Softies for Mirabel is a holiday toy drive with a fun, crafty, modern yet slightly vintage twist. The toys and dolls are made the old-fashioned way and are donated to the Mirabel Foundation in Melbourne, Australia. Each softie is hand made and unique offering kids something original, something special, something beautiful. Pip Lincolne is the organizational force behind Softies for Mirabel and owns a shop called Meet Me at Mikes- down the street from the Mirabel Foundation. Her store reflects her "crafty, nostalgic sensibility: a mix of retro and modern, handmade and vintage, earnest and ironically hip."Pip found out about the organization and right away began to rally crafters and sewers to make softies for children in need. "it seemed to me," she says, "that there were so very many children who really needed softies. NOT JUST FOR THEIR STITCHED-UP BEAUTY, BUT TO HAVE A SPECIAL MADE-WITH-LOVE FRIEND TO SHARE THEIR SECRETS WITH."
Softies are not limited to owls, but include everything from cats, dogs and rabbits to llamas, platypuses, tarantulas, robots, monsters and old-fashioned dolls wearing one-of-a-kind clothes. To check out some of these, visit www.meetmeatmikes.com for guidelines and inspiration and to view the photo gallery of softies that have been donated in the past.
You can make a softie and send it to:
Meet Me at Mike's
63 Brunswick Street
Fitzroy VIC 3065
Australia
I love that these softies offer something different for every child. Whether it be a comfort item, a confidant, a hug: this hand-made, sewn-with-love toy offers so much more than anything store bought. It was made individually, with lots of personality and charm. The seems may not match up perfectly, like something stamped or manufactured. And if you look closely, the eyelids are not perfectly spaced or you may see tiny holes where stitches were taken out because the pieces did not fit together. Mirabel offers so much love, stimulation and imagination. She is someone to talk to, confide in and mourn with. A toy that can never really be bought or replaced. Mirabel is a friend.
If you would like directions on how to make Mirabel, feel free to send me a message on Facebook and I will be happy to share. You don't have to piece together her body as I did, I wanted my Mirabel to be colorful, energetic and unique: qualities that she will share with the girl she is intended for. I would also love to hear/see your softies that you have created!
Farewell my friends,
Hailey & Mirabel
