Crafty Blue Star Mothers hope to help soldiers keep cool |

Crafty Blue Star Mothers hope to help soldiers keep cool GreenvilleOnline.com The Greenville News: "GREER -- Soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan might be able to stay a little cooler, thanks to the efforts of the Greenville Blue Star Mothers.

The group is holding a workshop Saturday in Greer at which members, and anyone from the community interested in helping, will make “cool ties,” or bandana-like wraps that contain tiny crystals which, when moistened, stay cool for eight hours.
The cool ties will be sent to troops serving in the Middle East, who often wrap them around their necks or put them in their helmets to provide some measure of relief from summer temperatures which can reach 140 degrees, said Toni Gilstrap, president of Greenville Blue Star Mothers.
“Anything you can do to get a little cool in there helps,” Gilstrap said.
The cool ties are made by sewing together strips of fabric, and filling them with the tiny crystals using a funnel, then sewing together the ends of the tie. “Anyone that can sew, cut, even fill or iron (is welcome),” Gilstrap said. She said family members of group members have expressed frustration that similar store-bought items are only good for one day before the crystals begin to leak out, or stop retaining their coolness. Gilstrap said searches for store-bought wraps that were well-constructed and reusable didn’t pan out, so group members decided to make their own. “And plus, there’s a little bit of love sewn in there,” Gilstrap said. The workshop will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 31 at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 300 O’Neal Road. For more information, call 877-4090 or 313-9632."