The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is underway worldwide, being celebrated by over 1.2 billion Muslims. And Khadija O’Connell, a Bay Area, CA artist and blogger, has created a lovely, crafty program to help children to celebrate.

In most Muslim households, Ramadan is celebrated through fasting each day, from sunrise to sunset.

“It gives us an opportunity to feel the discomfort of an empty stomach as the poor always do. It’s also a time for contemplation and self reflection, which can help us to realign our life with our values,” says Khadija, “(It’s) a time of charity; through all these things the hope and aim is to draw nearer to God. ”

Muslim children are not required to fast, although many of them like to try. And so, as a means of giving her children a way to participate in Ramadan and mark the passage of the month, Khadija began making Ramadan Calendars.

Her early calendars were made from watercolor paper, which her children would paint. Then, in 1999, Khadija created one from fabric. It had a small pocket for each day of Ramadan, much like the German advent calendar. The children could mark each day that they fasted (or tried to) on the calendar with a small star, and search the pocket for a little treat.

Family friends loved the fabric calendar, and so Khadija has made them each year since, finally outsourcing them to a cooperative of Muslim women in China last year.

Some years later, Khadija became interested in the Ramadan Challenge Project, which was organized in the San Francisco Bay Area by the Northstar School. Through the Ramadan Challenge, children and families aimed not only to avoid television and video games for the month, but also for children to form a Ramadan resolution of their own.

“The resolution is a personal commitment from the child to consistently do good actions throughout the month. Children should be the primary decision-makers in choosing a Ramadan resolution,” says Khadija. “It could be any form of goodness such as helping your parents more, making your prayers, or some other type of regular community service. The point is that the commitment be something you consciously choose as well as carry out.”

Khadija approached the Northstar School to ask about creating a separate program based on their Ramadan Challenge, and was excited when they invited her to run their program, and expand it to a global level. “That’s when it became crafty!” she says. Khadija then created a Ramadan Challenge packet for children, and offered the program through her website, Ramadan Joy. Parents can sign their children up for the Challenge, and Khadija will mail them a packet. She has sent packets to children as far away as Canada and the UK.

The Ramadan Challenge packet contains a printed paper Ramadan Calendar with star stickers, four Ramadan craft kits, a Ramadan journal for keeping notes about the experience, and a Sadaqah Box for collecting charitable donations.

The craft kits are reminiscent of Ramadan symbols — children can make translucent stars from waxed tissue, or crescent moons from felt. These are simple projects that parents and children can do together, and make holiday decorations for the home.

“Part of Ramadan … for me has always been about making our home a warm and embracing place,” says Khadija. “I try to do this with candles, string lights, flowers and a few decorations, and at the end of the month with batches of homemade cookies.”

In addition to helping children celebrate Ramadan in a meaningful way, Khadija also says of the Ramadan Challenge: “I hope to inspire creativity. It sounds so simplistic but at the core of what I want to do is create beauty and do good.”

(Top photo copyright Khadija O’Connell)

Grace at design*sponge is adding a DIY Wednesday segment to her blog - she says when i sat down to reimagine the new d*s one of the first things i wanted to add was more diy and craft-based content. Grace has invited lauren smith and derek fagerstrom of the curiosity shoppe to do a weekly segment and the first project looks pretty good - re-using wine crates as display cases.

Chara is hosting a fall swap on her blog - go and get involved.

Heather wrote in to tell me about blog action day - so sign up for eco activism on 15th of Oct - and look out for here for environmentally crafting on that day.

Blog Action Day is October 15 with a topic of ‘the environment’. The group is requesting that any willing bloggers sign up to show a united voice all discussing the same topic on the same day. With activism being one of Whip-Up’s regular topics, in terms of reusing media and recreating with it; finding inspiration for our art in our environments; handcrafters and artists creating to create local items, etc. I thought this would be an excellent concept to bring forward. Thank you for your lovely blog, a creative environment unto itself!

Here is an excerpt from their press release - go here to read the rest…

On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind. In 2007 the issue is the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future. We’re looking for bloggers of all nationalities and backgrounds, writing about all topics to join in. Here’s what you have to do:

Publish on October 15th - Publish a post on their blog which relates to an issue of their own choice pertaining to the environment.

The new forum is underway and I would love everyone to go on over and check it out and introduce yourselves. I have a few cool books to give away - some that I have reviewed lately - and I will choose 4 people who introduce themselves at the forum to send a surprise book to. There is a time limit of one week - so this time next week I will select and let you know who.

Poppytalk Handmade launched this month - it’s an “online virtual flea market” curated by Jan featuring handmade and vintage goods from 75 emerging designers/artists from around the world (literally)! Artists from Paris to Israel, South Africa, the U.S., Canada, England, and Holland .

Each month the store will feature new sellers and new themes - watch out for a “Call For Submissions” monthly on the poppytalk blog.

Already there are some great handmade items - I love wolfie and the sneak, small stump, and dejarnette - there is lots and lots more.

As this is a non-denominational site (ie religion free) I usually steer well clear of anything to do with religious arts and crafts. I know that creating as part of your religion can be a very rewarding and satisfying past time, but anything to do with religion - just like politics and advice on how to raise your kids, can be a tricky area to navigate. So this is why I hesitated in writing about crafting with children during Ramadan. I didn’t hesitate long however, as anything that will help in raising awareness and increasing knowledge of this misunderstood religion in the current political climate is worthwhile. I personally think that every religion has their good and bad advocates and it is unfortunate that a small group can give the whole a bad name.

Ramadan Joy is run by khadjia, she promotes creativity through crafts and community and is encouraging new family traditions for Muslims living in the west. One of these new family traditions is the children’s ramadan challenge which has benefits for everyone and looks lots of fun too (find out more soon in an upcoming story). On reading up about Ramadan traditions in the West, I found that there is a growing tendency to want to make Ramadan extra special for children and as modern muslim mama says

Every year at Ramadan time, Muslims, especially Muslim moms, ask one another what activities and crafts they can do to make Ramadan special and fun. Some people out there frown on having fun in Ramadan, and say that we shouldn’t have to make up for the bombardment of Christmas. They are right, we shouldn’t have to. However, even home schooled or Islamic school going kids see the fuss that surrounds Christmas and become aware of all of the things that kids and families do together at this time. It is not wrong for a Muslim mother to try and find a way to make Ramadan special, so that her kids know and remember that it is just as important to us as Christmas is to Christians.

Ramadan for those still unsure is: The ninth month of the Islamic year (this time of year), is the month in which the Koran was revealed to Muhammad, and God determines the fate of the world for the coming year. This is the holiest month for those practicing the Muslim faith, most people would recognise fasting during daylight hours as the main tradition during this time.

There is a whole range of activities and pastimes that are encouraged during Ramadan, such as helping the poor, celebrating family, celebrating the moon, story telling and literature, crafts, songs and prayer, see Islamic stuffs website for a list of ideas for celebrating Ramadan with children. And also check out these Muslim mothers who are crafting and creating for Ramadan annies letters, educating the Muslim child, the Egyptians wife, and Orlando Muslim Mama.

I would love to hear your thoughts on religious crafting - what crafts do you make for your religious special times?

Holiday Softie Awards

How to enter:
- Enter a softie in one of categories (see below) by uploading a photo of your softie to the flickr group.
- Open for entries Oct 1 and the last day to enter is Oct 31.
- Use the tags for your entry - see Softies Central under ‘Tagging’.

Categories are:

1. Deck the Halls - softie decorations like Christmas trees, ornaments, stockings, advent calendar, tree toppers, mistletoe, a snowflake mobile.
2. Animals Dressed for the Holidays – Cute animal softies. Dress them in their holiday best! You can also enter softies made with holiday-ish fabric. (doesn’t have to be red and green or have snowflakes, but could be festive or sparkly)
3. Doll Dress Up – doll softies dressed for the holidays
4. Under the Tree – Toy softies that aren’t animals or dolls. If you make a reindeer pulling a sled, put it here. If you make a reindeer with a holiday vest, put it in the Animals Dressed for the Holidays category.
5. Holiday Smorgasbord - softie holiday food: gingerbread, fruitcake, milk & cookies, turkey dinner, mashed potatoes, ham, Hanukkah gelt, latkes, etc.
6. The Nightmare Before Christmas - creepy/cute for the holidays – Halloween and Christmas
7. Let it Snow! - white softies only i.e. snowflake, polar bears, an all-white Santa. Softies must be at least 75% white. That means you can use other colors for trim, eyes, the inside of an oyster etc.
8. The Worst Gift I Ever Got! - Have fun with this one. Please include a note on this softie’s flickr page to tell us a little about this horrible gift!
9. Holiday Version of My Softie Book Softie – make any softie from Softies and dress it up, or otherwise make it holiday-ish!

Six unique Kens

No No, don’t stop reading and say, “I don’t do Barbies…”

I won’t retell the whole story here, but if you click on this link, you’ll get it in full. It’s one of the funniest, most delightful crafting things I’ve seen in a long time - six teenage boys, the power of sewing and great amusement. Maybe it’s got potential for one of your children’s favourite teachers? (I know the school year’s just started in the northern hemisphere, but it’s coming to an end, with a term to go, here in Oz).

Three-one: memory quilts with a secret message
By Este Pope

When a box filled with a stack of men’s button-down shirts more than 24 inches thick arrived from my mother in the mail last month, I knew that I would have to think of something creative to do with all these shirts. I didn’t just want to donate them to charity, and after dividing the pile into shirts for my husband and shirts I had to save, I decided that I’d think of this pile as fabric with potential. These shirts are most of the wardrobe of my late father, who passed away several years ago. My mother, who is of the school that saves everything because you might have a use for it, had kept the shirts in bags in her closet. I had asked for them, knowing full well I’d have to find a way to use them to satisfy my need to carry on my dad’s memory through his clothing.

Last summer I participated in the Wardrobe Refashion blog, and this got me thinking about how much you can do with clothing. I made a few pairs of pants for my infant son with some of the plaid shirts, employing the bottom edge and side seams of the shirts in the pattern. The result was two pairs of what I dub ‘fifties inspired’ pants, that literally envelop my little boy in my dad’s memory.

Image caption: Fifties-inspired pants made from my dad’s plaid shirts.

But baby pants don’t require much fabric, and I had this huge box of fabric to contend with. Why not make something I could envelop myself in? My family is big on quilts – and although I admire and love using the heirloom quilts that showcase the detailed traditional patterns like lone star, wedding rings, flocks of geese, I am not the most exact sewer myself, and know I never will be. I love a crazy quilt, with all the diversity of color, texture and shape. A few years ago I was fortunate to see the Quilts of Gee’s Bend on exhibit, and was inspired by the practicality and creativity of these works of art. Couldn’t I make a tribute to my father that at once filled the practical requirement of using up a good portion of the fabric from his old shirts, and also spoke about my love and memory of him?

I decided to create my own pattern, based on a cryptic theme known only in my immediate family – a saying/idea my dad often spoke about. Basically, it is a lucky number idea. My dad was born on March 1, and so he considered the numbers 3 and 1 to be his lucky numbers. There were times when he would break into a little chant with a grin and twinkling smile and say ‘three one, three one, three one’. Between me and my two sisters, it became something of a joke. We would kind of laugh when he used to talk about the magical powers of three one, but it became a symbol for our family of I guess the magic of life, of love, of family. When the awesome power of our familial bond was challenged, or when we didn’t have to words to communicate these deep feelings, we would often end up with the three-one refrain, which both made us giggle, but also made us believe in its magic.

When my father passed away, we inscribed the letters 3-1 on his gravestone. Of course, this is his birthday, so it didn’t look odd, but we intentionally made the numbers 3 and 1 larger than his birth year. It seemed fitting to me to communicate this phrase in the quilt I designed to carry his memory. The design I decided on is really simple, easy to cut out from odd-shaped shirt pieces, and easy to sew and forgiving for inexact measurements (I am a mathematician’s daughter, an avid knitter, and a technologist in my career, but I am lazy when it comes to numbers! I get too excited to measure; I’d be a terrible carpenter).

Image caption: My rough designs on a piece of scrap paper.

I cut strips of fabric and create 13 inch squares with three strips of one pattern, one strip of another pattern of fabric, and then five strips of a background color or pattern. So, the resulting block showcases three strips of one shirt, and one strip of the other (three, one). I cut the strips without measuring width, only measuring the length of 13 inches, and then I adjust as needed to get the 13 inch width of the square block once all the strips are sewn together. There is an element of spontaneity and chance in this method of quilting: I am surprised and challenged to make the equation work, and end up with a completely unique block every time.

Image caption: Quilt blocks in process.

Actually I am making two of these quilts to start, because I have two sisters. As I combine the shirt materials I am finding that the character of the blocks is quite different, so each sister will have a quilt that looks very different in color and composition than the other, though both will carry the theme of three-one. I have enough shirts to make at least three of these quilts, which will have 9 blocks per quilt with a half inch seam allowance on each block, making the finished block dimensions 12 “ x 12”. At this stage, I’m sewing blocks together, and I’m not sure how the finished products will take shape. I may back the quilts in shirt material as well. I am using the button bands, logos, pockets and shirt labels in the design as well – and plan to use the extra buttons when I quilt the quilt.

In the end, these are just a bunch of old shirts that make me sneeze from the dust gathering between them. The box sits like an eyesore in my kitchen, and I steal moments between my work week, dish duty and entertaining my baby to enter the world of the past and cast my creative imagination on transforming those memories of my dad. I plan to find pictures of him wearing the shirts to attach with the quilts that I will give to my sisters this coming holiday. The pictures will give away the deeper meaning of these quilts. But, like the magical power of our family’s special three-one chant, this meaning will be hidden to most people. “What a lovely quilt, did someone make it for you?” might be what my sister’s will hear from friends and visitors. They will know what power lies in each scrap of material, and when they don’t have a way to communicate their deep feelings of love, of loss, they will have a way to envelop themselves in our father’s memory, and in doing so find comfort and experience magic.

Links:
Wardrobe Refashion Blog :
Grandpa Pants blog post in my blog :
The Quilts of Gee’s Bend

About the writer: Este is a fiber artist and academic librarian. She lives in New England with her husband and son. Her most recent blog can be found at stallesky.

To submit an article, essay or tutorial please read the submission guidelines.

Hello dear readers.

Without any more fanfare and further ado I would like to announce the new site redesign + forum. I have been working to bring you this for many months now and am very excited to see it finally here. I warn you however, there may be flaws in the system - bugs as yet unfound - so please feel free to look around and check to see and then to let me know - whipup[@]gmail.com. Also the forum, a few testers have already been in there but we want you to give it a go and see how you like it. You will also notice sponsorship /ads in the second sidebar, unfortunately this has become necessary to continue to be able to bring you this community site and forum so please feel free to help out.

A few thanks are necessary, first to my husband Rob who has tested bugs and fixed problems and got the whole thing running smoothly, to my brother Jon who has helped out where he can in between new babies and to Ann Benoit for the banner design (tweaked a bit by me…). To the fabulous authors , contributers and readers - thank you for continuing to keep this site vibrant and strong and interesting.