Create H.O.P.E Designs & Spiderman!

As part of our "Year of Giving" theme for 2012, we began giving items to Sacred Heart Children's Hospital in Spokane WA where I live.  The other day I was looking for a pattern for an art portfolio that I could use to hold coloring books, stickers, crayons and maybe a comic book for some of the children at the hospital.  Well, I found the perfect pattern!  Kristy at Hopeful Threads told me about her pattern she designed for Create H.O.P.E.  100% of the sale of the patterns goes to support one of two current organizations caring for orphans, China Little Flower or One Heart Bulgaria

Create H.O.P.E Designs is an organization that was started in September of 2011 by a group of women with a collective desire to make a difference with their talents. Their goal is to provide beautiful patterns or tutorials for a very affordable price.  All of the designs are down-loadable PDF files, ensuring that Create H.O.P.E will operate overhead-free.  100% of all funds generated will benefit designated foundations serving orphans and their communities.  


So I made a Spiderman Art Portfolio.  Not only was it easy, but turned out just the way I wanted it to.

The original pattern comes with a pocket in the front too which I omitted.    The inside holds a large coloring book perfectly.  I added some crayons and will be adding stickers and maybe a comic book.  

The children's hospital loves this type of portfolio for the kids.  The tutorial is loaded with step-by-step instructions and lots of color photos.  It only comes in a PDF (my favorite) and the best part - IT'S ONLY $5!  And that $5 goes to help others!  A win-win situation.  So head on over to Create H.O.P.E. and purchase this pattern.  Make some for your kids, grandkids, hospital, wherever you can think of to bring a smile!  By the way, I have my eye on that "Chunky Monkey and His Friends" pattern next!


And don't forget to visit Kristy at Hopeful Threads.  She has something new starting tomorrow.  Don't miss out on bringing a smile to the face of someone special.


Dona

Two Giveaways to Enter

Don't forget to enter our Everything CrossStitch giveaway by clicking on the "Giveaways" tab above.

There is another really nice fabric giveaway at Hopeful Threads from the Fat Quarter Shop.  Click HERE to enter.

Silly Monsters Quilt is Finished!

The Silly Monsters quilt is finished.  It's just too cute and heading to a Ronald McDonald House.  Nikki stitched all the squares and we added the fabric squares and the "Silly Monsters" square.  Dona stitched together the quilt top and Bonnie did the quilting.  Thank you!

I'd like to introduce you to Kristy at Hopeful Threads.   As part of our "Year of Giving" theme, we will feature other like-minded groups.   As you read Kristy's interview HERE, you will meet a very special lady with a heart of gold. We hope you will be interested in helping her too as the more we give to those in need, the more smiles there will be to brighten this world.

Beautiful Butterfly Quilt Top

Bonnie finished this beautiful butterfly quilt top today.  This was a special project that we did where we all stitched the same butterfly design but each chose the colors they liked.  It was a really fun project and look how beautiful it turned out.  The butterfly was designed by Iulia of La Montassina Rossa.  Now it's off to Nellie Belle to be quilted!

"A Year of Giving" - Our Valentine's Day Cards

With our theme for 2012 being "A Year of Giving", we decided to be sure that all of the residents of the nursing home we donate to receive a Valentine's Day card.  As always, the ladies are doing an awesome job.  Check out all the hearts and cards on our Flickr page.

We even had a wonderful group of teen girls from Midwest Academy in Iowa donate their first time cross stitch projects to us.  Their hearts are wonderful and we will be making cards from them as well.  Thank you girls!

Everything CrossStitch Giveaway

We have a new giveaway.  Everything CrossStitch has sponsored us with a beautiful gift package.  Click on the "Giveaways" tab above, and enter to win.

OUR FIRST 'YEAR OF GIVING' QUILT TOP

Our Birds & Crosses Quilt is our first quilt top finished in 2012.  This is a special quilt that we are making for a specific lady in the nursing home.  She loves birds and crosses so we stitched those designs for her.  Thank you ladies for the cross stitch squares and to Bonnie for piecing the top.  Now Bonnie's quilting machine, Nellie Belle will take over!

2011 - A BANNER YEAR FOR WORLD OF CHARITY STITCHING

2011 was a banner year for WOCS as we all worked hard to build the group and get our participation up. Highlights include:

1. 120 new members joined in 2011.

2. We delivered: 29 quilts, 49 therapy pillows, 37 wheelchair/walker bags, 66 totes, and 68 other hand made gift items and many purchased tote bag items to Century Care Center, Favor House, and Ronald McDonald House.

3. WOCS joined Facebook and started our own Blog.

4. Our quilt output was boosted considerably with Bonnie's acquisition of Nellie Belle, her long armed quilting machine.

5. Three designers allowed us to use some of their patterns. Ulia, from Italy, designed an original butterfly pattern just for WOCS, The Floss Box animals decorated children's totes, and Vee & Company's snow globes were a big hit.

6. Several generous businesses contributed to prizes for our giveaways, including The Fat Quarter Shop, Crazy Annie's Stitchin', Vee & Co Designs, Gingercake Designs, and Quilting Lodge.

A huge thank you to Bonnie, Dona, Carolyn, Elizabeth and her friend Wilma for doing a wonderful job of making the quilts, to Dona who manages our Facebook and blog, and to all members who contributed their many "talents and treasures", enabling WOCS to make all those terrific delivered items.

The future looks bright for the group in 2012, so let's all put our hearts and hands to work spreading even more cheer and love.

Happy Stitching,
Peggy and Rachel, Co-Owners

WE HAVE A WINNER!

We have a winner of our first 2012 "Year of Giving" giveaway of 3 Precious Patterns.  Congratulations to #32 Kristy from Hopeful Threads.  I know Kristy will use some of these patterns for a charity! 

Here's what Kristy said: "So many great ones! Love all the plush toys patterns, especially the frogs, the water bottle covers are also great, and the pirate monkey applique is super cute too.  Thanks for the giveaway!"

Another giveaway begins January 16.  Be sure to check back.  It will have 'everything' you need for 'cross stitch'!

PILLOWS FOR SACRED HEART CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

These cute animal pillows will be heading over to Sacred Heart Children's Hospital in Spokane, WA tomorrow on behalf of WOCS.  These were made from a few of the patterns that Mary from Precious Patterns has designed.  We made the pillows without the legs and arms because of the IV lines and they are just as cute.  Remember, we are having a giveaway right now of 3 e-patterns from Precious Patterns.  Just click on the Giveaways tab above.  All of her patterns are so very cute and very easy!

A THANK YOU FROM RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Florida

 

We received this fairy blanket on Friday from the World of Charity Stitching. It was made up of 9 stitchings from individuals all across the country! THANK YOU for creating something so beautiful for our families whose children are going through difficult times as they battle illnesses and injuries at local medical facilities.  It was made up of 9 stitchings from individuals all across the country!

 

 

 

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY

Have you entered our most recent giveaway?  The designs for Precious Patterns are just that - Precious!  So be sure to enter at either the post 2 below this one or click on the Giveaways tab (please don't leave your comment on this post).  And don't forget to make something special to give to your local hospital or nursing home, or we would love to have you donate it to World of Charity Stitching!

A CALL TO BRING A SMILE

One of the places we enjoy bringing smiles to is a nursing home - Century Care Center.  We realized today that many people in nursing homes do not get Valentines.  So we are asking if anyone would like to cross stitch or has already cross stitched a heart motif that you would like to send our way.  The stitched area should be approx. 2x2" with extra fabric around the design to give us room to work with it.  We will then take the designs and make Valentine's Day cards for each resident.  If you are interested in helping, please email us.   Deadline for us to receive them is January 25th.  Thank you!

JOIN US IN A YEAR OF GIVING - AND A GIVEAWAY!

Filled Children's Tote Bags

What has the last year meant to you?  I was thinking about that the other day - thinking back on this last year and what has made my life more meaningful.  I have been stitching with the ladies of World of Charity Stitching (WOCS) for a year now and I realized that creating for WOCS and the children and adults who receive our gifts is what has made my life so much more meaningful.

I work everyday on a project or two for WOCS and because of that, one of my granddaughters who is 10 is now working with me when she can.  And she is excited!  She lost her favorite 12 year old cousin Tawyna to cancer 2 years ago and now she is creating pillows for WOCS in memory of Tawnya to be delivered to the children's hospital where we live.

Because of the joy we are all able to bring to someone's life, we at World of Charity Stitching are putting out a call to everyone to make this a Year of Giving.  If each of us were to make items for adults and children in hospitals, nursing homes, domestic violence shelters, Ronald McDonald House, or someplace you know in your area, think of how many smiles we could create.  We would, of course, love to have you create for us, but if that is not possible, please create something special for someone in your area.  Wondering what to make?  Visit our Flickr Photostream to get some ideas.  Leave a comment if you have questions.  We'd love to be a part of your giving!

 PRECIOUS PATTERNS GIVEAWAY!

And to start you in the direction of giving, we have some very Precious Patterns for you to win.  Mary and Sara, a mother daughter team from the Sunshine State, have created some of the cutest and easiest patterns I have ever worked with.  My granddaughter Ashton and I have made approximately 18 of their cute animal pillows for charity and right now have 12 more cut out and ready to sew.

Mary Ayres has designed all of their patterns. She is a nationally known craft designer and has sold thousands of her original designs to numerous national craft, sewing, and quilting magazines.  You will not be disappointed with any of her designs.

Now you can win 3 of their e-patterns!  You'll want them all! Here's what you need to do to enter.





Mandatory entry:
Visit the Precious Patterns Etsy Shop and tell me the pattern(s) you like most.  Come back to this post and leave a comment.

Extra Entries:
Join our Blog and leave a comment that you did.
Like us on Facebook and leave a comment that you did.
Sign up for our newsletter (left hand column) and leave a comment that you did.

If you are the winner, please consider donating to WOCS an item(s) that you make with one of the patterns you win.  We would like to feature the item you make on our Blog.  And come join our Yahoo group and stitch/sew with us!  We'd love to have you.


This giveaway will run from today through Wednesday January 11.  Mr. Random Number Generator will choose our winner and you will be notified via email. BE SURE YOU LEAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS FOR US TO CONTACT YOU.

If you like to cross stitch, sew, and/or quilt, we would love to have you join World of Charity Stitching at our Yahoo Group but that will NOT give you another entry for the giveaway. We are always in need of more cross stitchers, sewists, & quilters but please only sign up if you can donate your time and talent to us. Thanks!