Crafting for Australia

Eucalyptus trees at arboretum

Wildlife rescue centers in Australia and the animals they’ve taken in have found some unlikely allies.

Kangaroo joeys
Joeys hanging around. Photo: Wildlife Volunteers Association Inc.

Caring for injured Australian fauna requires a very specific supply list, which includes things like marsupial sleeping pouches and mitts to protect burnt paws. These can’t be made out of just anything. It has to be soft, breathable 100% cotton fabric – exactly the type of material that quilters are experts at working with.

NotJustQuiltZ
NotJustQuiltZ’s aboriginal-designed fabrics at the Quilt, Craft, and Sewing Festival in Phoenix.

Jeltje van Essen, owner of Quilt Shop 100 Rozen in Deventer, Netherlands, realized this and recruited a group of volunteers to sew for wildlife centers overwhelmed by Australia’s intense fire season.

I learned about their efforts through Pauline Rogers, who comes all the way from Australia to have a booth at the Quilt, Craft and Sewing Festival in Phoenix.

Pauline Rogers
Pauline Rogers demonstrates her products at the Quilt, Craft, and Sewing Festival in Phoenix.

Jeltje’s quilt shop crew in The Netherlands started by making mittens for injured koalas, using cheery fabrics to make their carers smile. They have since moved on to other projects, like sewing wraps for rolling up recovering bats into cozy little fabric burritos (bat-ritos?) that make them feel like they’re snug inside their mothers’ wings.

Bat wraps
Bat wraps! Photo by Animal Rescue Freecycle Craft Guild.

The Dutch quilt shop volunteers certainly weren’t the only crafters to pick up their needles to help, however.

Donations of handmade items have been pouring in to the Rescue Craft Co. (RCC), based in New South Wales, which has been sharing patterns and coordinating shipments from around the world.

Handcrafted bird nests.
Nests by Nicole Jarczewski.

In fact, the reason the Netherlands quilt shop group switched projects is because the koalas in Australia are all stocked up on mittens. RCC has actually been so inundated that they’ve asked that people stop sending them.

Instead, they’re requesting veterinary supplies, a select list of crafted items, and monetary contributions to their logistics GoFundMe or other trusted  organizations working to help Australia heal.

Photo: Wildlife Volunteers Association Inc.

How to Help Australian Animals (via Rescue Craft Co):

Where to Celebrate Australia Day in Arizona

Eucalyptus trees at arboretum

Mr. Big is a 90-year-old eucalyptus tree outside of the town of Superior, AZ. Not every tree has a title. But, at 8 feet thick and 140 feet tall, Mr. Big gets your attention.

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It (He?) is the largest tree in one of the largest collections of Australian plants in North America – at Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

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To celebrate this forest of outback transplants as well as the cultural roots from their native soil, the Arboretum celebrates Australia Day with walk-a-bout tours and didgeridoo jam sessions.

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Phillip and I went last year with friends Anne and Jameela. We watched a demonstration on playing the didgeridoo, and then Phillip tried it out. Meanwhile, outside there was a guy swinging a bull-roarer over his head. Because, I guess, that’s the kind of thing that can happen on Australia Day. So Anne and I gave that a try.

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Then we caught up with the tour through the Arboretum’s eucalyptus forest with Australian native and horticulturalist Paul Chambers pointing out different types of Australian plants, telling stories of his work importing them to the U.S., and sharing aboriginal traditions.

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We left for a bit to get lunch at Jade Grill in Superior (my fave!).

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Afterwards, we came back to the Arboretum, and there was a didgeridoo concert under the eucalyptus trees. We could still hear it from across the Queen Creek as we hiked the High Trail.

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Australia Day 2016 is coming up this Saturday. You can check out the schedule of events on the listed on the Arboretum’s website.

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