Easter embroidery! I know, it has been so long since I started. And yes, for a crafter-wannabe I never got the chance to make my own pin cushions... Maybe in a few years...

The neckline is a complicated process, we have to stitch, turn cut some nudges, flat iron...

.. and edge stitch.

Edge stitching... Have to say the photos of this post were taken... over 2 weeks! It took me over two weeks to make three sets of scrubs. This next photo was taken a couple days later, still night sewing...

This is my first garment. Really proud of it, even it has so many... many flaws, but mostly because I challenged myself to try out new things and finished it!

I wanted to add a little piece of my flair to the scrub, hoping that whoever receives it knows that it was made from my love of our NHS. And one first of many  mistakes, I stitched the label on the wrong side of the scrub:

And then hemming the sleeves... And that's almost one first top done.

And then the trousers....

I cannot stress how long it took me to make these stets. I do mean how time consuming this process was for me...  It appears easily on photos but the turning and the running around looking for the right pieces when the cutting is done can't be caught on photos... Nor the time staring at the machine thinking... is this the right side??

One piece of advice, kids chalk work wonders to identify both front and back sides... 

Line the trousers, and yes, the back side has a chalk legend as well... Also, coffee... Lots of coffee was consumed alongside the stitching.

Merging the trousers together is not easy at all.... Particularly if you are deciding to use the wrong side to do it.....

And here are three pairs ready to be stitched together.

And again my heart label.

Almost done. just needing to make some buttonholes to thread the cotton thread. 

My buttonholes are terrible looking. I trained before making these, and I cannot stress how an improvement was made. Still these are looking quite terrible!

And the end result. Three sets of scrubs waiting for a NHS staff member to use them. Just pressing to finish these and send them out!

Everyone deals with this pandemic and lock-down differently. I feel that the little I can do is use whatever skills I have to help out, this case by attempting to make scrubs. It does calm down my anxiety, and keeps those unhelpful thoughts away. 

What about you, how are you dealing with this situation?

Ashya and Rotherham - The extremes of UK agencies.

Ever since I became a mum, every time the media presents news concerning children I tend to pay extra attention. I am not sure if you are aware of the whole Ashya King or Rotherham situation. Both situations left me completely appalled. Shocked. And so much more that I lack words to express how I am feeling. How is it possible for state agencies display this lack of judgment, in both cases, and let the situation escalate this way? In the first case by being overzealous and in the second by completely overlooking the children?

Of course, as the Hampshire Constabulary mentioned, it is far better to be criticized for being proactive than to be answering a tragedy that could be avoided. But still, I don´t understand how is it possible for a situation to escalate this way, in both cases. 

For the Ashya case, at the moment, I am completely sympathetic towards the parents. I have no idea what transpired in  Southampton General Hospital that made the parents remove Ashya this way, but it is clear now (or so it seems), that they had the best interest of their son at heart. If you ever contacted any NHS trust, it’s quite easy to feel that you might not be receiving the best health care in the world. Of course it always depends on the consultants that you get, you might find the most caring consultant, or you might be unlucky and get one that simply couldn’t care less. I have to say that I already crossed both. But it’s unfortunate that this case escalate to the point where the parents were treated as vile criminals, and that Ashya now is a ward of the courts. And all due to the fact that the parents where seeking the best possible care for their son. How is it possible that communication between parents, hospital and police could fail this way? Was it really necessary for the police to get an european arrest warrant? 

In the other hand we have the Rotherham case, where senior managers and police where ignoring and covering up reports of child abuse. It’s hard to believe that both situations are happening in the same country. Why didn’t the police act in this situation? Even worse, the police was disproving the abuse rather that investigating it. It´s absolutely appalling! So in one hand we have innocent parents jailed, in the other we have perpetrators running free to continue to cause terror. How is this even possible?

This clearly shows that agencies are showing no common sense at all. The lack of judgement, the disrespect for the citizens is simply appalling. And in both cases the innocent, the children, are the ones who most suffer. I am hoping that with this cases coming into light contribute to a change greatly needed.