Crafting for a Cause: Craft Hope

This week I finished my February GED (Get 'er Done) Challenge project, the Papa Bear & Baby Bear panel:

That's one less fabric panel taking space up in my closet, but what to do with these little bears? It just so happened that I had the perfect place to send them...

In January, I heard about the latest Craft Hope charity project, making "safe delivery kits" for Konbit Sante Cap-Haitien Health Partnership, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the healthcare system in Haiti. (Konbit is Haitian Creole for "working together" and Sante means "health.") The safe delivery kits contain the basic necessities for a safe and sanitary childbirth (plastic sheeting, latex gloves, hand sanitizer, etc.), plus a receiving blanket and stuffed toy, all packaged up in a hand-crafted tote bag. I thought it sounded like a wonderful use for some of my excess stash.

My first real attempt at making a tote bag, I made a very simple one out of pre-quilted heart fabric, and recycled blue jeans for the handles:

Nothing fancy, but it's nice and roomy to hold lots of baby things.

The receiving blanket is flannel from my stash. I didn't have anything baby that wasn't definitely boy or girl, so I went with this red and white polka dot that coordinated nicely with the bag (solid white on the back), and did a decorative leaf stitch for the top-stitching.

I had the other supplies already purchased for the kit, and all that was needed was a stuffed toy. Along came the drawing for the GED challenge -- and the bears. They're even color-coordinated!

I packed everything up and mailed it off this morning. First stop, Konbit Sante in Maine -- and then they are Haiti bound!

The deadline for this project is March 1, so if you'd like to send a Safe Delivery Kit, or take part in the next Craft Hope project, stop over at the Craft Hope blog for all the details.

And I would love to see and hear about other charity projects folks are working on, so if you have a recent project or favorite charity you've blogged about, feel free to link up here and help spread the word about other ways we can all "Craft for a Cause."