I am going to ask you a question. Are you doing the necessary?
It is interesting the things that are unfolding as we study more history and what is going on in the world today.
The picture above is a finger cover/bandage I made today by taking a white sock and cutting it into small pieces to make a soft finger bandage for my little finger. I can use that one sock and make many finger bandages for when I need something that has a little stretch of give. I made a simple blanket stitch around the bandage.
Sometimes we need a custom bandage.
Bandages are expensive now and after purchasing what I needed to take care of my finger it was quite expensive to buy gauze and tape coban etc. We have a medical cabinet but Charles cut his thumb in the work shop awhile back and we used a lot of the bandages we had so it needed replenishing.
So today I read on my friend Rhonda Hetzels's blog that they are in need of people to sew particular wraps and sacks for the injured and burned animals in Australia. We have to be living under a rock to not know how terrible the fires are in Australia.
This got me to thinking about the post I did when we were studying world war two and I had learned how women got together to knit and sew bandages for the troops fighting the war. I then learned this also was done in world war 1 and earlier battles long ago.
Many women, teens and even men helped by knitting and sewing bandages. But I became frustrated when I tried to find patterns to see how they made them. After much research I finally found a few instructions and posted them.
I then realized why there was little information. The ladies formed training and knitting groups to make these bandages but they needed them to be precise so they had the best of what they needed and did not have to just make do with what one sent. They needed them to be absorbent and particular sizes so they did not make public how to do this. They trained the ladies how to do this.
I will post a link at the bottom of this post to find the blog post I did about the bandages.
I also talked on my blog about the society that formed to help bandages for those with leprosy. When people pull together we can do so much more to help. I will also post the link about this.
So today I did some thinking about how we go around doing things that are not truly necessary and do not do the things that are necessary.
A first aid kit in the home is necessary. It would be nice to make some of the items for that kit homemade because the things we make if we use cotton can be washed and sterilized. We also can make custom items and have the materials in the first aid kit to make things that are needed so we do not have to go out and spend the money.
My daughter has spent a good bit of money on vet care for her pets and one in particular that has had a irritated area that became a wound and she had to purchase bandages.
We just automatically purchase these things because many of us do not know we can make a lot of the things we need. We even forget that in the past most people sewed their own clothing and underwear and did this very well. So many of us have lost all these skills or never had them in the first place.
Right now the fires in Australia are just terrible. There is so much need there in so many ways. I do not even know what the number of homes that are lost, people that have died, animals that have died. We are not talking about hundreds or thousands or millions, they are saying now it may have reached one billion. Then there are so very many that are injured.
My friend Rhonda Hetzel in Australia has a Nephew, Charles, that is a volunteer wildlife rescuer. Rhonda is asking for people that can sew a straight stitch to please help to make Bat wraps and Hanging Joey Pouches for the injured animals to send to Charles.
There are others asking as well with different groups. Some need foot bandages for the burned feet and other groups in need. If you can sew or knit I ask you to please do some research to see what you might be able to do to help. This is a very serious situation. I will post below the link to Rhonda's blog post and directions. If you do make either of the items that Charles needs you will need to send it to Charles address.
I do not know the other rescue groups that are asking for items. Of course they need monitary donations too but some do not have the money to give but maybe could sew or knit or crochet items they need.
This brings me to other needs such as the areas in the world that is winter now. There are always so many animal rescue groups for dogs and cats and other animals that need warm bedding. There are so few things today that we can control or do anything about but then there are things we can do right in our home by just sitting in a chair or at a sewing machine that could help others.
We can also start at home by making sure we have the things we need in case of an emergency or injury. If we do not know how to sew or knit or crochet it would be helpful if we learn how to do so because we never know when we may need to be called in to action to help. We all need to learn these skills that our Ancestors did so well.
I will close with this post, here is a link to Rhonda's blog post about the Bat wraps and the hanging joey pouches.
https://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2020/01/we-need-sewers-who-can-sew-straight.html
Here is a link to my older blog post about bandages during the war
http://gdonna.com/living-like-the-past/bandages/
Here is a link to the bandages for leprosy
http://www.stmaryonthehill.org/smothlinks/bandage.pdf
For animal shelters
Blankets and Pet Beds Towels Dog/Cat Food and Treats Collars, Leashes, and Harnesses Stainless Steel Bowls Crates and Carriers Toys Cat Trees and Litter NO PILLOWS OR BED SHEETS
