A mother and daughter in Turner Valley hope to offer comfort to wildlife on the opposite side of the planet by putting their sewing skills to use this month.
Brittany Feihle and her mom Llana are sewing joey pouches after the Animal Rescue Craft Guild in Australia put a call out on Facebook to crafters, knitters, sewers and crocheters for blankets, pouches, mittens, nests, wraps and sweaters for the millions of displaced and injured animals impacted by the country’s devastating bushfires. The fires began in July 2019 and have since destroyed more than seven million hectares of land, demolishing homes and killing wildlife in all six states.
“My mom found a post saying they need people who can sew and knit to make supplies for animal shelters there,” said Feihle. “What they need is some joey pouches and hanging pouches. It has to be a natural material on the inside like bamboo, cotton, flannel, silk.”
The mother and daughter team printed patterns supplied by the guild, collected fabric from their homes and began sewing pouches with liners that can be removed and washed, but it wasn’t long before they ran out of material.
The self-proclaimed animal lovers are now putting a call out for donations of fabric, with the goal of making 10 pouches a day before the Jan. 30 deadline, when donations will be collected at locations throughout Calgary and shipped to Australia.
“We want to make as many as we can,” said Feihle. “Even people I teach yoga to are knitting sweaters for the birds that have lost all of their feathers, for them to stay warm, and crocheting nests. There are places all over Canada that are doing drop offs.”
The idea to assist the guild came from Llana, who was heartbroken after seeing a photograph of a koala bear escaping the flames of a bushfire.
“It just brought tears to my eyes,” she said. “I had seen other posts on Facebook with regards to the crafting guild of Canada. There is 8,000 members and we’re all sewing for this cause. I just want to help out where I can.”
Llana knew she could make a difference due to her proficient sewing skills.
“I used to sew back in the day when my children were little,” she said. “I still had material from back in those days. I pulled all of that out, washed it and have been using that to donate for this cause.”
Anyone interested in donating fabric or assisting the Feihles in their initiative can contact Brittany on Facebook at One Paramita or call 403-835-2525.
Also lending a hand to Australia's impacted wildlife is Okotoks portrait artist Russell Thomas, who auctioned off his painting of a koala bear for $675, which he's donating to the Koala Hospital in Australia. He is also selling prints of the 16-by-16 painting for $200, with $25 going to the Australia Red Cross.
Russell has been painting other Australian wildlife to sell. To learn more check out Russell Thomas Art on Facebook or pop into Birdsong Studio in Elma Street.
