If you'd like to knit, sew or crochet for charity, come and join us at Woolly Hugs. All levels of experience and ability are welcome here.
Welcome to the start of 2017’s Christmas Craft sale! Yes we know it is only July, but folk have been asking and we know these things take TIME!
So pleased to announce that this year’s Christmas craft sale will be supporting the much needed charity Meningitis Now.
Meningitis Now is a fabulous charity supporting individuals and families, undertaking critical research and campaigns, and promoting increased awareness of meningitis. A link to their website is in comments. Have a look. xxx
THANK YOU! xxx
Crafting info…
We are aiming to make and sell small/lightweight Christmas craft items, and to keep postage costs to a minimum we ask that ideally anything made can be sent on to a buyer in a large envelope. We are open to larger items too obviously, that is just a guide.
Some suggestions for you, but we are very open to others too…
*** Woolly, fabric, embroidered, beaded, all crafty crafts welcome!!***
Items from last year can be seen in our Christmas albums on our Facebook page, Woolly Hugs.
Last posting for crafts to be Monday 31st October please. It takes so long to get ready for a sale! Please PM for the posting information.
Donor info…
If you would like to contribute funds to help others craft we would love to hear from you. Our Paypal is admin@woollyhugs.com
The Event itself…
Our Christmas Craft sale will take place ONLINE towards the end of November, provisionally 23rd – 27th November. It will be organised through an Event page as we have done before. In addition we will be auctioning a broad range of items through our website which will help folk not on Facebook, or those who prefer to take part in this way.
We are on Facebook as Woolly Hugs and Twitter as @Woolly_Hugs both good ways to keep in touch too.
We are keeping it all crossed that this Sale will be a huge success, with your love and support we have every confidence, huge heartfelt thanks. xx
This is a beautiful project making cuddly friends to give to Chernobyl children in Belarus.
It is run through the charity called Friends of Chernobyl Children who as well as bringing children over, we sent blankets to the group in Peterborough this year, work with families in remote areas in Belarus experiencing extreme poverty in very challenging conditions.
Yes, we know we are starting this in June! But we know how much time and energy these things take.
Can you help us?
Last posting to be Saturday 28th October 2017 to the South coast address please! Message if you need it xThank you so much, as always. xxx
This began as an urgent appeal in the aftermath of the bombing at the Ariane Grande concert in Manchester. We had to do something and after speaking with the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital about sending Little Hug blankets to children and families there which they have said they would love we decided to make and send joint Little Hug blankets These were also to be offered where any of the Woolly Hugs crew knew families affected by the bombing. So far we have sent four of these, and three large bagfuls to RMCH.
We’d love to continue, so please, we need 12 inch ideally or 6 inch squares in Stylecraft Special DK, in the palette below which we are calling Love and Light.
Having spoken to RMCH, they would love to continue receiving blankets from us, so this becomes an Ongoing project and we would love to receive squares at any time. We will send blankets to Manchester along with our other two in our Little Hug project – Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle and the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, We will add in smaller Little Hugs for Manchester too.
2020. Very much an ongoing project, collection dates to aim for are at the bottom of the Home page. Thank you x
Love and Light palette
Aster
Cloud blue
Sherbert
Teal
Meadow
Turquoise
Bluebell
Saffron
Claret
Lipstick
Violet
Denim
Aspen
Petrol
Spice
Lime
Storm
Tomato
Sage
Duck egg
Grass green
Pistachio
Cypress
Lobelia
Kelly green
Empire
Citron
Simple or complex, made by beginner or expert, we genuinely welcome them all. It really is the love and thought that counts.
Please message us if you would like to donate funds or yarn to this project or if we can help you further.
Thank you doesn’t come close xxxx
Thank you to Ali O for the peg pics. xxxx
Hopefully lots of photos to come as the children receive their blankets, the first goes today to the six children visiting the Isle of Wight! Next will be to Portsmouth at the end of May. Love, love, love this stage!
So our Chernobyl project collection for the Isle of Wight group is ready to go this morning, May 17th! Love in every stitch for the children who will receive these blankets. We hope they enjoy a fabulous and health boosting holiday. Thanks again everyone. xxx
Our Little Hug project supports children of all ages from birth to teens and their families at The Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle and for teenagers in ICU at Great Ormond Street and the Teen Cancer ward at the Royal Marsden and those transferred on to St George’s, Tooting.
Still an ongoing project, collection dates to aim for are at the bottom of the Home page.
Always remembering Merryn and Aillidh, our inspiration.
both separately before sewing to allow for any difference in shrinkage.
Our Little Hugs go to some of the sickest babies and children in the UK. At Great Ormond Street, they may also form part of palliative care for teenagers in their ICU.
Thank you so much everyone, we know how much these mean to parents going through incredibly challenging and worrying times.
How it all began
When we offered a blanket to Greengoose after her beautiful daughter Merryn passed away, she told us how Merryn had been given a small handmade blanket whist she was in hospital. As Greengoose said,
“Merryn’s little square meant and still means so much to us, and so many families end up in hospital early or unexpectedly and have nothing of their own ready or with them, and even if they do, just to know you are thought about means so much.”
We loved this idea and with Merryn’s blanket in mind, and knowing how Expat’s darling daughter Aillidh had so much comfort from a blanket handmade by a group of wonderful friends, we wondered if we could do something more to help.We contacted a few hospitals and very early on developed a lovely relationship with Yorkhill Children’s Hospital in Glasgow where Aillidh was treated. We began making little blankets and quilts for very poorly children in their care, and this soon expanded to helping children at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle too.
Our beautiful blankets have been made by a community of Mumsnetters wanting to show their love and support to fellow Mumsnetters and their families facing heartbreaking and devastating loss. Some contribute by crafting, others by donating funds or wool, all playing a full part, It is hoped that the blankets can offer some comfort to the families. If they get one ounce of love from their blanket then it’s all worth it.
The blankets have come to be known as Woolly Hugs, we are sending them love and wrapping them in a warm hug.
“When I’ve finished my not very well knitted squares, I sort of sigh and think, well they aren’t very good, but you look at the picture of the finished blanket, and you really ‘get’ it. The whole thing, so various and beautiful, the feelings behind it, so many people contributing, wanting to send comfort and love.”
“My wool has just arrived! The colours are beautiful, pink and blue. Please tell my donor I am proud to knit with it on behalf of us both. There is something incredibly special about receiving this wool from a friend I don’t know and to be doing something so precious with it. Big big thanks…..”
Mumsnet is sometimes accused of being shouty and cross (and it can be) but put simply, there are few better places to get support when you need it most. These blankets and the work and love behind them shows just how much of a community Mumsnet really is.” Justine Roberts, April 2012, CEO and Co-Founder www.mumsnet.com & www.gransnet.com
