I am so excited to help announce The Little Yellow Duck Project on it’s launch day! It’s founders have been working double time to get this very fun, and also super important awareness campaign moving and I was so lucky to be a part of it.
A month or so ago I heard about an opportunity to design a pattern for an organization promoting organ, blood, tissue and bone marrow donation. Since my health has pretty much been the biggest struggle of my life, I tend to fall in love with anything that can help the health of others. And if there’s a way to do crafts AND help others live healthier lives, how could I possibly say no?! So I got on board as soon as I heard about it and I’m so glad I did! Here’s a little more about their cause.
The Little Yellow Duck Project (LYDP) was founded in memory of Clare Cruickshank who passed away last April while waiting for a double lung transplant. The creators of the LYDP wanted to base an awareness campaign around random acts of kindness, to echo the idea that when people donate blood/organs/tissue it is often to benefit someone we’ve never met. Because Clare loved yellow ducks, the theme of the LYDP was easy to find.
The foundation has rounded up pattern designers to create duck patterns that are available for free. The idea is for volunteers all over the world to make up handmade items and leave them in public areas (libraries, museums, book shops etc) for strangers to find. The ducks will have a tag on them (available for download on the LYDP website) explaining the project, inviting the person who found the duck to take it home to enjoy, and also invites them to consider making a life saving donation.
I’ve had so much fun making up ducks, and you better believe I will be stashing them around town today! If you’d like to participate in the LYDP, you can find all the details on thelittleyellowduckproject.org. My Darling Duckling pattern serves as their sewing pattern, but they also have free patterns and project ideas for knitting, crochet, scrapbooking, Fimo clay and more! All the patterns are made to go up relatively quickly (my duck can be made in under an hour) and several of them would work great for kids to make as well. (I am definitely thinking this would be a fun service project for my Activity Days girls-the youth group I lead from my church)
For more fun ideas, follow the LYDP on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram!
This is so awesome. Going to share it and participate myself!
Hooray! I’m so glad!
Thank you so much for your support Jessica, we couldn’t have done it without you! X