Hi June,

Most of the troops are mediums. They tend to lose weight when they are
inpatient. But some are large. There are some women, though not nearly as
many as the men. For the women, we use 'boy shorts' rather than
boxers, due to
comfort and hygiene issues.

We are getting to the end of summer fabric stuff. But we give clothing to San
Antonio's hospital and it's almost always warm there and the troops
wear shorts
in PT all year. We are also finding a need to adapt swim trunks for
the troops
to allow them to do their pool therapy and burn victims will use a sterile
whirlpool (which I understand is quite painful). Some of the adaptations can
be done with just regular athletic shorts (it's just getting these donated
that's the problem!) The troops in TX prefer the more flamboyant fabrics and
the DC group tend to stick with the more sedate fabrics. That's just a
general
rule, sometimes they will let us know who their favorite teams are and
we try to
match up a seamstress from that area - fabrics are locally available.

In the winter we will use flannel, khaki-type, denim and (my personal favorite
since it's idiot proof!) fleece! I also like fleece b/c it's like a hug warm
hug! The halls at Walter Reed are drafty and cold! But, sweatshirt material
is great for shorts anytime of the year! The khaki and denim is more for the
troops who can get out and don't want to feel like they are under-dressed all
the time. They want to dress nicely when they go to church or if they get
invited to dinner. Of course, that's for the guys that are outpatient.

For the women, we make adaptive shorts in dressier fabrics and also
make regular
skirts that have elastic waistbands. For some of the amputees just being able
to go to the restroom easily can be hard, especially if they are double
amputees! The skirts make this a bit easier for them. It's amazing to me all
the things I never would have thought of that are tough for these wounded
troops! Even the arm amputees appreciate the skirts, since they are easier to
get in and out of without having to mess with buttons and such!

I am a military spouse and we were just relocated from DC to OH. So
now I live
in Beavercreek OH near Wright-Patterson AFB. The clothing is shipped
to me and
I distribute it to the different hospitals depending on their current needs.

We only recently got our 501(C)3 status pending which we hope will make it
easier for the larger corporations to donate things like fabric. Up to now
it's been begging for everything. To be perfectly honest, I had no idea how
many wounded troops there were or how much they needed when I began. Or I
probably wouldn't have had the energy to begin! And I had never
dreamed of the
project becoming so large! Neither did I envision the tremendous impact these
simple clothing items have on the troops. I'm so proud of my seamstresses for
all they are doing to help the troops feel better about themselves and
get back
to feeling normal sooner!

Is this more information than you wanted? If not, feel free to contact
me with
more questions! (937) 306-2292

Thanks,

Ginger Dosedel
Sew Much Comfort
(937) 306-2292
2960 Whispering Pines
Beavercreek OH 45431
http://www.sewmuchcomfort.org