1 in 10 infants
born in the US are admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Sew a Smile's goal is to create safe and handmade bonding hearts for NICU babies to provide comfort and care to them and their families. We serve the San Fernando Valley area, reaching out to participating hospitals in the vicinity to donate. We value community and trust.
What are bonding hearts?
Bonding hearts are (roughly) 6x6-inch homemade cloths sewn in the shape of hearts. When donated to hospitals, they are used by mothers by placing them on their skin and then placing them inside the neonate's isolette/crib in the NICU to simulate skin-to-skin contact and provide the crucial bonding between mother and child. Bonding hearts provide comfort to both the infant and family during a time of medically required separation.Sew a Smile is a small community project that's still growing. I need your help to grow it and help the infants in the valley.If you're interested in volunteering, please check out the volunteer tab by clicking the pink button above.
If you're interested in donating, please contact me directly by clicking the pink button above.
What are bonding hearts?
Bonding hearts are (roughly) 6x6-inch homemade cloths sewn in the shape of hearts. When donated to hospitals, they are used by mothers by placing them on their skin and then placing them inside the neonate's isolette/crib in the NICU to simulate skin-to-skin contact and provide the crucial bonding between mother and child. Bonding hearts provide comfort to both the infant and family during a time of medically required separation. They're also called "lovies", "scent hearts", and more.How do we make a bonding heart at Sew a Smile?
Prep: Wash fabric with non-scented detergent.
1. Cut the yard of fabric into roughly 36 7x7-inch squares.
2. Trace out a heart shape with tailor's chalk and included pattern.
3. Pin 2 pieces together, right/print sides facing together, the same as the pattern.
4. Cut out the 2 pieces into heart shapes.
5. Sew around heart (making sure to backstitch), but leave around a 1-inch section open so you're able to flip it around.
6. Flip it around and sew a 1-inch section shut.
7. You're done!Other Tutorials
https://createtodonate.org/how-to-make-a-nicu-bonding-heart-free-pattern/
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Bonding-Hearts-%28Lovies%29-for-NICU-Families
No sewing experience/machines are needed to volunteer! We're looking for volunteers who can either trace, cut, sew, or help with volunteer outreach.Fabric is relatively inexpensive, but time is priceless. It takes time to cut fabric into squares, trace them into hearts, cut them into hearts, pin the pieces together, and finally sew the heart. Additionally, outreaching to hospitals and finding more volunteer members takes time.By volunteering to take over one of these tasks, you're not helping a large million-dollar corporation, but a human with a mission to help babies in the hospital.You need to be near or in the San Fernando Valley for free pick-ups and drop-offs of materials; otherwise, mailing costs must be paid by the volunteer (at least until we can fundraise to cover the costs). This rule applies only to crafting roles, not remote roles like hospital liaison, volunteer recruiter, or fundraising.
sew & craft roles
Become a Prepper
Cut yards of fabric into 7x7-inch squares. Wash fabric with non-scented laundry detergent. Be sure that the fabric does not come in contact with any allergens.Become a Crafter
Trace 7x7-inch fabric squares with the heart pattern & cut the heart shape. Pin pieces of fabric together, right sides together.Become a Stitcher
Sew bonding hearts. Schedule pick-ups so the final product can be donated.
outreach roles
Hospital Liaison
Contacts NICUs, confirms requirements, build connections.
Volunteer Recruiter
Gets new volunteers (friends, school club, community), manages social media.
Fundraising
Applies for small grants, organizes fundraisers (GoFundMe), and works with the volunteer recruiter for social media.
email
[email protected]phone (for time-urgent matters)
(818) 921-6419Thank you for your interest! Expect a response soon!