yarnbomb

tillievuksich

Number 9 of 2015

My 9th favorite moment of 2015 would be the day in February that I donated the ‘Yarnbombing For Lunches’  auction funds to the Eatonville School District’s business manager, Daniel Lunghofer.

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Yarnbombing For Lunches raised $400 to donate to the Eatonville School District on behalf of students with negative lunch accounts. Here I am personally delivering the money order to the school business manager Daniel Lunghofer.

It had taken a year of planning and creating to pull off the yarnbomb of downtown Eatonville. It was a large public display of art created with hand knit and crocheted fabric that was then sewn around trees, lamp posts, benches, and rocks. It looked amazing! Thanks to the efforts of talented Eatonville fiber artists who joined forces to put their art to good use; raising money to pay off negative lunch accounts in the Eatonville School District.

We wanted to change the policy of trashing food because of insufficient funds and create better communication from school to home about account balances. Our goal was to raise $500. We got close with $400 raised in all.

Through our donation, we were able to do what we set out to accomplish! Robo-calls were put in place to call home to inform parents about lunch account balances and the policy has been updated to forbid the taking of food from the kids. Success!

Hopefully, I can get our entire group together to do next year’s donation during the January School Board meeting. I’ll keep you posted…

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tillievuksich

Only 2 Days Left!

We are down to the last two days for our eBay auction for Yarnbombg for Lunches. If you want to score some great deals on yarn or handmade artful blankets, then go see our listings before it’s too late! There is also a super adorable cat hat and baby items. All made with love for a good cause!

Click here to see auction—>tillies_frillies

Our goal is to raise $1,000 this year. We’ve already raised over $400! So we are almost halfway there.

All the proceeds will go the Eatonville School District to pay off students’ negative lunch accounts. We are putting a stop to the practice of taking food away form kids and trashing it over insufficient funds, and we’re improving communication between school and home. So far it’s working great! Last year we raised $400 to donate and now the school district has updated their policy on taking lunches and they have implemented robo-calls to alert parents of lunch balances that are low. We are still working with the district to allow online payments so parents can quickly and easily refill lunch accounts so students won’t have to go hungry.

If you are looking to support a good cause, then look no further! Not only will you be helping the kids in our small community of Eatonville, but you are helping shape school policy that will encourage all schools, nation-wide, to adopt a better system that works for students and parents. We CAN be the change we want to see in the world.

Here’s a peak at some of the adorable goodies you can find in our auction:

(I mean, how stinking cute is that sweet baby and kitty, right?! They make me smile!)

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you shop and share our auction. But most of all, I hope you have a fabulous day full wonderful surprises. If it’s not, then I hope you make someone else’s day fabulous and full of wonderful surprises, after all, that feels just as good and brings you the same amount of joy.

Namaste~

tillievuksich

Ta-Da! Behold: the coolest chair you ever did see.

We did it! We finished yarnbombing the chair at the WA State Fair and, oh my, is it awesome!

ybchair ybchair2 ybchair3

The card has the artist’s signatures. I’m in the process of negotiating the sale of this fiber art with the fair. They buy a piece of art every year for their private collection. It would be amazing if they did purchase it, because the money would go to student’s negative lunch accounts in the Eatonville School District. The group I am a part of is called Yarnbombing For Lunches and last year we raised $400 with our fiber art to donate to the school on behalf of students with negative lunch account balances. This year our goal is $1,000 and this sale could get us a step closer to it. We’ll hold an online auction starting December 3rd…I’ll keep you posted on the details in case you would like to help us and also score some unique usable fiber art!

One last thing, I met a really cool kid as I was packing up my demo. His name’s Will and he sat down to wait for his Mom who was looking at all the home arts. He said he liked the chair and asked what it was and who made it. He asked if I ever yarnbombed a person and I told him “No, but a famous Polish fiber artist has, Agata Olek. I don’t think it’s been done in the states. Do you want to be the first?” to which he responded “Yes!  And I’ll wear to a sporting event and get on the Jumbo-tron.” Will’s Mom came over and said her son was serious and gave me their contact info so we can get started. I’m excited to have a life-size model to yarnbomb!

Thank you to the WA State Fair for having me out to demo my art and to all the amazing people I met along the way! We’ll be in touch.

tillievuksich

Yarnbombing At The Fair

Last Saturday was my first ever Fair demonstration and it was AWESOME! I had a great turn-out of people who came by my yarnbombing demo to knit and crochet with me.

 

fair demo It was so much fun! There were people from all walks of life joining in to yarnbomb a chair. I love the collaborative nature of fiber art!! It truly brings people together.

The chair will be complete at my next demo, this coming Saturday from 4-8pm upstairs on the South Stage in the Home Arts pavilion. Stop by if you can and add a stich to the project. I’ll have needles and hooks and yarn, so bring your imagination and nimble fingers! I can even teach those who don’t know a knit from a purl how it’s done.

fair demo2 Thanks to everyone who showed up last weekend! I was blown away by your talents and had the best time getting to know you all, my fellow fiber artists. It’s a wonderful community to be a part of. I look forward to this coming Saturday. Hope to see you there!!

tillievuksich

See You At The Fair!

I have some great news! I have been asked to be a knitting demonstrator at the WA State Fair. I will be given a little stage, microphone and six hours over two Saturdays to spread my love of fiber art. I’m thrilled!! Can.Not.Wait!

I’m focusing my demo on Yarnbombing. So it will be eye-catching, whimsical, and totally bad-ass! I’ve taught small groups and individuals to knit and crochet, but nothing on this scale-I’m excited to try it.

The Fair will print out as many handouts as I request. I will put together a pamphlet that showcases local and online businesses that support fiber arts, as well as educate people on current fiber artists that are blurring the lines of craft and art.

In our current technological age, where everything moves so fast, it’s awesome to re-introduce the art of knitting and crochet. Slowing down and focusing our energies on a tangible piece of art is where it’s at. This ain’t your Grandmama’s knitting! The only doilies we’re making now are with rope or cut-up sheets and it creates a rug or large wall-hanging.

I also plan to do a giveaway each time I do a demo. It will be a knitting bag filled yarn, needles, notions and info. Possibly chocolate and lotion! You’ll just have to come see me at the Fair to find out.

Check out this amazing crochet art from Katika:https://www.facebook.com/Katikacrochetart

Here is a Yarnbomber from New York who is doing amazing instillations:https://thewillowwanderer.wordpress.com/

tillievuksich

What I’m Working On Now…aka, YARNBOMB 2015

Last summer I helped organize and install a yarnbomb (a large public display of fiber art made of hand knit and crocheted fabric) in my hometown. It was awesome! And I’m doing it again this year.

It started as a fun idea for a community art project then turned into something bigger and better. We ended up using our art to help raise money for local public school students’ negative lunch accounts. It was successful in putting an end to the practice of trashing lunches over insufficient funds and prompted the school district to enable “robo-calls” (automated calls home telling parents about lunch balances that are low).

My own children experienced the lunch lady yanking their lunch and trashing it over their lunch account balance being in the negative. However, I had no idea the what the balance was at the time since I paid up for a couple months and figured they would send home a notice when the accounts needed refilling. They didn’t and what happened left my kids hungry and upset, with good reason. My mama-bear instincts came out and I had words with the principal, lunch staff, and even wrote a letter to the school board. Yet, I was hearing that nothing had changed in the cafeteria.

That’s why we put our art to good use by starting https://www.facebook.com/Eatonvilleyarnbombers?ref=bookmarks to help make a difference for students who find themselves low in lunch funds. Kids have to eat to learn. Period.

Here’s a few snaps of last year’s yarnbomb and the amazing people who helped pull off such a beautiful and heartwarming endeavor:

Crafty men in my life lending a hand with the yarnbomb install. Rubin and dad, Evan.
Crafty men in my life lending a hand with the yarnbomb install. Rubin and dad, Evan.
Yarnbombing for Lunches crew (most of of anyway).
Yarnbombing for Lunches crew (most of us anyway).
Group effort with this tree. Lisa, Rubin, and I tackle it in no time.
Group effort with this tree. Lisa, Rubin, and I tackle it in no time.
Donna, Karen's mama, putting the finishing touches on this tree.
Donna, Karen’s mama, putting the finishing touches on this tree.
My mother-in-law, Tracey, and my son, Rubin, putting up a funky granny square piece.
My mother-in-law, Tracey, and my son, Rubin, putting up a funky granny square piece.
My daughter, Emma, helping with installing a yarnbomb at the park.
My daughter, Emma, helping with installing a yarnbomb at the park.
Jade with her pom-pom string ready to decorate a tree for the instillation.
Jade with her pom-pom string ready to decorate a tree for the instillation.
My daughter, Faith, and hubby, Evan, attaching a yarnbomb to a tree in the park.
My daughter, Faith, and my hubby, Evan, attaching a yarnbomb to a tree in the park.
Gwen and her hubby working on installing another piece on a lamp post.
Gwen and her hubby working on installing another piece on a lamp post.
Sherry helping Lisa install her yarnbomb piece on a lamp post.
Sherry helping Lisa install her yarnbomb piece on a lamp post.

This was a year-long project in the making, but worth every minute! It was a lot of fun to create, especially knowing how meaningful the outcome would be. We received yarn donations form many different states after I put a request in the Ruralite magazine (our utility company’s publication). The response was amazing! The generosity of complete strangers touched my heart and helped make the yarnbomb better than I could have imagined! Even Lion Brand Yarn Company was kind enough to send us a box of cool yarns. Thanks to everyone who had a part in the Eatonville Yarnbomb of 2014!

*We raised $400 to donate to the school district for negative lunch accounts*