Crafting for Charity: Quilts of Valor
The front of the Quilts of Valor website says, “This foundation is not about politics. It’s about people.” It’s part of the mission statement, too. And looking at these labors of love, I can see what they mean.
I think that’s an interesting trend in the sites I’ve seen that use some sort of craft as a method for helping others or giving back. Quilting, knitting and other handiworks take time and effort to do. Making a quilt for someone else is an act of care and of dedication, whether that someone is a family member or someone you don’t know. So even though this is the second time I’ve featured crafts that are going to people in situations that are politically charged, the crafters themselves appear just want to provide some comfort to people whose situations are kinda crappy. I think that’s neat.
Also interesting is this story about a QOV Quilter and why she chooses to use her quilting skills for wounded men and women - it’s an empathetic gesture for her. She had a liver transplant and found her time of being wounded in the hospital unnerving, so she’s trying to comfort others.
The Quilt of Valor pictured here is the work of Lissa and Lin. More views of this beautiful quilt can be seen at this online album if you have a Snapfish account. You can find more examples here.
P.S. Speaking of quilts, About.com has this site dedicated to Remembrance Quilts for people involved in 9/11, such as the EMS, FDNY, Port Authority, NYPD and so on, not to mention the victim. It’s an interesting view.
Handmade Nation Documentary
The documentary is nearing completion - it is in editing phase, and the clip below is a taste of what’s to come.
Wait, wait, what is this? It’s a woman who took 2006 to document the rise of the DIY/craft/indie/making movement in the US. More info? Check out the website.
See if you can spot all the Austinites and Austin pics in this clip. Wow.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH2HWPfwpOw]
Weekend Work: practice & more practice
Last Sunday I posted that I would be working on several projects during the week, and I did indeed finish all of them. I found it really interesting to tackle experiments projects I came up with myself and projects that created by other people online - and then compare those with the projects one can buy at the store. Usually, a totally different experience in sewing!
Below are two of the projects that I completed: a fabric card-holder (right) from Little Thing by Magda and the “CD poket” from Mushroom Villagers (left) - both things I’ve been trying to get to for some time! Takes me a while. But! I was so pleased with the way these turned out - both are really good designs with clear instructions. They’re also things I’m interested in playing around with more, and seeing what else I might be able to do with them.
I also made the quilted fabric wallet from That Darn Kat, but I was not pleased with the way it came out - some of my fabric ripped and it messed up the closure pretty badly, and I was not a happy camper. Particularly because it happened right as I was finishing. I’m going to try again at some point, because I think it’s basically a good pattern, and now that I’ve messed up made one, I think the second will go pretty well.
I posted about the pieced pillows I made earlier in the week as well. As suggested, I do tend to experiment - it’s the creative part of crafting that keeps me coming back. I thought that I’d show the picture of the sketch I made to come up with the pillows, and then show the pillows (again, sorry!), so you can compare the two 
One thing you may notice is that they don’t always end up exactly how I plan when I experiment - stuff goes wrong, I decide I don’t like stuff, whatever… it’s just kinda a work in motion. I do love my graphics, though. And now, I’m going to go offline and make some more!!!
