A crafter is able to pour their soul into a project. It’s not just a matter of endless hours of work, of supplies and tools, of seeing something come to life from your own hands. This is greater if the crafter is making something for a loved one, being a present or a commission. Receiving something made with hands and love is rewarding.
There are cases, though, when a project can’t be completed. We are not talking about loss of interest or the like. Illness or death can put an abrupt end to a piece the crafter wanted to complete. There’s not much one can do about this.
Or… is it?
In the grief and suffering of a sad moment, maybe a stranger could help ease the pain. Sometimes having that project completed can mitigate sadness. It could be a precious memory of a deceased loved one to keep forever. How could this be done, though?
I recently discovered Loose Ends Project, a non-profit community that can really help.
On their official website, they say
Loose Ends Project aims to ease grief, create community, and inspire generosity by matching volunteer handwork finishers with projects people have left unfinished due to death or disability.
For me, it’s an amazing offer! A craft can be hard and require years of experience, it could be tricky to find another crafter with the same skills as the original author of a project. Loose Ends Project aims to close this gap. I’ve read a few stories, and each one is heartwarming.
Think about a grandmother who wants to make her granddaughter’s future babies knitted sweaters. Having something made with love by a loved one is so sweet: a tangible proof of unconditional love. But then a severe illness diagnosis comes. For the knitter, finishing those sweaters is paramount, she wants to leave something of herself for those future babies she might never meet. She can’t finish them, though. And here Loose Ends Project comes to help.
I literally have tears in my eyes as I write down these words. Go read the story of this woman, and all the others I listed down below. Finishing such projects can be important both for the crafter and for the loved ones who are destined to receive them.
I got in touch with Janice Nance of Heirloom Expressions, one of the crafters or “finishers” as they are called in the organization, and with the founders as well, Masey Kaplan and Jennifer Simonic, to know more about what Loose Ends Project does.
A chat with the founders
Both Masey and Jennifer have been lovely with me!
We talked for a while about our lives, where we live, our communities. Why is this relevant? Well, focus on the term “community“. Each one of us is part of a community, whether we are aware of it or not. “Oh, sure, I am part of a community without noticing”, I can hear you saying that to yourself. Bear with me for a moment, though.
There was a man who commuted to work each day, taking the same bus. Dozens of people like him did the same, but they didn’t know each other’s names, they were strangers happening to be on the same bus. They just noticed each other’s faces by chance. Right? Well, one day the man was more tired than usual and fell asleep on the bus. He could have missed his stop, but the other strangers noticed, hurried to wake him up, told the driver to stop just in time, which he did, and the man was able to get off. The next day every one, driver included, was checking on the man if he was alright and if he got to work on time.
That was the man’s community, in that place in that moment, but nobody realized until necessary. So I suppose you and I are both part of similar communities. And community is the foundation on which Loose Ends project was born.
Loose Ends Project is just that. A community made of strangers. People scattered around the world, who may never see each other in person, but with the very same goal: help in any way they can. That’s what struck me most while talking with Jennifer.
She told me about how the pandemic separated people, how we lost a sense of community, being all forced apart. I think each one of us experienced that, at least for a while. Lockdowns and fear took connections away from us. And I am glad we had at least the virtual ones, they helped us not lose our heads completely. It was in that spirit of reconnection that Loose Ends Project was born. I agree with Jennifer when she says that such little acts of kindness can make someone realize there are people out there willing to help, even a stranger.
As Masey said in an interview, ours can be a hurting and divided world, and Loose Ends is the tiny way both her and Jennifer found to start to mend it.
Interview with the finisher Janice Nance
Janice, how did you become a “finisher” for the Loose Ends Project?
I discovered Loose Ends Project through a message from a friend who thought I would be interested in providing this service. I have done finishing work in the past, sometimes for a charge, but many times gratis. For me, it is a wonderful way to work on unfinished projects in various techniques I do or do not have in my skill repertoire.
I have been working with needles, threads and yarns since my teen years (many, many years ago) and am primarily a self-taught crafter – meaning no formal education in the arts. So, my primary work is sewing, embroidery, knitting, crochet, and quilting.
I am a member of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America (EGA) and our local Mother Lode Quilt Guild, plus several on-line embroidery and quilting groups. Both EGA and the quilt guild promote and help sustain local humanitarian efforts.
So, choosing to be a finishing member of the Loose Ends Project fits well with the humanitarian goals. Personally, I like to see the smiles and experience the gratitude of the individuals I have done work for in finishing a project that has languished. Or, creating a custom piece specifically designed through many conversations with the customer. For me, it is about providing the best quality customer service within my skills and capabilities.
Could you tell us something more about the projects you made for the Loose Ends Project?
So, a little bit about my first project.
I saw posted in the Finishers Group (closed group on Facebook) a hairpin lace crochet blanket or afghan project sent in by a daughter whose mother had recently passed away. The coordinators of the group were looking for someone who could tackle the finish job as they could not find anyone in the customer’s local area, which was on the East Coast of the United States. I am on the West Coast. Apparently, hairpin lace crochet lost popularity since I did my first lacey blanket for one of my daughters way back in the 1970s.
I communicated with the daughter and told her of my experience, and sent her a link to my Facebook page (Heirloom Expressions) so she could see the breadth and quality of my work. She agreed to let me finish the blanket. After receiving the blanket, I did my assessment of how I would finish the work, providing several options.
Through our conversations, I learned quite a bit about her mother, the closeness of the two, and the memorable value the blanket held for her. It was important to me to finish the blanket in the manner her mother had begun. The daughter was exceptionally pleased upon receiving the completed blanket. I received a very nice thank you for the work I did. And, that was all the payment I needed.
I totally agree! Seeing the faces of loved ones with the finished projects has to be rewarding.
What would you suggest to other crafters wanting to join Loose Ends?
In the Finisher Group I have seen several projects. There are knitting, crocheting, weaving, rug hooking, various techniques in embroidery, quilting and general crafting such as one would find in the Herrschner’s catalog. I would say almost anything in the crafting arena left unfinished by a loved one would be accepted if there is a finisher interested and capable of the completion endeavor/challenge.
Several of the projects accepted had no pattern directions, so a bit of creativity is involved in dissecting the pattern and learning the tension. Other projects accepted have languished for over 60 years.
These brought challenges in trying to find the yarns, threads, or fabrics in the dye lots or eras of origin. The wealth of knowledge, experience and resources within the Finisher group and on-line crafting businesses extends world-wide.
It is amazing and personally rewarding to be a part of this wonderful, resourceful, group of talented individuals who are willing to freely give their time and talents to complete projects left unfinished for loved ones. Although there are more finishers than projects available, I would certainly recommend joining the Loose Ends Project. This is a great educational opportunity while waiting for a project to appear in one’s local area.
How can someone help Loose Ends Project?
There’s not just one way of helping. Even if you are not a crafter, you can be a valuable help for the project.
I found that the hardest part is not finding crafty hands, but projects to finish. People are simply not aware of the existence of such a possibility, and worldwide.
When you have a loved one who is experiencing a severe illness or who dies, I imagine unfinished crafts can be your lowest priority. And that’s ok, it’s totally fine. Sometimes, though, you’d love that unfinished project to be completed, to see your’ loved one’s desire come true or to have a physical piece of her stay with you. What if you don’t know how to complete it, or don’t feel the courage to try, for fear of messing up?
This means that the best way to help Loose Ends is to spread the word. Tell people about the project, what is about and why. Maybe they’ll never need it, or never know someone who does need it. But what if you are the one who can connect a finisher and a project, helping ease the grief of another person?
So, if you are willing to do your part for Loose Ends project, here are a few ways you can help:
- Spread the word: download the flyer and share it (good places are libraries, churches, hospices…)
- Tell your friends: maybe they know someone who knows someone… who knows?
- Connect and share on social media (they have Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn)
- Become a sponsor by contacting Jennifer Simonic
- Make a donation
- Become a finisher (obviously!)
Do you have a project to finish?
If you have a project to be finished, you can get in touch with Loose Ends Project and find a finisher near you.
4 Comments. Leave new
I would like to find out more about if there are contacts for Loose Ends Projects in the UK. I support a lady with Dementia who is constantly completing Tapestry and has done for many years . Could you let me know if there are any Tapestry projects in the UK, South East area in particular that I could involve her in. Thanks
Hello! You could follow the instructions on the page dedicated to submitting a project (https://www.looseendsproject.org/submitproject) or the one about becoming a finisher (https://www.looseendsproject.org/finisher). You could also contact the founders directly, via the contact page on the official website or via social media. The article here provides all the links and contacts. I’ll get in touch with the founders myself to help you!
Hello I would like toknow more. I doe xstitching and embroidery.
Hello! Here all the info on becoming a finisher: https://looseends.org/finisher. You can also contact them directly for more info, via the contact page on the official website or via social media.