Craft Hope collects handmade washcloths and towels for Gulf cleanup

If you’ve been watching news of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and feeling helpless as this disaster continues to unfold, here’s a way you can put your sewing (or knitting or crocheting) skills to use to help out. Craft Hope has dedicated their 8th project to collecting cotton washrags and hand towels to donate to organizations who are cleaning and caring for the animals affected by the oil. These rags will most likely be used only a handful of times because of the toxic nature of the oil, but they should be still be handmade in keeping with the spirit of Craft Hope. Simple squares of fabric layered and sewn together will work just fine, and you can make use of recycled fabrics. Deadline is July 3. Get the details at Craft Hope’s website.

[tags]sewing, craftivism, donation, Gulf, oil, spill, Craft Hope[/tags]

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I am just smitten with this felt gingerbread house bag. This would make such a sweet special Christmas accessory for a kid. It’s a free pattern at Benzie Design, designed by Gracie from Hello Gracie Makes. It’s packed with adorable gingerbread house details, like swirls and stripes and scallops adoring the doors and windows.

And while all those details might seem like this would be a complicated pattern, it’s actually not. The bag itself is made from felt, which makes finishes edges unnecessary. (All of those scalloped edges are just cut from felt, no edge finishing required.) The strap is super simple, made from rope with knotted ends. And all those details are made with some basic hand embroidery stitches. Sparkle felt makes it extra cute.

The striped scallop roof is actually the top flap of the bag. A magnetic snap makes it a secure closure. The rope straps are attached through felt loops at the side of the bag.

They rate this project as an intermediate level, and it should take about 6 hours to make start to finish. That’s doable for a Saturday project or a couple of evenings. Full color photos step you through the entire process.

The project includes a shopping list for all of your supplies. They’ve got a shop so you can order all of them from Benzie if you like and get exactly the supplies used in the project. I noticed it includes a pair of scallop shears, which makes cutting all the scalloped edges for the roof and around the door a breeze.

Finished dimensions of the little felt gingerbread bag are approximately 6 ½” wide x 7 ½” tall. That’s the perfect size to hold a small book, a small toy, or a notepad and some cute pens.

Go to Benzie Design to get the tutorial and free pattern for the felt gingerbread house bag.

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