Last week I hosted an auction (now closed) on my Instagram account to raise donations for the people and wildlife of Australia suffering from devastating bush fires.

I’m pleased to report that the 18 items earned a total of $1937!

(a selection of items that were up for bid, above)

Thank you so much to each of you that placed bids and donated to the charities of your choice. For my part I was happy that my photo samples, made from my various sewing patterns over the years, are going to be put to use rather than stored in my studio.

Everything is packed up and ready to ship!

If you weren’t able to bid or missed out, there are other craft related auctions hosted by others. Check out Knit Beyond Borders, who is hosting an auction at the end of January. Or if auctions aren’t your thing, there are plenty of reputable charities to donate to, such as Together Rising, The Red Cross Australia and Wildlife Victoria to name a few.

Would you rather be giving of your time? There is a Facebook Group called Relief Crafters of America (and I’m sure other groups in other countries!) that are working together to sew beds, blankets, pouches and more to support the small animals rescued from the fires. They’ve segmented the country into regional hubs and sub-hubs for sewing and collecting items to send Down Under. I donated some of my fabric stash to a few local crafters and I hope to sew a few joey pouches myself! (Edited to add 1/21/2020: Before sewing any donations, be sure to check the latest status of need from the sources listed above or THIS LINK. There are also many local-to-you shelters that would love sewn items donated to comfort their critters.)