Auction #138 - Matryoshka Dolls

Ebay : Here
Ends : 13 Mar 21:05

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Auction #137 - Owl Brooch

Ebay : Here
Ends : 13 Mar 20:24

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Auction #136 - Knitted Pretend Donuts

EBay : Here
Ends : 13 Mar 20:12

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Auction #135 - Knitted Pretend Buscuits

Ebay : Here
Ends : 13 Mar 20:04

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Auction #134 - Childs Tote Bag

EBay : Here
Ends : 13 Mar 19:02

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Auction #133 - Childs Tote Bag

EBay : Here
Ends : 13 Mar 18:55

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Auction #132 - Childs Tote Bag

EBay : Here
Ends : 13 Mar 16:46

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Auction #131 - Applique Tshirt

EBay : Here
Ends : 13 Mar 16:15

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Auction #130 - Bag

EBay : Here
Ends : 13 Mar 16:00

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Auction #129 - Koala Softie

EBay : Here
Ends : 13 Mar 15:44

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Auction #128 - Embroidered Tote

EBay : Here
Ends : 13 Mar 15:23

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Auction #127 - Steiner Doll

EBay : Here
Ends : 14 Mar 12:38

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Auction #126 - Childs Quilt

EBay : Here
Ends : 14 Mar 12:05

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Auction #125 - Tea Towel Apron

EBay : Here
Ends : 14 Mar 12:25

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Auction #124 - Knitted Farmyard Animals

EBay : Here
Ends : 14 March 11:43

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Auction #123 - Kokeshi Dolls

EBay : Here
Ends : 14 Mar 11:24

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Auction #122 - Quilt

EBay : Here
EEnds : 14 Mar 10:59

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Auction 121 - Doll & Patterns

EBay : Here

Ends : 14 Mar 10:27

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Auction #120 - Denim Bag

EBay : Here
Ends : 11 Mar 16:29

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Help Catherine get sewing again

Re-stash has received a specific request and we need your help!

Catherine is a crafter and artist who lived in Kinglake with her partner and their home of many years was completely destroyed. Catherine previously lived in the Adelaide Hills and experienced the Ash Wednesday Bushfires there as well.

Within their immediate neighborhood there were many lives lost and although Catherine has lost everything she is very conscious of the fact that as survivors they were the lucky ones. Catherine was one of the group who fled from the fire and congregated at a Pheasant Creek store where they believed they were safe. Thankfully a police patrol car that was present received information just in time that they needed to evacuate the area which saved the lives of all the people gathered there.

Catherine loves the area dearly and intends to rebuild. At this stage that will be at least a year away as they need to start from scratch. One of Catherine's greatest sorrows is that she is an artist who has lost so many of the significant things she has created .

Catherine also makes her own clothes and while she has gained access to a sewing machine, she doesn't have fabric. Anyone who could find something in their stash that would be suitable for making clothes and could pass on to Catherine, she would be very grateful. Her favourite colours are greens, blues and burgundy and she likes interesting and unconventional fabrics (though she generally avoids stretchy and lightweight synthetics). She is particularly keen to sew some new nightdresses, so some lightweight cottons or lawns would be fantastic.

One of Catherine's favoured media for her art is sculpting in leather. Anyone who has pieces, even scraps, of leather they would also be gratefully received.

Fabric and leather for Catherine can be sent to:

Berry Street
Attention Ruth.
C.C.S
1 Salisbury Street
Richmond 3121

Alternatively pick up can be organised from a small number of central locations - email me (soozs[dot]com[at]gmail[dot]com) if you want to organise something.

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Courier Needed Urgently!!!

We urgently need a courier company to pick up a couple of big boxes of donations from the NSW Central Coast and deliver to Melbourne.

Does anyone have any contacts we could use, who might do this for FREE? Please email us if you do - Rachel is overwhelmed with donations and cannot get to her kitchen sink.

Thank you.

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Local IT Companies and People Needed - Infoxchange

Okay - not really HANDMADE, granted, but where would we be without our computers? Technology has really aided our speedy response to the Victorian Bushfires - and Handmade Help would not exist without it.

If you are a local IT expert - or if you work for a company that wholesales or retails Computers - then Infoxchange needs you. They are co-ordinating a project which involves providing IT support and access to computers/internet/technology in the fire affected communities.

Please go here to see how you or your company might help. It's important. Email this post on to others who might help too.

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Item #119 - Fabric

25% of sales through the month of March on the following
Fat Quarter bundles : Here
Mixed packs : Here

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Donation Update!

Hello lovely people!

Just wanted to pop in and say firstly.... THANK YOU! Oh my gosh! We have had HUNDREDS of donations over the last couple of weeks - to both Re-Stash a Crafter and the Handmade Help Handmade Donation Drive too! The donations are currently residing at Mike's (in our second change room) - under our stairs - and in the storage area of another Handmade Helper's home. We are overflowing - but in a very good way! We definitely want you to keep donating, too!

We are now liaising with the Neighbourhood House Association about getting donations into Neighbourhood Houses in the affected areas (as well as the surrounding, resource-depleted areas too). Word is that these community facilities are up and running again, and there is plenty of demand for things like Craft Supplies and other Children's Items. I'll let you know as soon as we have a firm plan - so you know where the Handmade Help things are going.

We packed over 100 kits at our Brown Owls Crafty Club meeting on Tuesday. These contain lots of the craft supplies which have been donated - balls of yarn, knitting needles, embroidery kits, cross-stitch kits, crochet hooks, that sort of thing. We've packed them into logical, project based bundles - and they are destined for project-less crafters in the areas affected. There are still more to unpack and sort - and I think it's important to keep in mind that these things will be needed and much appreciated in the long term too.

We have received toys and children's clothing, some handmade jewellery and some quilts too. It's been very humbling to see how much people want to help. Thanks to all of you, from all of us. Please DO keep your donations coming! We'll be storing them carefully, whilst ensuring that any immediate needs in these communities are met too.

Further updates as they come to hand. Please consider donating to The Red Cross, if you can afford it. Or start saving up $1 a day to donate on June 1st - this is a long term effort, and we need to help in little ways each day.

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Item #118 - Girls Pinnie Dress

Auction : Here
Ends : 8 Mar 8pm

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Item#117 - Bibs, Blythe clothes and Jewellery

Shop : Here
All proceeds going to Red Cross until March 7th

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Item 116 - Fisherman's Pants RELISTED

Raglan Guild

These beautiful Fisherman's Pants are handmade by Raglan Guld in Wangoom, Victoria.

These pants are extremely comfortable, flattering and easy to wear. If your needs fluctuate between a larger and smaller size, these pants are for you as the velcro waist fixture allows for size variation. The pants are sewn with high quality thread which is designed to last under strain.

These particular pants have been sewn from black 100% cotton, with a gorgeous pink and white floral Echino fabric trimming the waistband and cuffs. They are made in a shorter style, and the cuff of the pants ends just below the knee. Please see the photographs for an example of the style.

These pants are sized a Medium, suitable for an Australian size 12 - 14.

Please see the detail photographs for images of the exact pants you will receive.

100% of proceeds from this sale will be donated to charity.

Ebay: Here

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Item #115 Tie Up Pinnie

EBay : Here
Ends : 3 Mar 12:06

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Recipe Book Update

A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed recipes for our recipe book! It will be printed and distributed to people in the affected communities, and will also available for sale as a printed book and a PDF download with all proceeds going to the Red Cross.

Thanks again everyone and stay tuned on where and when to buy this great little book.

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Going To Press

There have been a few pieces of media coverage in the last week or so. Perhaps you might be interested in reading this.

Or in today's SMH's Essential, a shot of One Red Robin's 'Matryoshka', and details of how crafters/artists can get involved in Handmade Help. (I don't have a scanner, sorry folks for the dodgy shot!)

If you know anyone who's handy with a needle and thread, encourage them to thread up and get stitching too.

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March - Month of Kids

We really want to keep everyone motivated and focused as the weeks pass so we have decided each month to have a theme that we can all sew, knit and create handmade items. You can find the list of drop-off/postage points in the side bar.
This month we have chosen kids and babies - it could be toys or other comfort items. Don't forget the boys too. Any kind of softie, or blankies with the ribbons or dress-up clothes - you get the idea. If you have some suggestions please share in the comments. Keep in mind children's safety, if you use buttons, etc then it cannot be given to toddlers or babies.
Thanks to Liesl for the suggestion.

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Item #114 - Tote Bag

For Sale : Here
Price : $30 USD

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Item #113 - Tote Bag

For sale : Here
Price : $30 USD

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Item #112 - Blythe Doll Matilda Auction

Miss Australian Tour 2009 (Matilda to us) has traveled the country for a couple of months, finishing her travels in Melbourne, where she was displayed at the National Australian Blythe Meet. She's now up for auction with all proceeds from her sale donated to charity. The funds will be split equally between a local women's shelter and the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal.

For further pictures of Matilda, please refer to her Flickr pool.

Auction: here

Ending: 1st March

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Comfort packs on their way...

Head on over to read Monica's report on the first delivery of Rainbow Comfort packs to the Kinglake area.

102 packs were needed for this area alone... and there are many more communities and families that have been affected by the fires. Keep those donations and handmade bags coming - unfortunately there'll be many more needed. See Monica's Blog for drop-off points or post directly to -
Beyond Pink and Blue
70 Clifton Street Balwyn North 3104 Victoria, Australia

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Sewing Group for Rainbow Comfort Packs

The Multicultural Women's Sewing Group in Brunswick had a sewing bee last weekend and made 20 bags for Rainbow Comfort Packs. They are going to have ongoing handmade help sewing sessions. All are welcome. Details below (thanks Jennifer).

We are more than happy to keep working on bags in our regular sessions, and anyone (female) is welcome to join us - they wouldn't have to bring anything - just drop in, make a bag or two and have a cuppa. 12:30 - 3:00 on Wednesdays and 2:30 - 4:30 Saturdays.

We are located at the Brunswick Baptist Church Hall 491 Sydney rd, Brunswick (end of Blyth st).

In case you want to know a bit about the group, the Multicultural Women's Sewing Group originally started as the Somali women's sewing group about 13 years ago when some Somali refugee women said that sewing classes were a high priority for them. At the moment we have a diverse group of participants, ranging from a tailor from Nepal who had never used an electric machine, but who can sew like anything, to a Somali mother of 8 who takes 3 buses to get there. The group nearly fizzled out in 2007, but we're doing pretty well now (apart from financially - that's another story), and are ready to promote the group more through refugee and asylum seeker services. I guess we try and overcome obstacles like language and literacy barriers, parenting demands, lack of money, and inability to come regularly, and still provide teaching in sewing skills, and a welcoming space where everyone is important.

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Dress Up Drive

The fires on February 7 have brought out the best of people. It has been amazing to see so much support and community spirit. When so many people are doing so much, it can be hard to think about what you can do that might make a difference. After donating blood, money and other items, I was left wondering what else “I” could do.

My two little girls love dressing up and have the luxury of a full basket of costumes to let their imagination go wild. I’m sure the children impacted by the bushfires would benefit from replenishing their stocks of dress ups. Whether it be in their homes, health and childcare centres or kindergartens, I feel that this is something practical, short and long term, that I can do. You can too.

We are looking for handmade donations to rebuild the dress up wardrobes of the homes and buildings affected by the bushfires. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Some costume ideas include capes (superheroes, wizards), dresses & skirts, Dino, dragon and animal tails, fairy wings, hats, etc.

Dressing up encourages kids to develop their imagination, escape reality, practice life skills, or feel a bit sparkly and special. Let’s help these kids be kids and ensure they are still dreaming their dreams.

Please direct your donations to Meet me at Mikes and we will co-ordinate distribution.

I will be loading up a tutorial on how to make a felt crown on my blog, and will be adding others soon.

Please email me if you have other ideas to share or know of a sure fire dress up hit that we can include in our contribution!!

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Item #111 - Nappy PUL cover

Ebay : Here
Ends : 5th Mar 22:10

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Recipe Update

Yesterday recipe donations closed and I went through and sorted them today - there are a whopping 250 odd to edit and put into the book.

Thank you so much for everyone that contributed. Some that I thought to mention to you included recipes from Ontario, Canada and Rhode Island in the States. We also had a contingent from New Zealand donate. I also was touched to receive a recipe from a gentleman who lost his house in the fires and thought the recipe book was a wonderful way to contribute to rebuilding his own community. Amazing hey!

Amongst all the recipes were tonnes of offers to help edit and get the book up and running. Again thank you for your contributions and offers. It really makes this project a community one.

So now the recipes have gone to Anna and Bev for editing. We have had an absolutely awesome submission for the cover from Claire at Loobylu - so thanks heaps Claire.

And most importantly snaps to Pip for being the constant contact through the process so far :)

So now to editing ...more reports soon

xx Gilly

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Item #110 - Bunny Softie

EBay : Here
Ends : 2nd Mar 11:50

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