IBGHD 2020 and the Square Bottom Heart

Welcome to the 2020 Itty Bitty GIANT Heart drive!

If you didn’t catch the announcement a few weeks ago, here’s a quick overview on this year's drive.

We’ve done such a smashing job over the last 7 years that Chance’s Clothes Project (CCP here-on) no longer needs such a huge influx of hats! So instead of making hats this year, we’re making HEARTS!

Pairs of hearts are an integral item in every single baby bereavement pack that leaves the CCP headquarters. They are included as a keepsake item, one heart stays with the baby, the other heart with the family. It’s provided significant comfort for many families. As you can imagine, this means a huge amount of hearts are needed! So this year, and probably the next few, hearts will be our focus for the IBGHD.

I have been hard at work working on a handful of patterns to release for the drive, but I will also be sharing links to already existing patterns during the month, because there are already some stunning ones out there! To see all the links be sure to follow on Facebook or Instagram 

If your sharing online, please add #IBGHD2020 to your post to help spread the word! The more the merrier!

Not only do we have CCP on board this year, but we once again welcome some fantastic international groups who are also in need of heart keepsakes. I’ll add all of the organisations and their postal addresses to the bottom of this announcement.

HEART GUIDELINES

1. Hearts must come in a MATCHING pair, meaning 2 identical hearts. This is super important.

2. Hearts must not be bigger than the size of your palm. They can be as small as you like however. This ensures there are hearts to fit all gestational packs, but also makes sure they are not too big to bulk up packaging too much.

3. Hearts can be flat or stuffed, but if you are making 3D/stuffed hearts please do not over stuff them, again this is to help with packaging.

4. Hearts can be made from fabric or felt, knitted, crocheted or sewn. They must be soft (so no origami or beaded hearts) You can use embroidery, a small amount of beading or buttons or attach bows to decorate your hearts but please keep the thickness in mind.

5. When getting your hearts ready for postage, please ensure the pairs are tied together with a piece of thread, yarn, ribbon or even safety pinned. This is so none get misplaced or lost, and to help the volunteers easily sort through the parcels once they arrive. This is super important to keeping everything running smoothly.

6. You are welcome to use whatever pattern you feel like using. You are certainly not obligated to use mine, or the ones I’ll be sharing. In fact the more variety the better!

7. Colour Requirements. This will depend entirely on who you are sending your completed hearts to.

Chance’s Clothes Project: Any colour is fine, but solid colours paired with whites are the best if using 2 colours.

Sleeping Beauties Angel Gowns Kent: White, pastel pink, pastel blue, lilac, lemon yellow and mint green.

Anencephaly Hope: Any colours are fine, however light pink, light purple, Light blue, Navy blue, greys, white, light and bright yellows are used the most.

TALLYS AND PHOTOGRAPHS

This year I have created a form for everyone to fill out once they have COMPLETED and POSTED their hearts, to help keep a running tally. I have also included a question about where you are from and where you donated to. The location question is country only, and is included so I can see if there are groups of people in countries we don’t currently have a recipient charity in, that I can try and find before next year.

You can access the form HERE: https://forms.gle/umzZ6v4zbPhawqhg9

I’ll also be putting a video roundup together again this year, and there are instructions on sending photos in the form <3 

POSTAL ADDRESSES

Like all previous years we post our parcels off on October 15th, which is the International Day of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance.

The charities this year to send your hearts to are 

Australia

Chance's Clothes Project

c/- Cowra Neighbourhood Centre

15 Vaux St

Cowra NSW 2794

Europe

Sleeping Beauties 

29 chilton avenue 

Sittingbourne 

Kent

ME10 4TB

United States

Anencephaly Hope

304 N E Street

Louisiana, Missouri

63353

USA

So, without further ado.. Here is the very first pattern for this year's very first heart drive! Enjoy!

Square Bottom Heart

Using any hook that matches your yarn thickness

1: Ch4, join to the 1st ch to form aloop.

2: Into the ring, ch2, 2hdc, ch2, (3hdc, ch2), 3 times, join to the top of the starting chain.

3: Stst into the next st, in the next st do (dc, 3tr, dc), slst into the next ch2 space, slst in the next st, in the next st do (dc, 3tr, dc), slst into the next ch2 space.

4: Ch1, sc in the next 3 sts, 2sc in the ch2 space, sc in the next 3 sts, sc in the ch2 space, sc in the next 3 sts, sc in the ch2 space, sk the joining st and sc in the next 2 sts, 2sc in each of the next 2 sts, sc in the next 2 sts, slst in the next slst, sc in the next 2 sts, 2sc in each of the next 2 sts, sc in the last 2 sts, join to the first sc.


Size Notes:
3.5mm hook + 8ply/DK Weight = 6cm heart
2.5mm hook + 4ply/Fingering Weight = 5cm heart