Crafting for Charity

As I mentioned in the previous post "Martha Had a Little Lamb", I had been working on a project for the non-profit St. Paul's Childcare Center located in Winneconne, WI which provides childcare and education services for low-income families and residents of the village of Winneconne. These little lambs were presented to some of the students as an Easter gift. A cotton calico was chosen by my aunt for the bodies of the lambs, while a pink batik fabric was used for the inside of the ears. I made seven of these softies all hand-sewn without the aid of a sewing machine. I'm old school when it comes to stitchin' and sewin'.

I also decided to design my own label so that I can market my items some day in the future. I used a tutorial I found online to make my very own fabric labels, like those sewn into shirt collars or sewn into stuffed animals. I love how they turned out! I can alter the colors using computer programs so that they can match whatever fabric I'm using. Genius! I plan on incorporating this logo into every piece I create from now on. A girl has to get her name out there somehow!

Don't forget:

Got any ideas for a t-shirt (or tea-shirt!) you want to see made? Send me an email at a.joy.taylor@gmail.com with your design idea. It can include text or images or even just a simple description of what you want it to look like. Bonus points for wit and ingenuity!
The contest winner will be announced next month when they see their design made into a t-shirt and featured on this blog. The winner will also receive the one-of-a-kind t-shirt sporting their design as a prize.
Submissions must be received on or before Friday, April 24, 2009 to be eligible.

Softie: Martha Had a Little Lamb

Mary isn't the only one with a lamb these days. I made these fluffy sheep by following a pattern from Martha Stewart Living. It's a fabulous site for gift ideas, learning new techniques, or just for gaining fresh inspiration. After seeing some of the patterns and ideas on this site, I challenge myself to embellish and improve on them. I did that with the white lamb here. I used a polyester faux Sherpa Wool I found for ueber cheap in the remnant bin. You can't see it very well from any of these photos, but I used a light pink fleece to line its inner ears. I chose to make the other one out of purple polar fleece also found in the remnant bin for a very reasonably inexpensive price. A girl has got to do what she can to save money these days!

I especially like how the white, fluffy Sherpa Lamb turned out. I think it could make for a great baby shower or christening gift. I can even change the inner ear color to baby blue for a boy. I've also considered embroidering names and dates either on a scarf around the lambs neck or even directly onto the lamb itself if I can make it stand out well enough. These lambs could then become personalized for each child. I'm also looking into making lambs for charities. If any one knows of one that accepts handmade donations, give me a shout out! I'd be happy to craft a donation.

And I'll definitely be getting my fair share of practice on these little baa-baas since my aunt has commissioned me to make her seven of these little lambs for her students.

Stay tuned for photos of that flock coming soon!