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| Revd Elaine running the stall |
I belong a knitters group associated with several local churches and I knit scarves for homeless people while others knit blankets and twiddlemuffs for care homes, baby clothes for the local neonatal unit or teddy bears for the emergency services. I'm not sure how many knitters are (loosely) connected with the group but it must be around fifteen to twenty.
Many knitters have a second hobby: acquiring wool or other craft stuff with the excellent intention of making something but somehow that never really happens. The main result of those projects is a guilty conscience about a Project half Done (PhD), also known as an UnFinished Object (UFO).
So a sale of such things sounded like a good idea and we took a stall at a village fair to raise money to buy thermal clothing for homeless people and toiletries etc. for a women's refuge. I sent some of my stuff. Unfortunately I came home with wool for another hat! Oops!
The first lady to come to the stall didn't buy anything. Instead she gave a very generous donation and said, "Thank you for doing this. I had to go to a women's refuge. I could never thank them enough."
Made me think.
Ooh I would have been so tempted... My friend was clearing her late mums house and found fourteen jumpers. Knitted but not sewn up. She went out to help in a camp in Ukraine supporting young widows. She took the jumpers and these women were so thrilled to take them and complete them.
ReplyDeleteThat's such a lovely ending! Thank you.
DeleteI was only thinking recently that I've not seen any half-started tapestry kits at car boot sales for a long time - I've got a couple that I found years ago and finished. I wonder what people do with them now as I've never heard of any PhD sales here - sadly.
ReplyDeleteI hope the projects in your sale all found a happy home to get finished.
We disposed of quite a few and raised around £160. There is a fair in another village in September and we taking a stall there.
DeleteIt's a brilliant idea, our local shop takes in donated bits and sells them for the save the children charity.
ReplyDeleteIt really is win:win:win. The donors get an easy conscience about their extravagance, the purchasers get cheap projects and the charities get the proceeds. Brilliant.
DeleteThe local quilters group has a sale like this in the fall each year. I think the money goes to a scholarship fund.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, isn't it!
DeleteThere is a charity, started in USA but with branches in UK and other countries which arranges to get PhDs completed, the sort that people find clearing family homes want as memories.
ReplyDeleteMy cousin in NI completes cross-stitch pictures for people at church who began them but can't finish them. She loves doing cross stitch but her house no more room, so this is ideal solution!
Creative ways of being creative, I feel.
DeleteWhat a lovely idea! As you said, a win-win-win situation for all.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant, isn't it!
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