April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

The primary goal of foster care is the safety and well-being of children.

Rehabilitation of and reunification with the birth family is of utmost desire whenever possible.

Abuse and neglect are the most common causes for children being brought into state custody. Prevention is a much better alternative, and there are many organizations working to provide education and support to aid in this prevention.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and I hope you will take a moment to learn more and share the information with others in an effort to help bring an end to child abuse nation wide....and ultimately world wide.

You can read more HERE.

Fluff For Foster Care DELIVERY + Special Announcement!

In case you didn't see the posts on facebook this week, I wanted you all to know we delivered 366 stuffed friends to our Juvenile Court on Tuesday. It was such an exciting day for our family!!!!!!

Our bus was STUFFED!!!!!!!!!!!!

 This was Hopeful Threads BIGGEST project to date!

 Our caseworker was so excited about the project when I shared it with her, that she met us there for the delivery. She wasn't about to just allow us to drop and leave. :) She introduced us to multiple court staff and judges who all were so appreciated and excited about the gifts! The more the word spread through the building, the more people showed up to see all your fluffy donations! 

They immediately went about personally selecting toys to take back to each of the court rooms for the following day's hearings. It was such a wonderful and encouraging thing to witness! Their genuine enthusiasm and appreciation was overwhelming! 

I can't thank you enough for your amazing support and generous participation and allowing our family the privilege of delivering your gifts! What a blessing!!!!

The next day, I also had the chance to meet Judge Irwin, the man that started the whole idea of giving each child a stuffed friend when they came to court. He shared his gratitude and personal stories of how the children had responded in court that day. He said he had two sisters that both wanted the same big bear, and so he had to take them to the back room to see all the others so they could both be happy with a special new friend! Another judge shared about a little boy that chose a large patchwork square puppy, and a little girl that picked a turtle that matched her new bedroom. :) There was also a very special little girl that picked a doll with pigtails because she too had a pony tail, and the judge shared how she cradled and played with her new friend throughout the hearing. Talk about SQUEEZING my heart!!!!! 

I know there are still multiple packages on their way, and we will gladly make a second delivery when they arrive. As a matter of fact, the response to these was so great, and the need obviously significant and ongoing, that I have decided to make this an ONGOING project!!! I plan to sew stuffed toys each month (in addition to our Monthly Projects) for the children coming through our Juvenile Court and will gladly accept and deliver any you would like to send along too! I'm adding a tab to the top of the blog with all of the info. and welcome your participation anytime!

Needless to say, our "Fluff For Foster Care" project was a HUGE success!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for jumping on board and making this special project even more special!

April Project FINALE! Well......sort of! :)

Today is the final day for our April Project - "Fluff For Foster Care".

What a wonderful month of sewing and stuffing for children in the foster care system it has been too!

I am tentatively planning to deliver our "bus" full of stuffed friends mid-May, to allow for all those being shipped to arrive first. I will share photos of our fluff-filled van then and update this post for future reference as well. We are looking forward to delivering all these beautiful gifts and know that they are going to be such a special blessing for the children receiving them, as well as those providing care for them. Very meaningful!

Check our April Project album to see the amazing assortment that has been donated this month! I can't adequately express our families gratitude for the way you have all jumped on board and made this special month EXTRA special!

I shared on facebook when inspiration hit the other day and I just had to put "plans" aside and create. It was just what I needed and also produced some cute toys as my final donations for our project. 

 I had this image of a roly-poly whale stuffie that I just couldn't shake and had to make a reality. So, I went to work.

And these bubbly friends were the result...

 While I was at it, I decided they needed some sidekicks, and so this chunky starfish came next.

Without further ado, may I introduce to you Whaley & Starla....

 This first set is perfect for baby. Textured fabrics, ribbon tags and easy to grip parts sure to please any tiny one. 

The second set is more colorful and detailed with print fabrics and hand-stitched faces.

I had hoped to have a pattern/tutorial to share before the end of the month, but time just wasn't enough. I will still get one put together eventually, and will be sure to let you know when I do. They are simple to sew friends that are ready to be companions to some special little ones!

Thank you all again! What a fun month! 

Be sure to stop back by tomorrow to see what's in store for May....more stitching fun ahead!

*****UPDATE******

See our DELIVERY POST here!!!!
See our ONGOING Fluff Project info here!!!!!

YES! There is STILL time!

 There is absolutely still time to be a part of our April Project - Fluff For Foster Care and share HOPE with a child!

A few quick options include the pre-made stuffie like the pig above that allows for a special hand-stitched touch.....doll panels like the ones below are also a very quick handmade option... 

 ...and of course, store bought stuffed friends like this amazing collection that was donated locally are another great option for those who want to be a part of our April outreach, but might be a little short on time this month. 

See this post about our tentative delivery plans.

See the incredible pile of fluff that will be stuffing our "bus" in our group album here!!!

Thank you all for making such a HUGE impact in the lives of so many!!!!

SHIPPING NOTES - April Project

Hi Friends!

Several of you have either begun to ship your stuffed toys for April's Project or have had questions about when you need to, so just a quick info. post here.....

I plan to deliver the stuffed toys mid-May to allow plenty of time for those last minute finishes to make it to the mail by the first week. So if we could all have a target date for shipping NO LATER than Monday, May 6th, 2013, that would be great! Shipping address and additional info on this post here.

Also, these items are light weight, so remember, most shipping is charged by weight rather than size of the box, so keep that in mind when heading to the post office or printing your labels. 

Be sure to check out my Shipping - How to Save $$$ post too! Lots of good money saving pointers there too. 

THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING A PART OF HOPEFUL THREADS AND THIS MONTH'S SPECIAL PROJECT!!!! 

Pattern Review - Elephant Pillow by Precious Patterns

A couple of PLUMP PACHYDERMS to share with you today, for our April Project!

  

 I've had this playful pattern on my "To Sew" list for way too long now and am so glad to have finally made it! These were so much fun to make, simple, straight forward pattern, and I am tickled with how they turned out!

The pattern is part of a trio of designs in this pattern by Precious Patterns.

I have used a few remaining scraps of the Remix fabric from Ann Kelle to compliment the ears on both. My favorite, favorite part......the knotted trunk! 

Love it! :)

 These guys make me smile and I hope they do the same for the special ones that receive them. :)

My only variation from the pattern was how I stuffed them. The pattern is written to use pillow forms, but having plenty of stuffing on hand, I stuffed them all with Fairfield polyester fiber. 

If you are looking for a first ever stuffie sewing pattern, or even a perfect project to work on with your kids, I highly recommend this pattern! The step-by-step instructions and photos are a breeze to follow, and anyone will be delighted with the finished, fluffy result!

I also finished each with one of my lovely new Ananmeone Labels.

There's still time for you to win your own custom labels from Ananemone Labels in our giveaway here. HURRY!!! Ends 4/30/13

Adding these to our April Project Album!

The pile is happily growing and growing!!!

Only a few days left to help us stuff our bus with "Fluff For Foster Care"! 

JOIN US!!! 

SUMMARY

Sewing Experience Level: Beginner

Special Techniques: The only thing I would mention is sewing with fleece. It has a bit of a stretch to it, so you just have to be careful not to tug on it while you are sewing or it can cause your project to be misshapen.

Pattern Format: PDF

Materials Used: Fleece, Cotton prints for ear accents, felt for eyes.

Personal Notes: FUN! EASY! Great first sewing project! Kids will also love making these!

Chunky Bunnies - HOPE-filled Donations

I LOVE how this worked out!!!!!!

These sweet stuffies are EXTRA SPECIAL!

Why???

It's more than being irresistibly cute!

It's because, they support the care of children in sooooo many ways!

1st - The pattern I used is the bunny from Chunky Monkey & His Friends....a pattern at Create H.O.P.E. Designs. All of the proceeds of the sale of the high-quality Create H.O.P.E. Designs patterns goes towards providing for children in need worldwide, and these awesome patterns are ONLY $5 each! I'm a BIG, BIG fan of Create H.O.P.E. Designs and the purpose and heart behind it!

Go grab yourself one of these cute patterns and feel good about where that $5 was spent!

2nd - These sweet fellas were made using the fabric collection "Pieces of Hope" from Riley Blake Designs. This collection was created to help support and fund autism awareness and research, with a portion of the proceeds of the sale of the entire collection being donated to Autism Speaks. GOOD STUFF!!!! (psssst....and I heard they are working on a "Pieces of Hope 2" coming soon.....they've got my attention!)

3rd - These little friends will be donated as part of our April Project, "Fluff For Foster Care" and I hope will be a comfort and symbol of HOPE to the children that receive them.  

I finished my fluffy hoppers off with these sweet new labels I just received from Ananemone Labels.

 

These sweet handmade labels are sooooo soft! And don't you just love that sweet vintage sewing machine image??? I sure did! She has loads of other cute ones in her shop too! :) I'll be sharing more tomorrow, so be sure and stop back by ok? 

Keep Sewin' - Every Stitch Matters!!!

Aivilo Charlotte Designs - New Patterns & GIVEAWAY!

I'm very excited to help introduce the newest pattern set from Aivilo Charlotte Designs, the Pixie Shrug and Flora's Twirl Skirt!!!

This set includes an adorable double-layered skirt with all the twirl a girl could ever want! With 3 girls in our home, I know just how important the twirl factor of a skirt is too! ;)

Additionally, it offers the sweetest little shrug to top it perfectly as an accent or a cover-up for those cool spring/summer nights. 

I LOVE THE SIZE RANGE TOO!

The patterns generously cover sizes 2T-12/14 Tween!

And if that isn't enough.....it ALSO includes a matching pattern set for your little girls 18" doll!

In celebration of the new patterns releasing, Aivilo Charlotte Designs is offering a giveaway to Hopeful Threads readers today!

TWO lucky entrants will WIN a pattern bundle of their 3 favorite Aivilo Charlotte Designs PDF patterns! Simply follow the Rafflecopter prompts below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open to all eligible. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Complete giveaway details on the "Giveaways" page at the top of the blog. Winners will be announced and emailed 4/27/13 and provided 48 hours to respond and claim their prize before an alternate winner(s) is selected.

+++++++++PLUS!!!!!!!!!!!++++++++++
EVERYONE IS AN AUTOMATIC WINNER!!!!

In support of our April Project, Aivilo Charlotte Designs is offering their Seahorse Family stuffed toy pattern FREE for the whole month of April! Download your copy in their Craftsy shop here!

So grab your free pattern and sew with us for a very special reason this month!

Thank you Aivilo Charlotte Designs for this wonderful giveaway and the free pattern you've provided for this month's project!

Good luck to all!