Local Artisan Makes Quilts For Charity

I believe that everyone has a talent that can be used to benefit others in need.  Tawny of Tawny Bee is a seamstress who is helping the Siloam Mission by donating much needed comforters for the fast approaching cold season.  Read her story below to learn all about what she is doing and perhaps get ideas to what you can do to help someone in need.  It does not need to be a financial donation.  I know people who gather used coats, mitts, & scarves and hand them out to people on the street over the winter.  If you have a talent and/or spare time I encourage you to reach out to your community.  That is why I do this blog.  I don't have any real artisan talent.  I don't get paid anything or do it for free stuff.  I do it to help local artisans & businesses in my community.  I know that I am not out in on the streets saving lives but hopefully I am connecting buyers to sellers and keeping money in the province and out of Walmart.  ;)

"Pay It Forward: Comforters for Siloam Mission

I was just thinking about the wonderful life I have today. I'm so blessed and lucky in so many ways. I have a beautiful family, an amazing house to live in and my health. I truly have it all.

I was thinking about all this while cutting out a new comforter for Lane. It's starting to become cooler at night and I wanted to make sure my little girl wouldn't be cold. These thoughts naturally got me thinking about those who will have a rough time this autumn and winter in Winnipeg. Not everyone is as lucky as I am and it made me so sad. I've got to do something!

So I went to the Siloam Mission webpage and checked to see if comforters were on their "Fill a Need" list. And of course they were.

September is going to be "Pay It Forward" month here at Tawny Bee. I'll be making comforters for the Siloam Mission and will drop them off on October 1st.

For those of you who don't know what Siloam Mission is, I'll let them tell you:

"A connecting point between the compassionate and Winnipeg’s less fortunate, Siloam Mission is a Christian humanitarian agency offering programs and services at no charge to those experiencing homelessness.
Siloam Mission alleviates the hardships of the poor and homeless, assists in transitioning them into self-sufficient and generous lifestyles and advocates nationwide on their behalf." (taken from their website)
I promise to make at least 10 comforters (like the one I made for Lane today) to donate to the mission by October 1st.
Wanna help?

There are 3 ways in which you can help if you so choose to participate in paying it forward month:

1) You can buy a handmade Tawny Bee comforter for your home for $60. For every comforter I sell, I will donate one to the mission. They are made out of cotton flannel with a warm cozy quilt batting inside. Flannel comes in basically any colour, theme, pattern you can imagine, so if you have a dream, I can probably make it work. Or you can always tell me a little about yourself and I will come up with a one of a kind comforter just for you. :)

And just in case you think I might be making money off of this, I'll lay out my costs for you. Flannel is sold for $7 a meter and it takes 4 meters to make a comforter. That's $28, plus quilt batting which costs a small fortune and thread. That means, it'll cost over $60 to make 2 comforters. But it's not about cost, it's about paying it forward. :)

2) If you are a sewist like myself, you can make a comforter and drop it off at my house for me to donate with the pile that I'll be making or directly to the mission. Or you can donate materials such as flannel, thread, quilt batting if you have extra laying around.

3) If $60 is too steep a price, but you'd like to contribute, you can drop off a money donation at my house which I will put towards making the comforters. And of course, you can always go to the Siloam Mission website and see what other items they are in need of and make your own donation. Or donate money directly to the mission. :)

Aren't they special? I love this idea! I really love to use my particular talents in a way that helps others. I hope you'll join me?

If you would like to participate in any of the ways I've outlined above, you can email me at tawnykw@gmail.com or message me through the Tawny Bee fanpage.

I'll update you will my progress throughout the month. Even if I receive no interest or help, Siloam Mission is still going to receive 10 handmade comforters from us on October 1st."

Tawny Bee
tawnykw@gmail.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TawnyBee
http://www.facebook.com/tawnybeefanpage
http://tawnykw.blogspot.com/2010/09/pay-it-forward-comforters-for-siloam.html