Posts tagged ‘giving’

Being a stay-at-home homeschooling mama can put quite a strain on the family budget.  Where once, as a full-time employee,  I was able to donate money to many worthy causes.  We are no longer in a financial position to give to charities like we used to. What is a Mom to do when you want to instill in your child the importance to give to those in need but can’t spare the change, so to speak?  Why, just get a bit more creative.  This year I made it a priority to use some of our homeschooling time to work on charitable projects.

How do you choose a project to donate to?  There are many books such as Knitting for Peace: Make the World a Better Place One Stitch at a Time
or Quilting for Peace: Make the World a Better Place One Stitch at a Time
that have patterns for projects and where to send them.  There are many blogs calling for craft donations such as Quilting for Babes and quilt shops hosting sew-ins and accepting donations for causes such as the1 Million Pillowcase Challenge. There are also many local resources in need of help such as quilt guilds, churches, shelters, food pantries, and hospice.

My father was recently told that his cancer is back and has spread.   He will be going for treatments soon.  Right away we thought of making him a quilt together to keep him warm at the treatment center because he is always cold.

Where do you start?  For us it began with a blog posting at One Shabby Chic with a touching story about Kathy’s project Quilting for Babes.  I read the story (Bed 18 at Magnolia Designs Blog) to my daughter and asked her what she thought.  We discussed the fact that her best friend Nate was a preemie and got a special quilt when he was in NICU.  This brought the concept of this project from abstract to concrete.  She was very enthused at the prospect of helping Mama make something special for a struggling newborn.

We set about selecting a combination of fabrics together, and then she watched as I showed her the steps involved in making a quilt top.  She will then, as part of her practical arts education, learn to make one on her own and then if she’s like we can donate it to an organization of her choice.  We’ll in all likelihood start with a pillowcase to donate first though…knowing how to sew in a straight line sure comes in handy when quilting..

My father was recently told that his cancer is back and has spread.   He will be going for treatments soon.  Right away we thought of making him a quilt together to keep him warm at the treatment center because he is always cold.  Again this is a cause that my daughter can associate with, mind this is a very personal one, but I think that is the most important part of instilling in them the importance to give back.  In order for them to be passionate about it, they have to be able to relate to the cause.

I feel very fortunate that I have the time to make quilts for charity, and especially that I get to do it with my daughter.  What special skill do you have that you can share with your child?  Are you an avid gardener, a wood worker, or perhaps a baker?  I encourage you to take your skills into your community and beyond to help those in need, and in the process you and your child will create fond memories together that will not soon be forgotten.

This post was written by Colette D., a new-to-homeschooling Mom and a Lesson Pathways Blog contributing writer.  She and her Husband raise their daughter together in the rural countryside of Upstate New York where they like to spend as much time as possible being creative and enjoying nature.  She blogs about her adventures in sewing,, quilting, crafting, and baking (among other things) at yearofhandmade.