It’s the month to give! With Giving Tuesday on November 28th this year and Fabricana happily supporting the charity “Ryan’s Case for Smiles” once again, we thought it would be an opportunity to highlight some of the other charities and organizations Fabricana has supported in the past and what they are all about so you can support them too if you’re able!
Ryan’s Case for Smiles
As many of you know Fabricana is a regular participant in the pillowcase drives that Ryan’s Case for Smiles runs throughout the year. Ryan’s Case for Smiles’ mission is to bring joy to children in hospital by providing colourful pillowcases to kids so they can feel better to heal better. To participate, all you need to do is follow this charity’s guidelines and donate a novelty pillowcase! There are many drives throughout the year hosted throughout Canada; Fabricana’s pillowcase drive usually takes place from November to early December and we prioritize Holiday-themed pillowcases so children who are in hospital over the holidays have a bit of seasonal cheer to brighten their stay!
Project Hugs
This year was the first year Fabricana participated in TrendTex’s special quilting event “Project Hugs.” This event involved quilters donating their time to make a quilt in 1 day! These finished quilts were then donated to the Ronald McDonald house to bring comfort to children and families who are currently recovering or working through health difficulties.
Covenant House
In past years Fabricana has donated both sewn hats and gloves as well as fleece blankets to Covenant House in Vancouver. Covenant House supports at risk youth by providing resources, housing, food, and comfort items. Covenant House supports hundreds of people each year and Fabricana has been happy to provide fabrics to this wonderful organization so they can continue to serve our community.
Rescue Craft Co
Fabricana partnered with the RCC in 2020 during the Australia Fires. Many wonderful sewists donated their skills to make Joey Blankets, Bat Wraps, and more when Australian animals were in need. Rescue Craft Co is dedicated to providing handmade craft items for animals that require special care and work diligently to gather these donated items year round! Fabricana was a donation hub for these home-sewn relief items and provided patterns and resources for local sewists.
Bear Sew-a-Thon
Fabricana hosted a Teddy Bear sewing workshop around Christmas in 2019 where we sewed up polar-bear stuffed animals for charity. The finished teddies were donated to Santas Anonymous who distributed these furry friends to children who otherwise wouldn’t be getting a gift from Santa on Christmas. The fabric was supplied by Fabricana and we taught 20 amazing sewists how to sew these adorable bears.
The Christmas Bureau
This donation comes with a story! A few years ago the Christmas Bureau (a charity that provides toys to underprivileged children) found themselves in a pickle when the building they were supposed to move into was vandalised making it inoperable for the bureau. Without a place to go and only 2 months until Christmas Fabricana reached out and offered our building space for the Christmas Bureau when we heard the news. We happened to have the space and we were more than happy to donate it so this charity was able to achieve their goal for Christmas.
Shannon Downey and Badass Cross Stitch
This fun community project was organized by Shannon Downey when she came across an unfinished quilt when she was at an estate sale. After posting her story online, dozens of quilters from across the country reached out to volunteer their time to help finish this quilt. Fabricana was one of these volunteers! We donated the fabric backing and batting required to finish the project and shipped it off to Shannon free of charge so she could complete the quilt knowing she did her best to help its original owner pass on peacefully.
Translink BC
In 2020 Fabricana was happy to partner with Translink by donating fabric for their health and safety initiative. This partnership help make it possible for BC’s local transit system to give out free, reusable masks to passengers. This wonderful initiative involved Translink volunteers donating their time to sew the masks with the fabric we supplied. We were happy to help so everyone could use public transport safely!
Fabricana loves hosting events and supporting our community. Sewing isn’t as popular as it once was and many people forget what a huge impact sewing can have when it comes to charity donations. We’re so proud of all our local quilters, tailors, and crafters who donate their time to help out. Fabricana is honoured to be a part of the sewist community and we are always looking for ways we can help out.
