Tag: charity

Items to Craft for Chronically Ill Friends & Relatives, Part One

National Invisible Awareness Week has ended but it’s still National Pain Awareness Month and right now I’m well aware of my pain so I thought I’d blog instead 😉  In honour of my Crafting for Causes charity program (which has NO donations yet *sniff sniff* — whatcha waiting on people??) I thought I would list just a small sampling of items that could brighten an ill person’s day and/or make their lives easier. Of course some of this depends on what kind of illness they have but you’d be using your judgement, of course!

Papercrafting

  • Handmade cards and postcards (can involve sewing/quilting/fabric/etc too!)
  • Signs of good wishes to hang up near their bed/lair
  • Mini-books filled with inspirational quotes
  • Personalized stationery to make it easy to write notes to friends — with postage included
  • Blank journals to record their health, feelings, dreams or wishes, etc.

Quilting

  • Lap quilts for wheelchair users (I like 30 inches square finished size)
  • Small throws for lounging on the sofa
  • Bed quilts, especially for the hospitalized to bring to colour to the room
  • Padded cases for eyeglasses
  • Thick quilted “pot” holders to be used for hot OR cold items (my hands can’t handle taking things out of the freezer, for instance)

Sewing

  • All kinds of warmers made with grains/rice inside of fabric that can be microwaved; these can be shaped for certain body parts or square for a generic heating pad
  • Nice pillows to put said warmers into, or just in general
  • Fleece hats
  • Extra-warm Mittens
  • Bed jackets and shrugs
  • Bags and totes for carrying things to appointments
  • Bags, “backpacks” and other items to add storage space to a rollator or wheelchair
  • “Slanket”/”Snuggie” type throws
  • Cute animals to cuddle up with — yes even adults like to sleep with a friend sometimes! — ideally very soft as well

Knit/Crochet

  • Lap blankets for wheelchair users (see above)
  • Throws for lounging
  • Shrugs and cardigans for those who get cold easily
  • Gloves, mittens or fingerless versions thereof
  • Wrist, arm, legwarmers
  • Hats, especially soft ones that are washable but don’t have bulky brims (for those of us who have to sleep in hats a bump at the brim can be uncomfortable)
  • Handmade socks
  • Prayer square where appropriate
  • Cute, soft animals (see above)

Toiletries — check with the person first for allergies/sensitivities!!

  • Lotions for those with skin problems
  • Unscented items for people allergic to perfumes
  • Exfoliating items for people who can’t bathe/shower every single day (dead skin can build up quickly)
  • Aromatherapy blends for relaxation, stress reduction, mental clarity, etc.
  • Bath blends without harsh chemicals; salts are usually good for this
  • Massage oils safe for use on the temples and forehead or warming or cooling ones for the body

Beading

  • Bookmarks
  • Stretchy jewelry for people who have trouble with hooks and clasps
  • Pretty, sparkly things for women who may be feeling unfeminine b/c of illness or side effects of treatment
  • Prayer beads where appropriate
  • Tiaras to make them the Queen of their Domain 🙂
  • Medic alert IDs — make the medic sign very visible
  • Awareness jewelry relating to their specific disease(s)

This is really a small sample of things that can be made, and things I plan to make for others.  Watch this space for more ideas in the weeks to come, and of course feel free to ask any questions about the items listed or to make suggestions of your own!

Sick Chicks, Chaps and Children Who Craft — Represent!

I’ve been trying to make a list of everyone who has publicly acknowledged that they have a chronic illness and who also are crafters.  Maybe they make their living crafting or just use it to cope with the everyday stresses of living with illness.  However, this is obviously an impossible task — there are millions of people who fit this category!  So I’m just going to do what I can and start the ball rolling!

Since this is Invisible Illness Awareness Week, I can’t think of a better time to start ah, taking names 😉

If you are, or know of, a person who is out about living with chronic illness (please don’t divulge secrets not your own!) who is into crafting, please please comment!  Leave the blog, website, Twitter, Facebook, Etsy or other URL where we can find them so we can spread the encouragement!

Invisible Illness Awareness Week 2009
Invisible Illness Awareness Week 2009

And please don’t forget that I am crafting for the chronically ill & their support teams, donations of craft supplies & postage greatly needed!!

Crafting for Causes — Check out my new charity work!

In case you haven’t seen yet, I have pledged to craft little gifts for chronically ill people, their carers and medical professionals that deserve our thanks. I am in need of craft supplies, but anything else anyone might want to send to be distributed to these lovely people would be greatly appreciated!!! Chronically ill adults benefit the LEAST from programs designed to give cheer to the sick. Most of the money and effort go to children or adults with terminal illness or cancer, while funds for chronic illnesses go to research. Research is a good thing, but when you’re feeling isolated and lonely it’s not much to go on.

Since I know most of my readers ARE chronically ill people, what I would really like from you is just to spread the word that I am looking for supplies. Please tell everyone with excessive stashes or any craft supply companies or book publishers who might be able to donate. Thanks so much for your efforts!!!

For more info please see: http://thesickchick.com/causes

A very special Sick Chick who Crafts

Marian is six years old and has been blogging for over a year now (by dictating to her mum, Valerie). From what I’ve seen she so very enthusiastic about crafting which is so great to see in a girl her age.

But there’s something potentially getting in the way of her crafting this year: her bone marrow transplant. Because of the way this transplant will work, she will undergo chemotherapy in March and then go into the hospital for her transplant surgery. Her older sister is her donor, a perfect match, but that’s still a painful operation for both little girls 🙁 Anyway, after her transplant, Marian’s immune system will be so fragile that she will only be able to use brand-new craft supplies that can be easily cleaned.  She will be in hospital for a long time until she is recovered enough to be able to take her new immune system out into the world so will need a lot of supplies!

Not taking this lying down, she’s raising money through the sales of craft kits and other artwork to fund her supplies with leftover money going to a charity called Caitlyn’s Smiles which provides craft kids for children in hospitals. The kits and things are for sale through her mom’s Etsy shop, Purple Petunia which is due to be restocked today.

I don’t know what else can be done for this amazing crafty family, but I’m going to try whatever they ask 🙂  I’ve written to get a t shirt (which features a drawing Marian did of a pop singer with the caption “Project Superstar” which is the codename for the fund raising and Marian-cheering efforts) but I don’t know if they are sold out already.  If I get one though I shall take a photo of me in it in front of major landmarks in London and Paris and email them periodically while Marian is recovering.

So I encourage everyone to go over to the blog and post comments, to go to the shop and buy some of the snowglobe necklace kits made by the girls, and to watch this space as I’ll post if I hear of any other ways to help.  Let’s do what we can to keep this sick chick crafting! 🙂

Charity begins at home

Well, I generally think that charity begins with MEEEEE. OK, that sounds pretty bad, but as the recipient of grants and money raised to pay for my wheelchair, assistance from my parents for chair maintenance and other mobility aids, and the outrageously high cost of living as a disabled person, I do get somewhat fed up with people who come asking me to donate money to this charity or that. Not that I don’t want to give, but well, what spare money I have generally goes to charities involved in finding treatments or cures for my plethora of diseases. (OK and for history & preservation things too, but that’s much farther down the priority list, financially.)

That said, I do WANT to help out others, it’s just that I have a lot more time than money. So now that I am finally able to knit basic things on my looms, I am ready to start knitting for those who — well, may or may not be not less fortunate than me, but still need nice things to make them feel special and to know that people care. I *KNOW* how it feels to think that the world has abandoned you, and how even a small gift from a random stranger can totally brighten your week. So I want to give back. Of course, I can’t say that this is entirely unselfish — crafting makes me happy and is good for my mental health, so I am getting a lot out of it, too. I’m just going to have to watch my pennies so that I can make sure that I always have enough yarn to match my semi-endless amount of time.

So, the first charity project is to make a child’s afghan for the Tricot du Coeur (Knitters of the Heart) project which this winter is making afghans and quilts to support a camp for disabled children in North Carolina. The kids get to take their blankets home with them, so they need a LOT of blankies to go around! I don’t yet know what pattern or anything I will use, but someone pointed me to a good deal on a washable wool/acrylic blend yarn in eye-bleedingly bright colours (hey, they said bright!) so I have some yarn on the way (I’m nearly out, it’s a travesty!!!) for that project and also some discounted novelty yarn to make some magic scarves for any ladies I may choose to gift 🙂

I’m always on the lookout for good causes to knit for (I prefer disability/illness over shelters but will probably get around to everyone eventually) and also good prices on yarn that I can use for these projects. It has to be affordable, but not scratchy or nasty. (NO Red Heart! That stuff makes my skin itch so I can’t cope with using it, let alone give it to anyone…except their Light n Lofty which is OK)

My skills are still pretty meager, but as my mom puts it, it’s the love that counts, not the fanciness of the pattern. Anyway, I don’t know if my yarn will get here before I leave for the holidays, so it may be 2008 before I wield my looms for good, but I plan to keep charity projects as high on my priority list as all of the friends I plan to inundate with gifts in the coming year (as a way to say thank you for standing by me through last year’s spell of worse-than-ever health).

Note to self: Ask Ricky if the Adults Need Smiles Too programme is still running, as that would be an ideal place to go next.

As it turns out, I *do* like Lion Brand Yarns!

I don’t exactly know why I got onto the Lion Brand Yarns mailing list, but several months ago I joined and have been pleased with their weekly e-list even before I knew how to knit. Then their podcast, Yarncraft, came out and I enjoy it even more as it has a beginner knitter and I love the yarn designer (whose name escapes me but she sounds just like my friend Genny!). Creating yarns and colourways sounds like a dream job!! Still though, I had no yarn skills and had never encountered Lion Brand. I need to see if it is easily available in the UK. However, on my trip to the US I found it in several big box craft stores and I am very pleased to report that I actually enjoy their yarns, at least the ones I have acquired or have seen in use. Homespun is especially a favourite for gifting as the machine washability is a big plus but the softness is something I’ve generally seen only in yarns that cost twice the price. I’ve also tried Fancy Fur and have several skeins of Suede that will eventually make it over here. I want to try their Cotton Ease and also feltable wools. What I have used has been very easy to work with and comes in so many fabulous colours that one is rather spoilt for choice

(This is not to say that I don’t like other yarns, or that I haven’t bought things that are much more expensive…but when dealing with people with very sensitive skin or various fiber allergies, Lion Brand has many products that fit the bill perfectly and at a price I can afford.)

Anyway, it would have been awful to find out that despite their lovely list and podcast that I didn’t like their stuff…so I’m very pleased that I like their products as much as their marketing 🙂

Now, to find what sorts of yarn shows one has to get into to get the mythical bag of free Lion Brand Yarn! I have soooo much charity knitting to do this winter, plus half my friends are disabled and have special fiber needs (but I’m not counting that as charity knitting) — I need all the Lion Brand yarn I can get my hands on! 🙂 Maybe I can convince them that I should be a tester to see how well their products work for people with extremely sensitive skin? 🙂 Well, a girl can dream, anyway…*sigh* Now, how do I get my hands on a sample card…. off to search their website now!