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Wednesday, June 4, 2008

While I'm gone... Contest

I'm going to be gone at least 5 days and maybe more so while I'm gone let's have another contest. Just tell me your best story about charity crafting. It can be sweet, funny, touching or even bad, I don't care. Please do not include your email address since I will not post any comment with personal info. Your comments won't show up until I can get home and moderate them. Make sure you make clear your craft of choice so I can make the prize appropriate if you win. Watch the blog in 5 or so days to see the stories and to see who wins.

12 comments:

Wendy said...

I will try to make this short...I found my charity crafting in April of 2007 when I was at my lowest depressed mode...I felt so worthless and such a burdon...But I found my Yahoo groups and some wonderful caring and giving people, that helped me to craft for those worse off than me...It brought a bright light into my dark mood, and lifted me out of my depression. My finances are meager but I still have my hands that God gifted me with that love to make things....to bring a little sunshine, Love or Hug into someone else's life....I, at the moment, have not been able to do all I want to do, but I still craft away for the day that I do have the money to send on my work to their new homes. I have crocheted for 31 years and have been learning to knit, and love it....Hope you are having a wonderful day...

Anonymous said...

My best charity craft is crocheting
for Heartmade Blessings. Our motto is that there is a hug in every stitch. To bring such comfort to those in need. There is nothing more rewarding.

Anonymous said...

I donated over 20 pounds of yarn to a battered women's shelter. It was all stash yarn, but in excellent condition. I also included knitting needles, crochet hooks, stitch markers, books and other yarn crafting essentials. I'm a survivor myself and wanted to help women who are still struggling to survive and thrive. I've also taught battered women to crochet (my passion) and only asked that they teach someone else. Charity begins at home -- a loving, safe home.

Anonymous said...

When my first son was born he weighed 3 lbs. 7 oz. There had been some complications at the end of the pregnancy, but he was a full term baby. He was in the special care unit of the hospital for a couple of weeks. My husband and I spent LOTS of time in there. We were so in love with the little guy. The nurses were very kind and really helpful. Finally they told us that we could do more for Kevin (our boy) than they could and they wanted to request that the doctor release him. We brought Kevin home when he weighed 4 lbs. 4 oz. When I was packing Kevin to come home he had a little hand knit hat on that the nurses had put on him. The very last thing I did was take the hat off to return to the nurse. She said it was mine to keep. That some woman had made it for me. My mother had passed away a couple of years before and was a knitter, crocheter, and seamstress, but she never got to make anything for my baby. I was so deeply touched and I never forgot the little preemie hat.
Fast forward 20+ years. I was trying to quit smoking and took up crocheting. I taught myself via the internet and eventually started knitting as well. In surfing the internet for knitting patterns I came across a charity group that knits hats for preemie babies called Touching Little Lives. I love, LOVE, making the preemie hats and booties. How many times that kindness and love extended to me so many years ago has continued to touch my life. I often pray for the person that made the hat for my little boy, and I always pray for the mommy and baby that get the hats I am making. Still makes me tear up.
I told my son Kevin who is now a strapping, wonderful 22 year old man about it. He doesn't get it but I think he will when he has a baby.

Thanks for letting me tell my story.

Anonymous said...

Its hard to decide which story to tell as I have been into charity quilting for about 15 years. I guess the one that touched me the deepest was when I first starting charity quilting with Binky Patrol. We were making quilts for Ronald McDonald House here in Las Vegas and they wanted enough quilts so that everyone could get one.

Sometimes we got to meet the kids and families that had received the quilts. One mother in particular, when she found out we were the quilters, grabbed me and gave me the biggest hug. In between the tears the explained that her son had passed away and that the people in RMD had given her a quilt out of the pile. She showed me the quilt - which had a little redheaded boy peaking around corner. She said it was her son telling her he was okey where he was.

I still cry when I think of that.

tonie keith
las vegas nv

maureen in nj said...

Hi Deb, In 1980, when I was first married and moved to northern NJ, I changed fields in nursing and started to work in our local Level III NICU. At first, I was just in the newborn nursey, but soon after, transitioned to the step down,and soon to the actual NICU. One of the reponsibilities of the NICU staff nurses was to attend all C-sections, and any high risk delivery, any deliveery experiencing complications, and all transport requests from outlying hospitals in our transport area. The very first transport I ever did was to a little hospital about 20 miles from ours, to pick up a newborn girl (still remember her name... Allison) with a diagnosis of "respiratory distress". That can mean a wjole lot of things, and this time it was the worst of the worst. she was a gorgeous term baby who had experienced meconium aspiration in utero, and had inhaled a huge plug of this sticky material into her larger airways when she drew her first breath. ( That makes ventilation nearly impossible) Seeing this, the doctor in the Delivery room intubated her hoping to be able to clear her airway, but was unable to do this. By the time we got there.... she was already about 1/2 hour old, and had been only MINIMALLY ventilated for all of that time. We brought her back to our unit, knowing that the tests woudl likely confirm near brain-death,, which they did, and set about preparing the father ( and the mother when she was discharged from the hospital and could visit the baby) for her impending death. By this time, Allison was several days old, and virtually unresponsive on a ventilator). Her parents made the decisions to remove her from the vent and let her go Home, and we thought it would be a matter of minutes. Instead, it took 2 weeks, during which time the parents prepared themselves by visiting less and less each day. There were no family visits, no toys or clothes brought, and I felt very badly about this.( Inexperienced as I was, I thought MY way was the right way, and made her a small 6" mint green teddy bear becuase I thought no child should die alone. The director of the unit ( normally the most gentle man ever created) blew his stack, becuase I put MY wishes ahead of the parents' wishes...but the teddy bear was not removed from the isolette. When Allison finally died, it was put in the Rememberance Box along with her crib card, a lock of hair, etc, and held for the parents. It took them almost a year to come back to us and pick up the RB, but about a month after that, I got a note in the mail from the parents, announcing the birth of their second ( perfectly healthy) child, and a thank you for thinking about Allison at a time when it was too difficult for them to attach. Still have the note, 28 years later..... maureen

Smellyann said...

Well, as you probably know, my husband and I run our charity called CARE Package, since the death of our son five years ago. We get donations from all over the world, but not a lot. Sometimes I can't use the item and pass it along to another charity I think it will help. I guess I don't really have a story to post... LOL! I just wanted to enter! ;)

Trisha said...

I love to make quilts and give them to mothers who are expecting a baby and don't have anything special for their baby. Around this area we have lots of young ladies who find themselves pregnant and then their boyfriend takes off, leaving them to deal with the whole pregnancy alone. We also have a lot of people who don't really have enough money to pay their own bills and to try and supply the needs of an infant on top of it is really tough. My daughter knows a lot of people and is never past coming to me and saying, "Mom, someone needs a quilt for their baby...." I've gotten pretty good at putting together a basic baby quilt pretty quickly while making it attractive and unique.
There's just something special about sharing the gift God gives you with someone in need. It puts things in perspective.

Anonymous said...

my story is about how our local senior center no longer gives us yarn to make things for them to sell or give at monthly drawings (after dinners). also another charity doesn't want any clothes-this is a woman shelter. what is going on that nobody wants it? it's conventinet as it's local. the postage would kill me if i had to send these items via mail.

Anonymous said...

I have been quilting for about 6 years now and have always made "one" for charity.
I then found HeartStrings online and now found an even more fun way to make the "one " for charity.
I enjoy the heart string quilts so much I wanted to teach others to do them. I had recently joined the Sisterhood at our Synagogue and they wanted to start some new projects. Here was my opening. I offered to teach anyone how to make a heart string quilt and to be able to give more than that " one " to charity.
We now meet 2x a month and I have created at least 4 new quilters. We also have ladies attend who don't want to sew so they are tasked with ironing, ripping the strips and helping figure out the design.
We have 3 completed tops and 2 more almost done.
It has been so much fun sharing my passion and passing it on.
Marsha

Anonymous said...

Hello there, Here is my charity story which happened a couple weeks ago. I made an afghan and donated it to a benefit for a baby who is not developing normally. The afghan was for a silent auction. After the silent auction, I called to find out how much my afghan went for-- as I was curious.
They did not have a price for the afghan, so I was curious... Here is what happened, the mom looked at the donations the day before the silent auction. She liked the afghan so much, she kept it for herself. The baby needed to be hospitalized again and "my" afghan was brought to the hospital to keep the mom and baby warm.
This just warms my heart!
Sincerely, Terrie

MOLLY said...

Well all i can think of is the time i made costumes for our church play and finished them up the day before i was so tired. I went to sleep thinking about them , and got up in my sleep drove 30+ milkes to church and took them somewhere during the night ( found the empty boxes in my car) and the next day had to scramble to find costumes get everyone dressed for the play in time for the play that evening. We still havent found the costumes.
Molly : O )