All for a good cause

Twenty-year-old sewing enthusiast, apprentice, and volunteer firefighter Jill Hummel lives in Bad Vilbel, Germany. She creates beautiful garments and accessories for premature babies, which she then donates to local hospitals and children’s hospices. We met with Jill to find out more about how she uses her favourite Brother machines to make a difference to her local community. 

When did you first discover your love for sewing? 

How did you become involved in making items for premature babies? 

I happened to see a post on Instagram about a group of people who were voluntarily sewing projects for premature babies. As soon as I saw the post, I just knew I wanted to do the same. I thought it would be a great way to combine my hobby with something really meaningful.  
 
The well-being of my fellow human beings is particularly close to my heart, which is why I’m so passionate about volunteering. I initially planned to make it a one-off thing but, as you can see, I have been doing it for four years now – and I still enjoy it!  

Where do you donate your items once you’ve sewn them? 

I usually donate my projects to hospitals in my neighbourhood. I mainly sew clothes for premature babies, such as bloomers, rompers, and hats – and I’ve also made baby blankets. The bloomers are my favourite, as I can make them relatively quickly, and sew them from special fabrics.  
 
Once they’re finished, I take them to the neonatology department of the University Hospital Frankfurt am Main, or to the Höchst Hospital. I’ve also donated pencil cases and feeding tube pads to the Kleine Helden Osthessen e.V., a children's and youth hospice. I love sewing the pencil cases as gifts for my friends, too! 

Do projects for premature babies need to be made from special materials? 

Yes, I always pay particular attention to the fabrics. They should be soft and made of natural fibres – cotton jersey is a favourite of mine. I also use a lot of stretchy cuff fabric, and for the rompers, I need metal jersey press studs to be able to fasten them well at the top. I buy my fabrics everywhere, whenever I find a beautiful motif. I often find new materials at Dutch fabric markets, or in local fabric shops.  
 
Luckily, my Instagram posts about my sewing work have also brought me to the attention of a lot of people who are constantly sending me fabric donations. I'm always particularly happy about this, as it shows that my hobby is appreciated. I would like to say a special thank you to everyone who always supports me – it means so much. 

Do you have a favourite sewing machine? 

My first Brother machine was the Innov-is 10 Anniversary, which I think is an absolutely beautiful design. It was ideal for me as a beginner and was my centrepiece. After I developed my sewing skills and wanted to go a bit further, I bought the Innov-is F410. Once again, I’m so completely happy and satisfied with this machine. It can do everything I need it to, and it just sews beautifully. My latest purchase was the Brother 4234D overlocker, which has made sewing the premature baby clothes so much easier for me. 

If you could add anything to your craft room, what would it be? 

My absolute dream (that I’m on my way to fulfilling!) is to own a professional embroidery machine. When I attended the Creative World show in Frankfurt, I was able to look at the Skitch PP1 embroidery machine and I found it all SO interesting. For a long time, my most coveted item was the Innov-is 880E. I’ve thought about buying an embroidery machine for so long but I kept putting it off, but I know it’ll be one of my best ideas! A Brother ScanNCut machine is also at the top of my wish list. I’m always so pleased with the quality of Brother devices. They work perfectly, and are always a lot of fun to use. I’d love to work in collaboration with Brother at some point in the future. 

We’re donating a copy of our PE Design software to you – how do you think you’ll use it in your charitable projects? 

Yes, I am so grateful for that! I’d like to use the software to create small items for the parents of premature babies. I’m going to design little gifts with encouraging sayings embroidered onto them, to give them some extra support during what is often a very difficult and exhausting time. 

Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to join you in making items for premature babies?  

By all means! I’m always happy for people to reach out to me on Instagram with any questions about this topic. There are lots of organisations out there on social media that you can send your own sewn garments to – or, you can do what I do, and look for local hospitals to donate them to directly. As mentioned above, children's and youth hospices are also happy to receive support. 

Is there anything our readers can do to help your cause? 

Let me put it this way, I am always happy to receive donations of fabric, press studs, or yarn! They are all things that I use often for my voluntary work. In general, I recommend everyone take part in this great hobby and try sewing for premature babies, it's just great fun. I have recently started my own business too, so you can now buy small hand-sewn items from me, and you’ll definitely be able to find me at local markets in the near future, too. For more information about my makes or to ask me questions about how to get involved with premature baby projects, you can find me on Instagram at @jills_naehatelier.