We have been waiting for this morning for months now and we are so excited that it is finally here: Day 1 of Skirting the Issue!
As we mentioned last week, things will run a little differently this year. Last year Skirting the Issue focused on making and donating skirts to foster care girls to have just in time for back to school. (And with all of your help we were able to donate almost 600 skirts!) This year we will kick off Skirting the Issue again with skirts for foster care (or another location of your choice.) After that each week will focus on a different item that can be handmade and we will provide a list of locations that needs those items.
Here’s the schedule:
Week One (July 1): Skirts
Week Two (July 8): Pillowcases
Week Three (July 15): Blankets
Week Four (July 22): Dolls
Week Five (July 29): Bereavement Gowns
(Each week we will also provide tutorials on all 3 of our blogs (Simple Simon and Company, Project Run and Play, and Project Sewn) for the weekly project.)
So why the change?
Well, we better start back at the beginning…and where Skirting the Issue came from…
Elizabeth and I always knew that we wanted to “do something good” with our blog. Then two years ago we started planning a month long event where we could organize a giant sew along that could bring all of us together, sewing in our own homes, on our own time, but for the same cause.
After that we needed to choose a cause. On this point Elizabeth and I went round and round and back and forth. There were so many great charities and places to sew for. But finally on one late night phone call we decided on Foster Care…and it just felt right. And it was. (Especially since both of us have a tender places in our hearts for foster kids.)
Finally with the plan complete we launched Skirting the Issue on July 2nd of last year. And your response was wonderful. There was more than one time we called one another in tears after reading an email, a post or receiving a package in the mail. You women were amazing. And we appreciated all of your love and support.
This year as we talked it over and began to plan we felt strongly that we wanted each of you to be able to sew along with us…all together…but be able to sew for a cause that you love as much as we love foster care. So hopefully with the projects we’ve selected this year you can find something that you can make and donate to a charity that is close to your heart. (And maybe even one that is in your own community!)
Later tonight we will post a “Skirting the Issue Facts Sheet” that will give you any details that you might need for the month. Also watch for an upcoming post about our sponsors for Skirting the Issue….we have some great sponsors on board this year with some great gifts to give out to those who sew along with us.
Until then…think about the project you’d like make and where you’d like to donate it to…
We are really looking forward to this!
-liZ
PS: Here’s a quick answer to a commonly asked question:
Q: How do you know what I made or where I donated it to?
A: You can take a picture of it and post it in the Flickr group!
(Here’s the link: Skirting the Issue Flickr Group)
And if you have any more questions, hopefully the facts sheet (coming tonight) will answer any of those, and if not…leave a comment or send an email and we will answer you quickly!
man! I’ve been so caught up in my life, I haven’t been up on this! Totally posting about it tomorrow and I’ll be sewing when I get back from Science Camp. You girls are too wonderful!
I’m a very new follower, so I’m just now seeing this post. This is such a great idea! I’m doing a post about it on my blog later in the week. I hope to be able to sew along with you, schedule permitting!
THANK YOU for creating / organizing this! This is such a wonderful cause and I’m so happy to be able to participate. I dropped off 7 skirts at my local foster care closet this past Thursday 🙂
I would love to be part of the sewing for Foster children program, thanks
Hi – I would like to know if you are still doing this project for 2016? AND, is there any chance that some of your sewers might like to make skirts for female teenagers in Las Vegas that are homeless? I am sure there are homeless teens everywhere, however, we have quite a few and it would be nice to distribute the skirts to a company in Las Vegas that supplies teens with used clothing. Maybe blankets wouldn’t be a bad idea either. At any rate, Foster children is also a great cause.
YES! We are…and we love to encourage people to donate to local causes other than foster care! Look for more details on July 1st!