Special Fabric

Special fabric was designed for our conference by United Methodists from Cote d’Ivoire with the guidance of our Lay Leader, Leah Taylor. 

You will see the Texas influence with the beautiful bluebonnets coordinated with our United Methodist emblem. This fabric was ordered and shipped to us to help raise money for the Cote d’Ivoire Adopt-a-Student program and other educational needs of the children. We need your support to continue to raise money and use this fabric to remind us of our commitment to the Cote d’Ivoire-Texas Methodist partnership. 

The purpose of the Adopt-A-Student partnership with Cote d’Ivoire is to provide tuition and school fees for students who cannot afford to pay to attend school. In 2010, United Methodists in Cote d’Ivoire created a special cloth for the Texas Annual Conference. The cloth bears the cross and flame and incorporates bluebonnets into the design. The fabric costs $7.50 per yard, with proceeds benefiting Ivorian children, allowing them to attend school.

Local churches and individuals undertook a project with the fabric and creating items to be sold during Annual Conference in 2011. Rev. Diane McGehee and Shirley Broome in the Center for Missional Excellence spearheaded the project. “Our objective was to give everyone the opportunity to contribute to this program, whether they could sew or not,” says Broome. “Now, every person can participate in this ministry; either by creating something beautiful out of the material or buying something someone else created.” All proceeds will go to the, Adopt-A-Child Partnership.

"We gave them the fabric to return to us in the form of items we could sell." Broome said. "The fabric can be purchased for other projects, but if volunteers plan to donate the items back to us, we will give them the amount they need." 

Items made from the special fabric so far include hand painted, beautifully designed tote bags, teddy bears, sock monkeys, aprons, pillows, stoles, and more.

Many of the originals were sold, but additional items are planned to be available at upcoming events, including R.E.A.P. (GHLES), School of Christian Mission, and the North District Mission Forum Scheduled for the Fall.

If your church has a sewing ministry and would like to get involved, or if you or your friends want to work on your own projects to help out, let us know. Feel free to invite other sewing ministries around conference to participate in these and other future events.

You can download an order form to e-mail, fax, or mail us to place your order.

You may order any amount of fabric you desire. It comes in 12-yard-lengths, but can be cut to the size you need. The fabric is approximately 46” wide. We have a large supply so any amount order can be filled.  Allow 2 to 4 weeks for your order to be processed. Contact Jan Bierwirth at the United Methodist Service Center if you have questions. Call 713-521-9383, ext. 316 or e-mail at jbierwirth@methodists.net. We look forward to receiving your orders. 

Download Order Form

Churches involved in making items for this ministry include:

Chapelwood UMC

Christ UMC Sugar Land

Friendswood UMC

Holy Covenant UMC

Holy Trinity UMC

John Wesley UMC

League City UMC

Memorial Drive UMC

Mission Bend UMC

Paul Horton UMC

Servants of Christ UMC

St. Paul’s UMC Houston

UMW Executive Committee