Red Cross Trauma Teddies

Charity - Red Cross Australia
Item - Trauma Teddies
Links - Facebook

Trauma Teddy™ is a special bear knitted by volunteers and given to children and adults during traumatic times. If you are a willing and able knitter we would love to hear from you. New members are always welcome. Trauma Teddy™'s are not for sale. Red Cross will provide patterns and filling. For further information, please contact the regional centre in your area. There is also a Trauma Teddy Corner page on Facebook you can visit via the link above.

Aussie Hero Quilts and Laundry Bags

Charity - Aussie Hero Quilts
Items - Quilts and Laundry Bags
Links - Facebook | Website

Aussie Hero Quilts (and Laundry Bags) is designed to encourage sewers to make quilts and laundry bags for our Aussie Servicemen and Women currently serving Overseas. We care about the person, not the politics or the mission.

Quilts If you can only make one quilt that could be the quilt that turns up somewhere when someone really needs a boost. If you are able to make complete quilts from start to finish, or if you can take a quilt top and turn it into a quilt - we need you. If you can take a set of blocks and put them together with some of your own stash to produce a quilt, we need you. For quilt specification please click HERE

Laundry Bags Our laundry bag production has taken a hit recently, two of our regular sewers are currently not able to sew for family and health reasons and that means we need you. Laundry bags are easy to make -if you have been thinking about getting involved with AHQ but don't want to quilt - then make a laundry bag, choose some bright colours from your stash and go for it. For Laundry Bag specifications please click HERE

The Australian Outback Baby Project

Charity - The Australian Outback Baby Project
Items - Handmade Toys and Baby Sets
Links - Facebook

The Project is made up of many wonderful volunteers from mostly Australia and some from around the world. We knit, sew,quilt, felt and or crochet clothes and items for donation to hospitals, Outreach clinics and remote midwives in Outback Australia and rural New South Wales as well as Careflight NSW & NT so that they can donate the gift sets to grieving families of stillborn & miscarried babies and give comfort to preemie babies whilst in hospital and their flight to hospital.

We receive no government funding help what so ever, and rely on community donations & sponsorship to create our care packs and special baby packs. At the moment what we really need is hand made (sewn, knitted, crocheted) toys please. Also baby sets in Aboriginal colours (Black, yellow, red) and Torres Strait colours (blue, green, white, black).

Yasminah's Gift of Hope

Charity - Yasminah's Gift of Hope
Items - Baby Blankets, Quilts, Beanies, Booties & Teddies
Links - Facebook | Website

Yasminah's Gift of Hope provide a Gift of Hope, support and guidance for premature birth, pregnancy, neonatal and infant loss. Ensuring parents receive early, ongoing support, information and an opportunity to create lasting memories and keepsakes of their time with their child to treasure forever. 1 in 4 pregnancies in Australia ends in miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death, 1 in 10 babies in Australia are born premature.

Gift Of Hope journals provide families a place to freely express their thoughts feelings and emotions.Every Gift of Hope Journal is lovingly hand made by a dedicated team of volunteers across Australia. Our journals are supplied to over 100 hospitals across Australia & are also supplied directly to bereaved families. Our Gift of Hope support packs also include Angel Gowns (burial gowns), a handmade crocheted blanket/quilt, beanie & booties & a teddy bear/handmade teddy/animal. We also provide packs for premature babies which include a journal & also handmade items.

Yasminah's Gift of Hope relies solely on donations from the community. We are growing rapidly & welcome new volunteers to our 'family' & are always so very grateful for the generous donations we receive from the handmade community. All donations can be sent to: Yasminah's Gift of Hope, PO Box 237, Quakers Hill, NSW, 2763. We have a variety of free knitting and crochet patterns on our website for you to choose from.

Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH)

Charity - Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH)
Items - Knitted toys, Baby cardigans, Bassinet blankets
Links - Facebook | Website

RBWH Foundation is the charity arm of Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH), Queensland's largest hospital. The Foundation's role is to fill that funding gap. Money raised by RBWH Foundation is used to fund research on the campus, purchase vital pieces of equipment and enable key health professionals to attend additional training programs, conferences and seminars. To raise these funds, the Foundation relies heavily on the support of the community.

It is through the generosity of many individuals, businesses and community groups that we are able to assist the hospital in its life-saving work.
The Foundation has a small shop at RBWH staffed by volunteers that sells a variety of handcrafted items. The best selling items are small knitted toys and baby cardigans that visitors purchase as gifts for newborn babies. We are currently seeking donations of these items. We are also gratefully accepting items for the Maternity Ward, specifically bassinets blankets (approximately 60cm square). All generous donations can be sent to Rita Grice, PO 94, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Qld 4029. For more information  Facebook page and website or call 07 3646 7588.

WIRES

Charity - WIRES
Item/s - Joey, Macropod & Possom Pouches
Links - Facebook | Website

Every day WIRES volunteers are taking orphaned young marsupials into care. These young animals need a safe and warm environment that is as similar as possible to their mothers pouch where they would normally be if they were not in care. Each joey in care therefore needs a pouch.

There are two kinds of pouches, one inner liner of cotton and an outer pouch made of wool. The inner liner is changed frequently often after each feed which can mean up to 6 pouches being needed or just one joey every 24 hours. Many WIRES carers have multiple joeys in care at any given time and the number of pouches used each day can climb very quickly. On average a carer will often have 20-30 pouches in the wash at any given time. The size of the pouches needed, changes depending on both the age of the joey and the species. In all cases the regular washing required means the life span of each pouch is limited and the need for pouches is ongoing.

You can help, the sewing and knitting required is fairly basic and there is a factsheet available to explain sizes and material requirements. The main requirement is the inner linings must be 100% cotton and the outer knitted pouches must be pure wool. Synthetic materials do not breathe and are not appropriate. Completed pouches are always gratefully received at our Forestville office which is at 9 Cook Street, Forestville. Alternatively you can call 02 8977 3333 to find your nearest branch.

See a clip featured on Sunrise about how the pouches are used by our volunteers

If you would like to help please take a look at the factsheet on making possum pouches or macropod pouches and help us care for our wildlife. For more information visit our Facebook page and website.