My husband often asks, “why do you do giveaways?” Or, “why don’t you charge more for your handmade items?” And though I have long-term goals for my blog and business, my current answer is simple, “I love to see people enjoy something I created. It makes me smile to think I was a small bright spot in someone’s day.” Honestly, these things truly give me joy.
So….imagine how happy I was to find the site: craft hope, which brings a ray of sunshine to children in unfortunate situations. I discovered the site through Pink Pickett Fence when she posted her cute doll (part of craft hope Project #2). And I decided to jump on board for Project #3 (which ends on July 25).
Craft Hope was started by Jade, a mother of two, who decided to make an immediate difference in the world. She writes:
“Craft Hope is a faith-based, love inspired project designed to share handmade crafts with those less fortunate. It is our hope to combine our love for crafting and desire to help others into a project to make a difference around the world.”
For Project #3 we are making blankets, booties, hats, and more which will be sent to small villages in India. How simple is that? I pulled out all my fabric stash and came up with a variety of blankets to send. I didn’t want to go solely utilitarian, so I added fun style where I could. Because I’m sure there’s a little baby somewhere who wants to be wrapped up in layers and layers of red ruffles, right?
For burp cloths, I took nice white muslin, double-layered it and added a heart to the front and back. I closed them off with a simple top stitch and a serge around the edges. These might be a new favorite:
And with some inherited Ikea pillowcases (which were headed to Goodwill) I made matching “crib sheets” for infants. I zigzagged all the way around the pillowcase, sewing it shut, and sewed two hearts on top of each:
a Beanie Baby to give you size perspective: 
Such an easy thing to do, with plain old pillowcases! And no sewing involved if you don’t want there to be. Jade states on the blog:
“pillowcases…..Simple, pretty, clean pillowcases to use in the newborns beds. Currently they only sleep on a plastic mattress. The pillowcase size is the perfect size to use as a sheet to put down onto the mattress. This project doesn’t involve any sewing whatsoever. You can find vintage, thrifted pillowcases at the thrift store for next to nothing. And you are giving a baby a soft place to sleep.“
Next up, a stack for the boys. Soft flannel with blue and orange serged edges:
Of course with a large fabric stash, it’s easy to get carried away with how many blankets one can make. The pile was growing:
So I limited myself to one large box. I packed as much as I could in there, sealed it up (let my kids help decorate the address label) and shipped it off to Jade this week.
My husband and I have always given to various charities. But something I love about craft hope is that you really know where it’s going. You may never meet the child in person, but Jade has posted pictures of children wearing the dresses they made in Project #1…..or the HUGE stash of dolls from Project #2. This is cool to see:
* If you SEW:
CH needs blankets, burp cloths, pillow cases, more. See here.
* If you KNIT or CROCHET:
CH needs beanies, booties, blankets, and more. See here and here.
* If you DON’T sew or knit or crochet but love to give:
CH needs pillow cases, hankerchiefs, and more. See here.
You can also find tips for making your blankets, etc. on the Craft Hope NEST.
There are TWO weeks left till the July 25th deadline. What a wonderful (and easy) way to love one another. Please see Jade’s comments on how to join the project. And thank you craft hope for creating such opportunities.
