Saturday 18 January 2020

Sewing for Wildlife

The raging bushfires that have burned huge swathes of our country's beautiful lands have meant that so many people have lost, or become displaced from, the places they call home. So too, our animals. These fires have destroyed so much habitat, their homes, and our native wildlife need all they help they can get.

A sweet joey kangaroo resting on the grass just outside our holiday unit door.

The loss and suffering of so many of these beautiful creatures is immense and I wanted to do something to help and to support those wonderful wildlife rescuers and carers who will try to nurse injured and frightened animals back to health and release them again if they can.

A possum pouch lining made from the flannelette of old pillowcases.

 A soft and warm place to rest.

On the WIRES website, I found very simple instructions for how to make little liners for possum pouches. These are a soft inner liner that go inside the larger outer pouch that holds small and recovering native animals like young possums, wombats or bandicoots. These liners have to be changed much more regularly than the outer pouch they line and so, from a pair of old and soft flannelette pillowcases, I made a set of them. They are simple to make and anyone who can sew a straight line can make them.

 A set of stripey bat wraps.

My mother-in-law gave me two more flannelette sheets, soft with age and many washes, to make bat wraps with. Rhonda, on her Down-to-Earth blog, which many of you will be familiar with, wrote about the work her nephew does as a wildlife rescuer in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. He needed more joey slings and bat wraps to transport and care for animals caught up in these terrible bushfires so I sewed some bat wraps from stripey strips of my mother-in-law's gifted sheets. The little bats' wings are protected as the fabric is wrapped, sausage-roll style, around them. The bat wrap pattern that Rhonda linked to, with photos of little bats all wrapped up in them, is available here. They are simple to make and anyone who can sew a straight line can make them.

A little bundle of home sewing for wildlife.

This sewing is one small thing I can do in the face of a big crisis but there are many, many people right around our beautiful country, and the world too, who are doing what it is they can do to help. Just one example is this inspiring news story of crafters in the far north joining a sewing bee to sew for wildlife affected by the bushfires. I think that's a wonderful example of community and compassion. 

A protective Bush Stone-Curlew with her little chicks 
in the garden of our holiday unit home.

My little set of pouch liners and bat wraps doesn't look a lot on its own but it is something and, when joined together with everyone else's somethings, that then becomes a lot! And our animals need a lot of help right now.

Meg

















16 comments:

  1. Lots of little items come together to fill a huge need.

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    1. It is a huge need, Marlene, and I just think it's about doing whatever you can. When I was making these things, I remembered an old story I'd heard of an old man walking along a beach picking up starfish and throwing them back into the sea. When his companion asked why he was bothering, that there were just so many, the old man replied by picking another starfish up and saying, "Made a difference to that one."

      MegXx

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  2. It's such a feel good isn't it to think you are contributing in a small way to saving animals. I felt like that starting to make the joey pouches. Still need to get my sewing machine fixed but the service place is 45-50 mins from my place so still have to do that.

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    1. People are doing so many things to help and I think that's really wonderful. I had my sewing machine repaired a while ago in at a little shop right next to the Coles at Everton Park. Meg:)

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  3. My youngest daughter is the sewer in my family and has sewn some bat wraps and crocheted a set of nests and I'm knitting and crocheting pouches for joeys.It is truly heart warming to see so many people, both here in Australia and overseas offering their support and help to our animals.

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    1. It's lovely that you and your daughter are using your particular skills to make things too, Jan. People really feel for our animals and understand just how hard it is for them too. MegXx

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  4. Meg, that is wonderful of you to make those pouches. My craft room still hasn't been set up so the sewing machine isn't really accessible but I made a monetary contribution which hopefully will go where there is a need and not be spent on administration costs. Perhaps the current rain will help down south.

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    1. We've had beautiful rain today and yesterday, Chel, and I do so hope that all those needing some got a downpour too! Meg:)

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  5. This is going to be my job for this afternoon. I am not sure what fabric I have in my stash but I am sure that there will be something in there that will do the job.

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    1. That's wonderful! It's quick and simple sewing but such a help for carers and rescuers to have what they need for the animals. Thank you! MegXx

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  6. The extent of the damage is beyond enormous but little by little and with everyone pulling together and doing their bit this tragedy will be overcome. Your pouches will be so gladly received by the rescuers and carers. I am not able to sew here but will try my best when back home to fit in some time to contribute.

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    1. There are many people coming together to help, both here in Australia and around the world, and that deep caring for our country, people and animals is truly heartwarming. Thank you!
      MegXx

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  7. What a wonderful thing to be able to do at a time when we all feel quite helpless. X

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    1. It is a small something, Jules, but I do think that doing something, whatever it may be, big or small, helps to overcome that feeling of helplessness.
      Meg Xx

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  8. A sweet use for lovely soft old linen Meg. I've made many too, as well as hanging pouches for the bigger joeys......a satisfying way to clear out my stash.

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