In preparation for Random Acts of Kindness Day, students are using the MakerCare center at Islip High School to create handmade fabric hearts. MakerCare is a program within our makerspace dedicated to service projects. This month we will implement the I Found a Quilted Heart initiative in preparation of Random Acts of Kindness Day (Feb 17) and Random Acts of Kindness Week (Feb. 12-18).”The IFAQH project is simple: place hearts in a public place to be found by a random stranger.  That’s it!” No special skills are needed to make the hearts. Take a look – http://www.ifoundaquiltedheart.com/the-stories/. 

 Supplies will be left out in the library makerspace all month. Makers can create as many hearts as they wanted or make just one. Staff members were welcome to join us in making hearts.

This project couldn’t be simpler or cheaper. Granted, I’ve collected a large donated collection of various fabric so I didn’t have to purchase any. And I always have scissors, needle and thread on hand. If you need fabric, take to social media and spread the word. You’ll get donations. Every crafter has scraps of fabric waiting for a project or good cause. And this project is perfect for scraps.

When you’re done making your heart(s), be sure to leave in a public place for someone to find. There are some guidelines you should be aware of before placing the heart.

 February is  the perfect month for this project for a trifecta of reasons. First, Random Acts of Kindness Day is Feb. 17. Second, Valentine’s Day is the 14th and we all know we’ll see a plethora of hearts and that may make us feel good or not so good depending on our emotional status at the time. Remember, everyone deserves love and kindness and to feel good, regardless of relationship status. The third reason February is a good month is that it coincides with our school Mid-Winter break. Our handmade hearts can be far reaching if taken on vacation with our students to be shared across the county, state, country or beyond.

We’re all on this planet together right? Let’s make our communities warm, friendly happy places filled with love. So get out your fabric scraps, scissors, needle and thread and sow kindness. Because kindness matters.

Let’s MAKE the world we want to live in!

Make kindness matter with this simple project. Want to join us? Here’s a few helpful links:

  FAQs

http://ifoundaquiltedheart.com/faqs

  Guidelines for leaving your hearts in public places (such as don’t leave them at airports, etc) http://www.ifoundaquiltedheart.com/sowing/

 PDF of guidelines to use with your group http://www.ifoundaquiltedheart.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Sowing-Guidelines.pdf