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Craft Hope: Handmade Crafts for a Cause
It started with a pillowcase dress…and grew into a worldwide movement: crafters using their passion to help those in need. The Craft Hope blog-which organizes crafters to make handmade items for charities-has attracted followers around the world. This book, written by the site's founder and featuring crafting's hottest start, celebrates the cause and encourages others to join in.
Each project is matched with a specific charity, with alternative suggestions for local places to contribute the item. The projects-all with beautiful photographs, step-by-step instructions, and templates-include: cheerful quilts for hospitalized children, soft dolls for Nicaraguan orphans, tug toys for animal shelters, knit gloves for homeless shelters, a cloth backpack for schoolchildren in Africa, a stylish purse for women moving out of abusive relationships, and knit scarves for fostercare teens heading off to college. Contributors range from fabric designers Amy Butler and Heather Bailey to popular authors and bloggers such as Amanda Soule (www.soulemama.com, Handmade Home), Karri Meng (French General), Amy Ray (Doodle Stitching), Celine Dupuy (Simple Sewing with a French Twist), Vickie Howell (Craft Corps), Cathie Filian (Creative Juice), Susan Wasinger (Eco Crafts), and Betsy Greer (Knitting for Good).
In addition, there are plenty of helpful tips on how to give locally and globally, how to give thoughtfully and appropriately, and how to empower those you are helping.
Each project is matched with a specific charity, with alternative suggestions for local places to contribute the item. The projects-all with beautiful photographs, step-by-step instructions, and templates-include: cheerful quilts for hospitalized children, soft dolls for Nicaraguan orphans, tug toys for animal shelters, knit gloves for homeless shelters, a cloth backpack for schoolchildren in Africa, a stylish purse for women moving out of abusive relationships, and knit scarves for fostercare teens heading off to college. Contributors range from fabric designers Amy Butler and Heather Bailey to popular authors and bloggers such as Amanda Soule (www.soulemama.com, Handmade Home), Karri Meng (French General), Amy Ray (Doodle Stitching), Celine Dupuy (Simple Sewing with a French Twist), Vickie Howell (Craft Corps), Cathie Filian (Creative Juice), Susan Wasinger (Eco Crafts), and Betsy Greer (Knitting for Good).
In addition, there are plenty of helpful tips on how to give locally and globally, how to give thoughtfully and appropriately, and how to empower those you are helping.
144 pages, Paperback
First published August 3, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 14, 2011
Out of all the craft books that we've gotten in the last year, this is one of my favorites and it is my daughter's favorite.
The theme of the book is crafting for charity, giving people hope with items made with love and care. Each project has a sidebar note about a charity it would be appropriate for, as well as a list of other charities including local groups that would appreciate the gift. Addresses and websites are included.
The projects themselves cover different skill levels and abilities, and are inexpensive to make. Some of them can be made by re-purposing items.
There are a lot of projects to make for children in need. Easily smocked dresses, bandanna pants, pillowcase skirts, stuffed animals with information about organizations like SOME, Little Red Wagon Foundation and many others of which you may not have heard.
The projects include melt and pour soaps, stuffed animals, hats, purses, scarves, fingerless mitts, a strung necklace and use such techniques as sewing, knitting, macrame, stamping, applique, stenciling and dyeing.
What I liked most about the book is that the projects are easily made and nice looking as well as the suggestions for ways to use them locally. That makes it a great book for scouting troops and other youth organizations that want projects that teach people how to make things that are also good for local donating.
In keeping with the spirit of the book, a dollar for every copy sold is donated to Global Impact.
[I was provided with a complimentary copy of the book to review on my craft blog- Don't Eat the Paste]
The theme of the book is crafting for charity, giving people hope with items made with love and care. Each project has a sidebar note about a charity it would be appropriate for, as well as a list of other charities including local groups that would appreciate the gift. Addresses and websites are included.
The projects themselves cover different skill levels and abilities, and are inexpensive to make. Some of them can be made by re-purposing items.
There are a lot of projects to make for children in need. Easily smocked dresses, bandanna pants, pillowcase skirts, stuffed animals with information about organizations like SOME, Little Red Wagon Foundation and many others of which you may not have heard.
The projects include melt and pour soaps, stuffed animals, hats, purses, scarves, fingerless mitts, a strung necklace and use such techniques as sewing, knitting, macrame, stamping, applique, stenciling and dyeing.
What I liked most about the book is that the projects are easily made and nice looking as well as the suggestions for ways to use them locally. That makes it a great book for scouting troops and other youth organizations that want projects that teach people how to make things that are also good for local donating.
In keeping with the spirit of the book, a dollar for every copy sold is donated to Global Impact.
[I was provided with a complimentary copy of the book to review on my craft blog- Don't Eat the Paste]
April 7, 2016
I love this book. I try to volunteer in my community as much as I can but can't always make a long term commitment. I love Craft Hope because it offers crafts I can make at home and send to charities around the globe. This book has been very inspiring.
August 12, 2010
Love many of the projects in this book, and what they stand for. I can't wait to make the baby kimono
October 25, 2012
Absolutely loved this book and it has inspired me to start a group with my friends to make some of these together.
April 2, 2011
This is a good book but most of the information in it I have seen in many different places on the internet. There are other charities that take all or most all of these items too that are not listed in the book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews