Responding Responsibly to Worthwhile Community Needs
As a nonprofit company, giving back is in our DNA. We roll up our sleeves, reach out and use our creative skills to make a difference in the communities we serve.
Saturday, March 29, is our next Dolls of Hope Workshop / Open Stitching Day!
Join your DAFA friends at CC Young to work on fiber projects! You can bring your own work, or contribute to our Dolls of Hope service program by sewing dolls and bears for children in need. Drop in any time and leave when you wish!
Where: We meet in the Flagpole Hill classroom at CC Young The Point (past the restrooms)
When: We meet on the fifth Saturday of every month that has a fifth Saturday.
- Saturday, March 29, 2025, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Saturday, May 31, 2025, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Stuffing will be available on site for those who are constructing bears and dolls.
For more information on Dolls of Hope, visit
dollsofhope.org
or contact
Carol Regan, Community Service Director, at
commservice@dallasfiberartists.org.
New Community Service Opportunity!
Knitted & Crocheted Scarves
Spreading the Warmth is a Dallas organization whose members create and distribute handmade scarves “to promote warmth, love, and purposeful community action.” They welcome DAFA’s donations of member-made scarves or yarn.
Scarves should be approximately 5-6 inches wide and 4-5 feet long, and creativity is encouraged!
For more information on ways to help, visit their website at spreadingthewarmth.us. Have additional questions? Please contact our community service director, Carol Regan, at commservice@dallasfiberartists.org.
Please bring your donations of scarves or yarn to Carol at the next DAFA meeting.
Announcing the 2023-2024 Community Service Project
Dolls & Bears for Children in Crisis
Join us in making cloth dolls and bears to bring joy, hope, and comfort to children in need. The dolls and bears will be distributed in the U.S. and worldwide through the Dolls of Hope charitable organization. This is a project of The Undaunted Foundation.
Bears should be made of soft fabrics such as fleece, minky, and flannel, while dolls may also be made of quilting cotton with fleece or felt hair. Detailed instructions and printable patterns are available at
dollsofhope.org.
Hand embroidery is typically used for the faces. However, if you would like to use your digital embroidery machine, free downloadable digital files are available here. The Dolls of Hope (DOH) Bear Embroidery files are available in DST and PES formats.
Need help or more info? Please contact our community service director, Carol Regan, at commservice@dallasfiberartists.org.
Please bring your completed dolls and bears to DAFA meetings.
Remember to log volunteer hours!
DAFA loves to hear what you have been making and donating. Please send Carol Regan, Community Service director, an email with what you are making, a photo and the hours you spent working on your project.
Love Thy Baby 2020-2024 Community Service Project
Our members are invited to make and donate blankets for babies in need.
Currently, their greatest need is for one-ply flannel receiving blankets sized between 30” x 30” and 40” x 40”.
Please go to http://www.ltnlovethyneighbor.org/love-thy-baby-program for more details about the program. The website includes items needed, who the items go to, the history of the program and other good information.
There is also a Love Thy Pet program, details here: http://www.ltnlovethyneighbor.org/love-thy-pet-program/
Please bring your donations to
Carol Regan, our Community Service director, at our next meeting.
Remember to log volunteer hours!
DAFA loves to hear what you have been making and donating. Please send Carol Regan, Community Service director, an email with what you are making, a photo and the hours you spent working on your project.
2024 Volunteer spots open at the CC Young galleries
DAFA is now providing volunteers to CC Young Senior Living to help them install art shows at their Point and Vista Galleries.
This work involves helping the artists and staff to hang the art, unpack, and label the exhibit.
Please contact president@dallasfiberartists.org to volunteer!
Remember to log volunteer hours!
DAFA loves to hear what you have been making and donating. Please send Carol Regan, Community Service director, an email with what you are making, a photo and the hours you spent working on your project.
Ongoing Community Service Project (since 2022):
Sensory Fidget Blankets for Alzheimer's and Dementia Patients
For our 2022-2023 community service project, DAFA members made fidget blankets that will be donated to memory care unit patients in the DFW area. Donations are still being accepted.
Instructions (generously provided by Carrie Brazeal!) can be downloaded here: Fidget Blanket Instructions PDF
Please deliver your donations to Carol Regan, or bring them to her at our next meeting.
Remember to log volunteer hours!
DAFA loves to hear what you have been making and donating. Please send Carol Regan, Community Service director, an email with what you are making, a photo and the hours you spent working on your project.
Recent Volunteer Projects
Special Update on our 2024 Grant-in-Kind Recipient!
Operation Homefront Military Baby Shower
Earlier this year, DAFA member Mary Lou Smith made a phenomenally generous donation to the Heard-Craig Center for the Arts. This donation consisted of a staggering amount of fabric and sewing materials.
The Heard-Craig Center immediately recognized the potential of this donation and has been issuing grants-in-kind to local organizations who use the materials to construct blankets, toys, and other critically needed supplies to those in need.
We are pleased to learn that White's Chapel Church in Southlake, Texas, has already used the grant-in-kind to create a multitude of beautiful baby and toddler quilts, many of which were given to military families at an Operation Homefront Baby Shower in February.
DAFA and Heard-Craig are delighted to see Mary Lou Smith's thoughtful donation already starting to touch the lives of others in our community.
If your organization is interested in receiving a similar grant-in-kind of fabric, please contact Karen Zupanic, executive director of the Heard-Craig Center, using the contact form on their website.
Remember to log volunteer hours!
DAFA loves to hear what you have been making and donating. Please send Carol Regan, Community Service director, an email with what you are making, a photo and the hours you spent working on your project.
Chemotherapy caps
Sheryl Van Haren
and
Daphne Huffman
have knitted these caps for patients undergoing chemo. DAFA is donating these to
Ellen's Passing the Hat.
Remember to log volunteer hours!
DAFA loves to hear what you have been making and donating. Please send Carol Regan, Community Service director, an email with what you are making, a photo and the hours you spent working on your project.
Additional volunteer opportunities
The Art Room is a nonprofit art studio in Denton that helps people with mental health issues heal through art and creativity. Artists, art educator, and students studying art are needed to provide support. Contributions of funds and art supplies are also needed.
Read KERA news story: https://www.keranews.org/arts-culture/2024-01-30/how-the-art-room-in-denton-provides-a-creative-way-of-healing
Volunteer form: https://theartroomdenton.org/volunteer
Remember to log volunteer hours!
DAFA loves to hear what you have been making and donating. Please send Carol Regan, Community Service director, an email with what you are making, a photo and the hours you spent working on your project.
Past DAFA Community Service Projects
2021
2020
- PPE Project/ Masks and Caps for first responders
- Katy Bywaters, DISD Art teacher, DAFA Grant recipient
2019
- Priority: Fiber Arts Education
2017 - 2018
- Viola’s House www.violashouse.org
- Genesis Shelter www.genesisshelter.org
2023 Community Service
Carol Regan
taught her
Jelly Roll Felt Necklace
workshop at the Point on April 10, 2023, for both residents and DAFA members. We had great turnout and the participants had a blast!
Traci Hutton, Mary Wilhite, and Mary Masal
donated fabulous new fidget blankets to the Memory Care unit at CC Young.
Beth Swider helped the Solar Preparatory School for Girls at Bonham with a special Field Day event on March 10, 2023. The girls made decorated “Ninja style” headbands to wear.
Beth purchased the fabric and helped direct the project. DAFA sponsored the fabric purchase with our Lisa Covert Memorial funds.
Dee Merrell made three afghans. The recipients were the associate pastor at Midway Hills, the organist, and the executive director of North Dallas Shared ministries.
Grant Recipient Update:
Good Shepherd Catholic School in Garland
Dallas Area Fiber Artists (DAFA) recently awarded a $500 grant for art supplies to the students at Good Shepherd Catholic School in Garland. The grant, which was funded by the association's Lisa Covert Memorial Fund, enabled the purchase of art supplies for PreK students, as well as printmaking ink and mixed media/watercolor papers for grades PreK-5.
Founded in 1959, Good Shepherd serves 212 students: 63% Hispanic, 14% Caucasian, 5% Asian, 3% African-American, and 15% multi-racial and other ethnicity. While Good Shepherd is a tuition-based educational facility, it serves primarily a lower-income population and more than 70% of families receive financial aid. The school budget is limited due to a lack of revenue and there is little funding for art supplies.
Dallas Area Fiber Artists is thrilled to provide assistance to empower North Texas children of all backgrounds, through hands-on experience in a range of artistic disciplines. Below are just a few of the inspiring, creative projects created by Good Shepherd students. The last photo shows the beginning of a Grade 5 weaving project!
2022 Annual Purge beneficiary
One of our most popular events each year is the Member Purge, in which members bring unused fiber-art and sewing supplies to donate to others.
The Solar Sewing Club was one of the many recipients of this year's purge. Its young members were kind enough to send us thank-you art cards, which we enjoyed reading aloud at our meeting!
Winter gift bags for foster care organizations
These gift bags for teen girls transitioning from foster care were assembled and delivered to
Jonathon’s Place
and
Dallas Hope Charities.
DAFA 2021 Community Service Project Special Project Award
The DAFA Membership awarded a special project grant to Katie Bywaters, DISD art school teacher in West Dallas, for use with her students.
Ms. Bywaters will use the funds to provide social, emotional learning based art making with her students to encourage feelings expression.
This award is made possible by fundraising efforts and donations made by North Texas Giving Day.
Sew McKinney 2021 by Heard-Craig Center for the Arts
Sew McKinney 2021 is a philanthropic project of the
Heard-Craig Center for the Arts
benefitting schools, senior adults and others in need.
This project ran from March 20 – December 17, 2021
Members created walker tote bags that were donated to local senior centers.
The Heard-Craig Center can be contacted at 972-569-6909.
