Crafters Doing Good: Virus Edition

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Turn on the television: bad news. Open the newspaper: bad news. Scroll social media: bad news. Today, I’m sharing good news!

I’ve always known that crafters are amazing and have hearts of gold. The overwhelming support that Will, myself, and our family received during Will’s fight against Lymphoma cemented this. And now, when the world is in need, crafters are once again stepping up. 

I’ve been watching others, taking notes of who is making a difference, and even asking other crafters about how they are pitching in. Today, I’m putting a smile on your face by sharing what I found.

Crafters Doing Good for Coronavirus

1. Making masks. There are literally tens of thousands of crafters sewing homemade masks. Some are donating them; while many are selling at cost. I’ve heard stories of crafters that haven’t sewed in years dusting off their sewing machines just to sew masks. If you haven’t seen, Joann Fabrics has a mask making initiative called Make to Give.
2. Making face shields. Terri Johnson from Terri Johnson Creates shared the story of one of her licensed instructors creating face shields for medical professionals in New York. It’s a heartwarming story with ways you can do the same, read it here.
3. Creating cards. Barbara Foster from Let’s Go Silhouetting shared that she is creating and donating to Scrapbook.com’s Cards for Kindness program.
4. Donating supplies. Several members of the Cutting for Business Insider’s Club have shared that they are going through their craft supplies to donate fabric and elastic to those making masks.
5. Making comfort items for medical professionals. If you haven’t heard, medical staff on the front lines have reported that wearing masks behind their ears is rubbing their skin raw. Crafters have stepped in to make doctors, nurses, and hospital staff more comfortable.
   • Many of the same crafters that are sewing masks are also making headbands or caps with buttons on the sides. The loops from the masks are able to slip over the buttons rather than the ears.  
   • A couple of crafters in the Glowforge for Crafters group have been making and donating acrylic buttons to headband makers.
   • Other crafters are making hooks to hold the mask straps together on the back of the head. Some crafters like Lisa Potts of Lisa Potts Designs are cutting these hooks from acrylic and donating them, others like Terri Johnson from Terri Johnson Creates are using their Silhouette Alta to 3D print them, and Larissa of Larissa Made This shared a video tutorial on how to use a heat press to make an s hook. 
6. Supporting those that are sewing. Marjorie from Atlanta Stylish Point is cutting acrylic mask templates for crafters sewing masks.
7. Supporting moms and kids. Other crafters have shared that they have donated DIY kits and craft activities to kids under Safer at Home orders. Nancy Blecha shared that she has given away make your own tumblers and canvas tote bags with HTV coloring images and markers to her local moms group.
8. Making hand sanitizer. Other crafty people chimed in like Shelley Harding from Shel-F Life saying that she’s making hand sanitizer and handing it out for free.

What are you doing to help? Share it in a comment below and brighten everyone’s day.

Christine Schinagl, Cutting for Business

Since 2015, Christine Schinagl has been helping crafters start and run craft businesses through her blog, Cutting for Business. As a Silhouette and Cricut crafter herself, she has a unique take on what works and what doesn’t work in the craft business world. She also enjoys teaching other crafters how to create digital SVG designs, available through the Design with Me series.

cuttingforbusiness.com