Softies for Mirabel is on again this year. And I’ve decided to join in and make (initially just one) some softies. What’s Softies for Mirabel I hear you ask? Well, The Mirabel Foundation, set up by Jane Rowe, provide help to kids who have been orphaned or abandoned by their Mum or Dad’s addiction. Softies for Mirabel is where we provide help by giving handmade softies either by crocheting, knitting or sewing them, which will be given to the kids as a snuggle buddy. Read here for more details on when, where and how it will all work.

Glad that I had the Softies book I had bought ages ago, I headed on to choose a pattern that would be easy enough for me to conquer. I picked the Bunny – looked easy enough and fail proof. That is, if you read ALL the instructions carefully. Like baking and cooking, yes, you need to follow instructions when sewing too, just to make your life a lot easier. I do read them, but I’m the sewing by trial and error type of person. I work in a way that works for me, even though it’ll end up being easier had I READ the instructions carefully.

That’s The Bunny from the Softies book. Lucky for me, I had some tracing paper from my DH’s stash. So I traced out the pattern and thank goodness, it was already drawn to size – so no need to enlarge it, unless I choose to.

Then came choosing the fabric – no problem, I had a pretty good stash of fabric…and decided BLUE should be my theme.

And I started cutting the pattern and fabric. Had I double checked the instructions, I would know that I only needed ONE piece of the printed fabric, but of course I didn’t and cut two, so I decided, why not make 2 Bunnies, why waste a piece of nice cut fabric? Everything else went smoothly and I managed to finish it on the same night! Yeayness! Now, I hope it’s good enough for someone. And hoping the Bunnies will bring some kind of happiness to someone.

My kids asked me while I was making them who they were for. I explained it to them and now my 8 year old is pledging to come on board and make a softie too. The best thing that she said to me was, “You know what you get for doing this?” I asked her, “What?”. Her reply, “Well, you get that warm, fuzzy feeling inside, when you help someone, and that’s better than me getting money!” I was indeed surprised and touched that she would think it that way. I would’ve liked to claim that fame, but no, she thought of that all by herself (proud Mum moment).

So, if you can sew, knit or crochet, why not help out with this fabulous cause. It’ll give you, as my 8 year old would say, that warm and fuzzy feeling inside….