As part of a new initiative this year, Echidna Sewing has created a monthly Sewalong to inspire and encourage customers to get creative and make use of their amazing sewing and embroidery skills.

Joining a sewalong enables you to do the following:

• Use your sewing and/or embroidery machine more than you might otherwise
• Follow a project brief and create something unique
• Use up any unwanted scrap material
• Gain inspiration from others – discover new sewing patterns, embroidery designs, colours styles, fabrics uses and much more!
• Learn new skills and techniques that you normally wouldn’t challenge yourself with
• Show off your finished project, gaining encouragement from others, and giving others the same.

What is the purpose of doing these monthly Sewalongs for various charities?

Each month we contact a different charity and find out if there are any products they desperately need for it’s members, or that they can use at an event or a fundraising auction. Therefore, each Sewalong is tailor-made to ensure that anything being donated will go directly to someone in need or help towards funding their cause.

“I want to donate to a specific charity but I’ve missed that Sewalong month or won’t have it made in time!”

There may be some charities that have touched you personally, and regardless of what month it was featured, you want to get involved. All of our Sewalongs have been tailor-made for each charity and that means that there is no deadline for your donations. Each Sewalong project includes the delivery address for where you need to send your items, so you are able to do this at any time of the year. Otherwise, you can drop off your items to any of our four Echidna store locations and we will send it in for you.

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Act for Kids

Act for Kids is an Australian charity providing free therapy and support services to children and families who have experienced, or are at risk of, child abuse and neglect. They have helped thousands of children and families for over 28 years. Act for Kids operates twenty-two centres with a team of over 300 staff from Adelaide all the way up to the Cape York Peninsula. Their services have expanded to include integrated therapy, support for vulnerable families, special workshops to empower kids and safe houses in remote Aboriginal communities.

June Sewalong

For this month’s Sewalong, we are asking you to create and donate one or more pieces of clothing, made by sewing, embroidering, crafting or a combination of them all. Act for Kids works with children and adults all the way from age 1 to 20, so there are so many possibilities and ways to get involved!

Also, for the first time, we are running a sewalong competition where you can create a garment for yourself, or as a donation. By simply uploading a photo of the before and after, you will have the chance to win a fabulous Echidna Prize Pack!

Requirements for Each Project

You will need to ensure that your project complies with the following rules, since these are donations that will be given to children:

• Use only new materials
• Needs to be clean and free from chemicals, smoke and pet hair
• It cannot have any potential choking hazards like buttons, beads, ribbons, hems or rhinestones attached.

Sewalong Brief

• This Sewalong will run from 1st June- 30th June, 2017
• Embroidery – Purchase any ready-made children’s outfit for age range (1 – 5). Then decorate it with embroidery, applique or a ScanNCut design.
• Sewing – Create any kids clothing outfit for age range (3 – 6).

For ideas and inspiration please view our Echidna Pinterest Page including Kids Sewing Projects, Clothing Sewing Projects and DIY Printed Shirts.

You can also find many more projects online at Craftsy.

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