bondville charity auction

I've talked before about the wonderful ABCD meetups we Sydney bloggers are lucky enough to enjoy. It is so much fun to break out from behind the computer and meet all the delightful bloggers this city is blessed with and a great chance to talk shop and share ideas with other makers and bloggers.

ABCD is the brainchild of the lovely Steph Bond-Hutkin and so when she put out the call for help with her 10th Blog Birthday Charity Auction it is not surprising that she was showered with fabulous donations from a who's who of creative peeps. A lot of our ABCD friends are represented.

The auctions are running on Ebay and now is the time to bid to get some awesome bargains and give to a fantastic cause, The Children's Cancer Institute Australia. But hurry, most auctions finish in about a day and a half, early Monday morning.

I have donated the popular Tomato Filigree Linen Tea Towel and an A4 size Ruby Slippers print with a combined value of $35 and with free postage to anywhere.

Last time I looked at the auction you could pick these up for about $20 posted. Just think you could have two Christmas presents crossed off your list and support a great cause at the same time! That's of course if you can bring yourself to give them away.

There are some beautiful art, homewares, clothes, toys, accessories and jewellery. I have bids on a few things and will be checking back soon. Go and have a look!

my creative space - hottie two

It was the perfect weather this week to be working on my entry into the Open Drawer Hottie Cover Challenge Exhibition - it was freezing! It was also the final week before the Friday deadline which helped get me focussed, nothing like a deadline to spark your creativity!

I'm part of Cam's group entry again this year, the exhibition raises money and attention for the Margaret Pratt Foundation which supports lung and heart transplant patients, a cause I'm delighted to support again. (2011's entry is here in case you missed it.)

The idea of a hottie fabric design came to mind, and I thought I could make my hot water bottle cover from that. Teaching my stamp carving course has been inspiring me recently to get out the lino tools and make some new stamps. This craft is so versatile and simple, and it was a great way to make a multicolour print quickly and simply and cheaply. (If you're interested in learning this craft I have some more workshops coming up, check the SewMakeCreate site for dates.)

Here's the design I came up with. I'm in love with this repeat and it will definitely become a digital design so I can order some yardage for pajama pants! How cool would that be?! In the meantime I whipped up a pillowcase for my bed with a hottie repeat panel on the front. Something to make these chilly nights a little warmer.

The front is lined with cotton and the back is made with my Harlequin stencil print from way back here. It has an opening to slip the hottie in and an opening at the top to access the lid. I'm feeling quite smug that the pattern matches up on the back there. Actually though a hottie cover is a simple and rewarding sew. I might need to make some more.

If you want to see the rest of the amazing hottie covers, check the Flickr group or the instagram hashtag #hottiechallenge2013. And some of the hotties will be for sale either at the exhibition or afterwards. And its all for a great cause. I just wish I was close enough to be at Opening Night.

Joining in this week, after a long absence, with My Creative Space.

guardian angels

One of the things I love about craft bloggers is their generosity. There is so much time and thought put into a handmade item that it can't help but be personal. And whenever there is a cause or a need, I've noticed crafters can be counted on to be there to help.

Which is why I am so happy to pass on information about this drive by Guardian pharmacies for their Guardian Angels Knitting Program. They are aiming to collect knitted and crocheted items to donate to those in need this winter again. I hadn't heard of this inititiative before but in fact this year marks the 15th year of the program and over that time they have donated handmade garments to over two million children! I have donated before to Wrap with Love and this seems an equally wonderful cause.

This year the charity is partnering Save the Children Australia, the nation's leading independent and emergency relief and development organisation for children. Personally I'm a big fan of child focussed charity efforts and I love that this is such a personal one, where you can actually warm and comfort a child directly with your handiwork.

Guardian have produced a knit and crochet pattern pamphlet in association with their sponsor Spotlight which is available for download on their site. They have also given me some yarn to giveaway. I have two big 100 gram balls of Marvel acrylic 8 ply, one in red and one blue, and some size 4 Birch knitting needles for one person. I think these would make a good beginner's kit for an aspiring knitter. To enter just tell me in the comments your favourite knitting pattern for kids or if you are a newbie knitter your best project so far. My big achievement is a cardigan, knitted this time two years ago and my favourite kids project  is a cabled hat I made for a new little baby a few years ago. Both are on my ravelry page if you're interested.

You don't have to make something from the Guardian pamphlet patterns, but there are some really cute designs included as you can see from the pics above. To help inspire you I've also had a quick look through Ravelry too, for free and simple patterns for small people. Ravelry is such a wonderful site, its a great resource for advice and inspiration in the yarny arts so if you aren't part of it, think about joining now.

I just love that image of the little girl in the supermarket trolley, and even more because it reminds me of a tiny little person who arrived the other day at the Berkelouw Barn when we were having lunch. She had a similar elfy hatted cape in bright red, hand knitted with little matching socks, and all the girls at my table swooned when we saw her!

So go, be knitty and crochety, and donate your handmade project through your nearest Guardian pharmacy before August 31st. There is a store locator on their site. Oh and this week is World Wide Knit in Public Day, so you'll be in good company :-)

Ravelry links from above:
pembroke vest • little scallops hat
mossy knit • chubby cat hat
landree's hooded cape 
basic winter hat • baby sophisticate cardi