Craft Connections
If you can knit, sew or crochet and would like to volunteer to help our community by donating handcrafted items, we’d love to hear from you!
Life’s Little Treasures Foundation is proud to supply handcrafted resources to babies, families and hospitals.
How we use your handmade donations
Our Little Treasures Welcome packs, Little Bag of Calm, 100-day Quilt packs, Financial Assistance packages, Little Readers Read-a-thon registration packs and so many other products have been designed to include handcrafted baby items made with love.
We also donate handmade items to families who have a premature or sick infant in their care at home, as well as to help emotionally bolster families who are spending milestone celebrations in hospital with their baby, such as their first Mothers’ Day, Fathers’ Day, Easter or Christmas.
Should you require any further information, please contact our Craft Connections Team.
Life's Little Treasures Foundation Preferred Patterns
Frequently Asked Craft Connections Questions
LLTF assists all families who start their journey in neonatal care, whether their baby is sick or premature. Therefore, your donations will be going to our smallest and most vulnerable babies, so it is vital that they are in keeping with hospital safety guidelines.
See below for answers to the most frequently asked questions about donating handmade craft items. If you have a specific technical question that isn’t answered in our FAQs, please email our Craft Connections Specialist, Janene, at craftconnections@lltf.org.au and she will get back to you with her answer as soon as she can.
Do you accept handmade donations that are not made using the patterns listed on your website?
No. We have worked closely with hospital health professionals to ensure our patterns meet NICU and Special Care Nursery safety and infection control guidelines. For this reason, we can only accept approved items made from the patterns available on our website.
What type of materials should be used?
All materials must be new, and free of extra embellishments such as ribbons and buttons (unless specified in the pattern). Please use 8ply acrylic, cotton or wool yarn and fabric types as specified in the pattern you are following. We also ask that you ensure that all material and finished items are free from fluff, loose threads and pet or human hair, clean and freshly laundered, with no odours and stored and transported in a smoke free environment. Most of the patterns provided use 8ply yarn and we prefer acrylic or cotton for easy laundering, plus wool can get too hot for babies.
What sized knitting needles or crochet hooks should I use?
Knitting needle sizes and crochet hook sizes are specified in each of the individual patterns. Most patterns use 4mm needles. You may need to decide to change needle size to give you the correctly sized finished product if you produce a particularly tight or loose garment. If unsure, we recommend you create a knit or crochet gauge swatch to check your tension.
Do I need to have a premature or sick baby in my family to get involved in Craft Connections?
Our Craft Connections makers come from all over Australia and all walks of life! You do not need to have personal experience to be part of Craft Connections – just an interest in crafting and helping families in need.
Can I adjust the pattern sizes?
The sizes have been developed to consider a range of requirements such as packing and shipping requirements, hospital guidelines, our most requested items by families, health and safety guidelines. It is also important that we can ensure that all families are receiving the same quality and sized gift. For this reason, we would prefer that donations are kept to the sizes indicated in the patterns. We understand that there may be small variations based upon your personal tension but ask that you do your best to stick as closely as possible to the size specified in the pattern.
Can I add buttons or extra embellishments to my donations?
No, unless the pattern specifies otherwise. Embellishments of any kind can pose a safety risk to small babies.
Where can I send my hand crafted donations?
To ensure we can direct your donations to where they are most needed, please send your donations to the Craft Connections Coordinator at Life’s Little Treasures Foundation 1/21 Eugene Terrace Ringwood, VIC 3134
Can I drop off my donations in person?
Yes, you can drop your donations into our office in Melbourne (Ringwood). Our office is open for drop offs on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 am to 2.30pm. We strongly urge anyone planning a visit to call first and let us know you are coming. Our number is 1300 697 736.
What happens if my craft donation doesn't meet quality control requirements?
We are so very appreciative of donations that have followed the patterns provided on our website. We understand that there will always be a degree of variation when items are made by hand and are generally able to accept anything that has been made following our guidelines. If we are unable to use your donated item/s we will pass them on to another charity on your behalf, and have worked with Backpacks for Kids, Red Nose and local opportunity shops to find appropriate recipients. If the items are flawed, we will endeavor to repair or re-make so that they can be used, but ultimately we ask that our community members please only send garments as per the patterns we provide.
Do hospitals accept direct craft donations?
Each hospital has different rules with regard to what they will accept or use. We collect and sort donations on behalf of hospitals and supply them with items as they request them. We cannot provide your donation to a specific hospital unless it is by special arrangement.
Will I be recognised for my donation?
As far as possible we endeavour to ensure that our craft makers are sent an email acknowledgement with LLTF’s thanks, provided that you have supplied your email details. We receive tens of thousands of donations each year and do our very best to let you know when we have received your carefully handmade goods but sometimes things do go awry – please feel free to call us and check.
Can I join a mailing list to receive Craft News and keep up to date with Craft Connections projects?
Please include your full name, address, phone and email with all donations and we will add you to our mailing list. You can also register yourself as a member of Craft Connections using the link at the bottom of this page, too.
Can I contact someone to ask technical questions regarding craft projects?
Please email our knitting and sewing volunteer team via our Craft Connections Coordinator at craftconnections@lltf.org.au to ask your questions and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Why is single crochet the only stitch that is acceptable?
Crochet stitches can vary significantly in how ‘open’ they are. Single crochet produces small, ‘closed’ stitches that are safe for the tiniest of babies’ fingers and toes. (If babies’ digits become stuck in a blanket or other crocheted item, it becomes a safety risk.)
Craft Connections Community News
Join Our Craft Connections Community!
We would love you to join our database of dedicated crafters and makers that make up the Craft Connections community! It is so easy – just click on the button below and fill in our online registration form so that you can receive our triannual newsletter, Craft News and keep up to date with all our projects and craft activities!
Check Out Craft News
Our back catalogue of Craft News newsletters, delivered to our community via email every four months is available for you to peruse here – you can catch up on our projects, events and the stories of some of our amazing craft makers.
Crafting in Schools and Groups
We love hearing from students and groups working on community projects or simply enjoying working on crafting goals together. Our guide is for you to download, filled with ideas and tips for projects that are our most beginner friendly.
