Last week I teamed up with Kids Giving Back, (a local organisation that gets kids helping others in the community), to hold a Sew a Softie workshop at Waverley library. The basic idea was for the kids to come along, sew a softie, and then donate their softie to a child living in a shelter with their mum as a result of domestic violence.
Twenty eight kids from five years old and up attended with their mums and although it was a little hard for some to give up the amazing softies they had created, they still happily gave them away knowing that a child in difficult circumstances would give their softie a loving home. Knowing how hard it can be for kids, especially the younger ones, to part with their softies (they fall in love with them very quickly), I made sure that, after finishing their softie for the shelter, they had time to make another little softie to take home…a sort of surprise for them that they didn’t expect but certainly deserved.
Sophie from the Bayside Women’s Shelter came to collect the softies and to thank the children. She told them that every family at the shelter would receive a softie. One of the younger kids was concerned enough to ask her what happens if there’s more than one kid in the family. I was impressed by the question. It showed the kids were not just doing an activity they were told was worthwhile but were genuinely interested in the welfare of the children they were making the softies for.
After the class, several of the mums approached me to say that their kids were thrilled with their new skill, so much so that they were off to buy sewing supplies so their kids could make some more softie friends at home. From every point of view, it was a great morning.
And if you want to make a softie with your child, here’s a super simple to sew softie tutorial you can have a lot of fun with.
