23 April 2008
From the Oxfam web site:
Staff in our Leeds office have just started a new campaign to create a giant baby blanket, with each square knitted representing a mother who did not survive pregnancy or childbirth to be able to care for her baby, because she couldn't access the medical care she needed.
We're aiming to get 250,000 squares by September, which is the number of mothers who could have been saved in that time if decent healthcare had been available.
We need knitters to make 9 inch squares for the giant blanket, which will be handed into the Government as a sort of 'patchwork against poverty petition', to demand a world where everyone has access to free basic healthcare.
More information on the Oxfam web site and the Stitch and Bitch web site.
Found via Solveigh Goett at The Textile Files
4 February 2008
Bags2Riches 2008 is the 3rd annual handbag competition to prevent homelessness.
The brief is to create an original handbag to be eligible to win the "The Most Original Handbag Award" with Grand Prize Package. The deadline for entries is August 20, 2008.
The judges will select 10 finalists, with selection criteria including originality, unique design elements, and quality of workmanship. The finalists will be highlighted in a fashion show at the Artsgarden in downtown Indianapolis on Wednesday, October 8 2008, between 11am and 2pm.
The Grand Prize winner will be determined by the most purchased votes, and each of the ten final handbags will go home with a lucky voter.
Bags not chosen to be a finalist will be sold or auctioned, with the proceeds benefiting Trusted Partners' efforts to prevent homelessness in Indianapolis. Trusted Partners is an organisation that matches volunteer mentors with families and individuals in homeless prevention programmes to increase the number of people who remain housed.
For an entry form and more information, go to www.bags2richesindy.org.
7 November 2007
"Art, Nature, Creativity, Life" is a new online book by Virginia A. Spiegel, available now with 100% of the proceeds going directly to the American Cancer Society.
"Art, Nature, Creativity, Life" is full of essays; art, art, and more
art; recommended books for artists, nature lovers, gardeners and other
creative types; over 80 inspirational photos; more than 35 haikus, and much more. The nineteen chapters are greatly expanded versions of the best issues of Virginia Spiegel's e-newsletter of the same name.
You can find ordering information, reviews, and more information about the online
book, and a sample chapter, on Virginia Spiegel's web site.
8 November 2006
The Kernel Trust is a UK based charity that focuses on small community development projects in many parts of the world. It was set up by Lesley Robin in 2001 in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in Gujarat, India. The trust's aim is to assist projects both creatively and practically, to help them grow organically by supporting income-generation schemes for artisans, contribute to the welfare and education of children, and encourage the use of renewable energy resources.
For Christmas 2006, The Kernel Trust is launching a gift donation plan to support these small rural cooperatives in India and South Africa.
This is how the Kernel Trust Christmas Donation Gift plan works:
On receipt of your order the charity sends you specially designed Donation Gift Cards to the value of your donation, which can then be given as Christmas gifts to friends and family. Each card features a photograph with the text "For Christmas I've bought you...." and, on the back, a brief description of the project and the work of The Kernel Trust.
Here are files you can download: the order form and lots more information about the project... more sample cards are also available on request from the Kernel Trust (contact details on the order form).
30 October 2006
Artist and textile designer, Erica Just, has initiated a series of artworks to raise money to fund a new well in a Mali village.
The artworks will be made using the theme of blue squares - a series of paintings and a fabric based piece. Erica's inspiration comes from the the Tuareg who wear indigo cloth of various shades and are often called 'blue men'.
Erica is also looking for fragments of indigo cloth to use in the artworks.
To support the project or to get the latest news, visit the ArtforWater web site.
