Helping Some Great Causes

In the aftermath of a devastating act of violence, our community of creative makers has come together in order to raise money to benefit the survivors. The Handmade for Newtown Auction, organized by Rachael at Imagine Gnats and Kelley of Casa Crafty in conjunction with From the Heart Auctions, has given me a chance to get involved and help out, even in small way. I'm offering a full set of my embroidery patterns for auction alongside over 100 other items and bundles each donated by bloggers and makers just like me. All of the proceeds from this auction will benefit the Newtown Parent Connection, and bids on all auction items will be accepted through Friday, January 18 at 10pm EST.

To view the amazing list of items up for bid and to read more information about the auction, click here to visit the official Facebook page. I would like to say a huge thanks to both Rachael and Kelley for working so hard to put this together!

My friend Jess at The Elven Garden has also asked me to share some important information with you about another vital effort to help those in need:

As some of you may be aware, my home state of Tasmania has been devastated by some huge bushfires in the last week. Many, many homes have been completely destroyed and families have lost everything. The latest report is that about 200 homes have been either destroyed or severely damaged in the bushfires.

According to the Tasmanian Government, the best way to help is to donate money at either

St Vincent de Paul - 131 812 or www.vinnies.org.au, or
Red Cross - 1800 811 700 or www.redcross.org.au

If you're local, donations of the following are being accepted:

• Toilet packs
• Essential new clothing
• Necessities for children and babies
• Batteries (including 9V)
• Torches
• Lanterns
• First Aid supplies
• Sunscreen
• Aeroguard
• Blankets and bedding

My heart goes out to all the people and families affected by the fires. What I've decided to do is ask for donations of baby's and kids quilts to pass on to the families who have lost so much in the fires. If you can help out with this, please let me know and I'll give you details of where to send them.

If you have quilt tops that just need backing and quilting, I'd be happy to accept these too and quilt them up myself to give to the families who've been affected.

UPDATE: There is a register being set up of children who have been affected by the fires - all the donated quilts will be matched to a recipient via the register (based on gender and age), and delivered directly to the families in need. This will be an ongoing effort, so there is not really an accurate time frame I can give.

There is also a handmade auction being hosted by The Handmade Library - if you are interested in donating anything for the auction, you can find the Facebook group here.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and if you are able to contribute or help in anyway with either of these important efforts, it's very much appreciated!