Our first Growing Hope Loan

We had our first Growing Hope team sale. Team Leader Solsisters Shanira wall quilt sold earlier this month. We've chosen to loan the proceeds to Evelyn in Nagarote, Nicaragua. She will use the funds to buy two sows to breed with her existing pigs. The piglets will be sold each season to help feed her family. Evelyn still needs $200 to fully fund her loan. Check out the other growing hope items in the team shop if you'd like to contribute.

Growing Hope: 4th entry

Team Leader Krystal of Solsisters choose to make a framed wall quilt for the challenge.

Team leader SolSisters submitted this framed wall quilt titled Shanira (African for "warmed by the sun")

Obviously, from the name of her shop, she has an affinity for all things solar.

"I am drawn deeply to the fires of creation and the warm glow of friendship and family. The circles in my quilt are representative of the centers and anchors in our lives, the things who make us what we are and ground us. The winding threads are the unexpected connections that allow us to grow and change through learning."

The quilt is decorated with many small seed beads and tiny chips of rock. It also has flat squares of stone with a gorgeous rich orange, yellow and red marbling.

The fabrics are a mix of commercial, hand dyed and hand painted. The hand dyed came from etsy seller Karen of Ruby Mountain Dyeworks and the hand painted orange is from another etsy seller, Molly of Monkey Shine Design.

Shanira measures 9.5" square and is in a 13" square deep bronze chocolate frame. 

Visit her shop and blog.


Check out this and other Growing Hope entries as well as items from our two previous challenges at our team shop. 

Growing Hope: 3rd entry

Team Member Wendy Martin of Bags and Buds submitted her Blooming Buds Linen and Batik Pouch. It features Wendy's signature folded flowers. 

I took this challenge rather literally and chose to do a bag that shows the growth of a single flower. This bud gets more beautiful with each stage. Growth can bring great beauty, power, knowledge and love.

The front of this pouch is natural linen, and the back is batik cotton. It is fully lined in ivory cotton. There is a swivel clasp on the side so you can attach it to your bag, belt or key ring. Measuring approximately 5" x 7", it's big enough for all of your daily essentials-cell phone, cash, cards, comb, lip gloss, and keys. The front is embellished with three Kanzashi buds.

Care-spot clean only.
Free shipping.

Visit Wendy's shop.

Check out this and other Growing Hope entries as well as items from our two previous challenges at our team shop. 

Growing Hope: 2nd entry

 

Team Member Sandra of Sandra's Bohemian Bags subbmitted this great rucksack for our Growing Hope Challenge.

The theme for this challenge was growth. I believe we grow the best and strongest as human beings when we dare to travel in new directions and find the way to let our dreams take flight. I’ve chosen the butterfly to symbolize this.

This charming little Grab N Go bag will be a great accessory for your spring and summer outings. One side of the bag has a 5”x5” snap flap cargo pocket with a small butterfly appliquéd to the front of it. The other side of the bag has a larger butterfly appliqué that really shows off the swirling motion of the mod print. Created from golden tan cargos, recycled retro mod print from a sundress, and light blue brushed denim for the handle.

The body of the bag measures 9” wide x 9 ½” high. The handle is on a brass buckle slide and will adjust from a 12” drop to wear short and under the arm up to a 23” drop to be worn long and low as a messenger. The bag is lined in a stripe of white and 2 shades of blue. There are two interior pockets. The bag closes with a magnetic brass snap.

Visit Sandra's shop at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SandrasBohemianBags

Check out this and other Growing Hope entries as well as items from our two previous challenges at our team shop. 

1st Kiva Contribution

Check out this lovely little zipper pouch from Amy at SewArtsy. Can't wait to see what everyone else submits. We're off to a good start. Here is the link to the post in our team shop.

SPRING activity - Growth Challenge

The team has decided on our SPRING activity:

Growing Hope

Creations for this challenge can represent growth in a literal sense, such as growing food or plants or a more abstract sense such as growing your heart or growing a community.

Once completed the bags and other creations will be posted here and put up for sale in our team shop. As with all of our challenges, we'll be supporting a particular cause. Given how the entire world shook with the events of the last year, we want to start a cycle of continual assistance and spread some hope.

In order for our funds to keep on giving, we've decided to start a team account on Kiva.org. Kiva is a micro-lending site that allows you to pick a business person or cooperative group in the developing world and make loans as small as $25. Once the loan is repaid, we will RELOAN the money to another enterprising person and keeping the cycle of community and individual growth going.  Our goal is to raise $150 in order to make  three $50 loans.

Stay tuned for more details and watch here for creations as they come in.