Wednesday, February 23, 2011

a story of crafting hope

photo courtesy of Dana Willard
 Dana, of the always exciting blog: Made, contacted me yesterday to share this story... and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind since. (If you follow me on twitter, you know it brought me to tears.) She and a friend organized  a service project at her church. They decided to use Craft Hope for ideas, as Dana had contributed a project and was intimately familiar with it.  Of all of the wonderful patterns, one of mine was chosen! The group picked the infant kimonos and found a local place in need of baby items:
"It's a house for young pregnant moms to live before and after having their babies so they can learn new skills and get back on their feet. We decided to help these new moms out by making infant gowns."- Dana

Two summers ago, I worked diligently on perfecting that pattern, determined to make a design that was streamlined enough for even a new sewer to make in multiples for giving. Since the book's release, I've seen some lovely gowns made, but NEVER in stacks! In the course of a few hours of working together, Dana's group made 20 of them! TWENTY!
photo courtesy of Dana Willard
I can't tell you how much it moved me to see the photos of them all working together and having such a good time (and using thrifted materials, to boot!). I can't help but think of the tiny new babies that will snuggle into these gowns made with such kindness and generosity. Such love. This was my highest hope and the highlight of an already very special week.
photo courtesy of Dana Willard
A huge THANK YOU to Dana, her friend Katherine, and all the other wonderful women that joined in to craft hope for twenty young mothers in their town. Sewing is powerful work. To see more photos and read the story in full, please check here. You may want to pour yourself a cup of tea and get comfortable if you haven't visited Made before. Dana's blog is brimming over with great ideas...

 And that giveaway? Come by tomorrow it will be up bright and early! Pin It
Posted by mayaluna at 9:54 AM Labels: , ,

12 comments:

  1. Tina @ Squirrel AcornsFebruary 23, 2011 at 10:09 AM

    Wasn't that a lovely story? It actually made me go out and buy the book right then! (Of course, I've been thinking of buying it for ages, but it kicked me over the edge.) My monthly crafty get-together is going to make the birth kits for the current Craft Hope project on Saturday, and I also thought having the book on hand would be of interest to the others in my group.

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  2. nest full of eggsFebruary 23, 2011 at 10:26 AM

    Craft Hope is a good thing ~ it was my absolute favorite crafty type book from 2010 (i just recently blogged about it)
    have a great day !

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  3. Crystal@GreenMittensFebruary 23, 2011 at 11:06 AM

    What a wonderful thing! I am off to check out Craft Hope now, very inspiring!

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  4. shariFebruary 23, 2011 at 11:30 AM

    I think that's awesome!! What a wonderful and inspiring story.... never heard of Craft Hope, but now that I have, I'll check it out!

    Thank you for sharing. xo

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  5. ricebabiesFebruary 23, 2011 at 1:46 PM

    That is amazing. You never know how you will end up touching the lives of others. Sometimes we do simple things and sometimes we do big things that seem to go unseen but you never know, some where out there, they are helping others.

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  6. IndiaFebruary 23, 2011 at 3:53 PM

    Your gown design is wonderful Maya. I was lucky enough to buy the original gathered kimono from the book and my baby wore it so much and it was so cozy. I just posted some pictures of her wearing it on your Flickr site.

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  7. zeliaevoraFebruary 23, 2011 at 4:59 PM

    oh! wonderful women!

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  8. Rachel BFebruary 25, 2011 at 7:33 PM

    I just got involved with a charity that donates unbelievable amounts of stuff for babies that would go home from the hospital with nothing. A co-worker astounded me with her stack of sleepers that she had made, and when I was telling my mom about it, she brought up your pattern. I haven't seen anyone in the group make it, but I will definitely tell them about it.

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  9. UnknownFebruary 25, 2011 at 9:49 PM

    This past weekend I picked up a copy of Craft Hope and am loving it. I did see the kimono gown designed by you and loved it. I have two friends that will be having babies during the summer, I think this will be the perfect gift.

    Thank you for sharing your lovely talent with everyone.

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  10. Lisa RenataFebruary 25, 2011 at 10:11 PM

    I picked up the Craft Hope book this past weekend and am in love. I was so happy when I saw your kimono gowns and Dana's burp clothes. It really put a smile on my face. Thank you for sharing your wonderful talent with all of us.

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  11. UK lass in USFebruary 25, 2011 at 10:25 PM

    I'm not surprised that you were in tears - how wonderful to see your pattern put to such good use.

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  12. SarahFebruary 26, 2011 at 3:04 PM

    How wonderful, I have seen the hat but not the gown, I know what to do with my left over fabric now. Thank you!

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