Here’s how it works:

+ Each month we choose a charity to make for.
+ Here on the blog we’ll post a nice round up of project ideas and all the details.
+ Make your projects (as many as you are able) and attach the donation tag with all the info filled out.
+ Bring them to the next Creative Collision.
+ We will drop off all the projects as one big drop – if you would like to volunteer to come with that would be great – it’s very rewarding meeting the people who will benefit from the making.

February Handmade Charity Project

For the month of February we are going to make hats, scarves, mittens and gloves for all the fine folks over at the Ames Emergency Residency Program.

If you’ve never heard of the Emergency Residence Project, let me share with you a bit about this great program.

The Emergency Residence Project (often referred to as the ERP) provides shelter with meals, referrals and intervention to prevent homelessness.

According to their website:

“This year marked our 25th anniversary of providing shelter.  It was also our busiest year.  Through our Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing, and Homeless Prevention programs we helped 2,372 people. We housed an average of 45 individuals a night, about ½ of whom were children.  Our closeness to them and our ability to make a difference, every day, in their lives gives us more than enough motivation to continue this work.”

Definitely a project worth of our handmade efforts. They need a lot of support, with all the cuts to budgets and the freeze on housing vouchers, not to mention the crap economy.  There are a lot of people in need of shelter. If you have some extra resources, check out their Offer Help page, there are a lot of non handmade ways you can give that will make an impact too!

This time of year, all the people they are helping – adults and kids alike, could really use some extra warmth and comfort, so we are making them some!

Over on p2designs there is a great round up of patterns for charity making, all free. Just download them and get cracking.

For Knitting: KnittingPatternCentral has a huge load of patterns

For Crocheting: CrochetPatternCentral also has a huge load of patterns

For Sewing: Check out Burda Style

Remember, Men usually get the short end of the stick when it comes to handmade goods, so try and make a men’s hat as well. I particularly like this Turn a Square knit men’s hat.

Drop off will be at the next Creative Collision: Wednesday, March 9th, 2011.

Do you have an idea for a local charity to make things for? Leave a comment and we will try to get it set up!

Already know what pattern you’ll be making for this month’s charity? Let everyone else know so we can all swap ideas around.

See you all in March!

xoxo – Ames C.art

At first we were just a few.

But before too long the table was full! What a great time of knitting, crochet, and stitching! I forgot my knitting project, my thread for my sewing project must have rolled out of my bag, and all I had was my sketch book. No one minded while I drew Sarah’s super cute knit chipmunk.

Crystal brought a great selection of vintage crochet books as well as pattern for a great charity project.

We are sponsoring a Craft Hope send out. Drop off your dishcloth donations by the mural exhibit during opening hours (June 15th – June 19th; noon -6 pm) to be included in our send out. The oil spill needs cotton clothes to clean up the animals. I think we all have time to knit or crochet a dish cloth for this great project.

Our next fiber meeting will be a great mix of fun things as the Creative Collision! Bring any mobile project you would like to work on and come enjoy creating with other makers! It will be July 14th from 7-9pm; brookside park again. Bring a fold up chair if sitting at a picnic table rubs you the wrong way.

Kristin Roach