Crafting for a Cause

I really love to create things.  Usually I say that creating allows me some sanity in this insane life I live!  It allows me to focus on something other than the kids.  Now, please don't take that the wrong way!  I love my kids dearly, they bring me MUCH joy and happiness, more than any craft I will make.  Crafting, however, allows me to use a different God-given gift.  Most of the time, I have many helpers as I craft!  When I sew, someone offers to take out all the pins.  When I crochet, someone helps tangle the yarn.  So, all in all, crafting is a family affair!  :)  Anyway.  This week, I was crafting for a totally different cause and it made me so GIDDY!  I had so much fun and I can see it continuing in the future.  This week I was crafting for the Crisis Pregnancy Center (CPC) here in our capital city.  See, a dear friend of mine, who I look forward to getting to know even better, has a passion to help these brave and courageous moms.  She puts together these large gifts full of baby essentials, like diapers, wipes, clothes, bibs, burp cloths, hats, etc.  Lots of people pitch in to donate items, she packs them up and sends them to the CPC.  They distribute them to the moms who are blessed to have these gifts that they may not otherwise receive.  What a ministry!  This week, she sent out an email asking for more items for the gifts.  After that email, it hit me that I have a lot of baby blankets sitting in my closet from when my kids were babies.  I asked if gently used was okay and she said that was great!  So, out came all the blankets, I sorted through them and found 10 large flannel blankets that are in great shape and have lots of baby-wrapping life left in them.  They are now all washed and ready to head to her house.  Then I looked at all the blankets that had seen better days - some had holes, some had stains, some were way too small to wrap a baby properly.  I suddenly thought I could use that fabric to make bibs.  She needed bibs.  I could make bibs.  That night I went out to the fabric store and found some charming cotton fabric in the remnant bin and bought it as well as some diaper flannel for the bib backs.  I would use the old blankets as an inner layer in the bibs to make them extra absorbent.  I found a really easy pattern here and this is the result (5 bibs total):

Then, while we were on vacation earlier this month, I brought along some yarn and was busy crocheting hats for the CPC following the pattern you can find here.  I was able to crochet 3 1/2 hats while we were gone.  It makes great use of the driving time and the TV watching time!  I finished the 4th hat this week while at an appointment with Pepe.  I just needed to add some flowers.  I decided to try adding zipper flowers instead of the usual crocheted flower so this morning I headed to the thrift store and found a bunch of brightly colored zippers.  This evening I whipped together the flowers using my own imagination and the final result? 

Oh.  My.  Goodness!  They are so very cute!  These little ladies will be so stylish with their cozy little hats! 

Now, earlier this week, when I told hubby that I wanted to sew some bibs for the CPC, he asked if I had time for that.  Though I was a bit offended by the question, it really is a good one.  Do we make time in our schedule to minister to others?  We are so quick to give of our money but are we willing to invest our time and energy to help those that really need it?  I pray that I will continue to invest my time in this avenue.  It has always been dear to my heart and now I know of a tangible way to be involved supporting these women that give life to their babies and take on the challenge of raising them and loving them.   So I ask you, have you ever crafted for a cause?