Softies for Mirabel FAQ

The Auctions have now finished for 2008! Of course we'll be going again in 2009! PLEASE DO send us your softies for the Mirabel Christmas Appeal, though!

Auction Totals!

• Round 1 - $333.75
• Round 2 - $1178.09
• Round 3 - $445.55
• Round 4 - $321.50
• Round 5 - $201.00
• Round 6 - $483.63
• Total - $2963.52

Q What is a softie?

A. A softie is an abbreviated word for soft toy!

Q. Do I need to live in Melbourne, or Australia, to participate?

A. Nope! As long as your softie can travel to Melbourne, you can participate. See next question for details.

Q. Can I mail my softie? Or deliver it in person?

A. Yes to both. Please make sure the softie arrives before deadline, though. Allow a few weeks for international air mail to be on the safe side (or contact your local post office if you're unsure).

Send your softie to:Meet Me at Mike’s 63 Brunswick Street Fitzroy VIC 3065 Australia. We'll look after it nicely until it's sent to its new home! Please include your e-mail address, so we can let you know when your softie touches down.

Q. What materials/methods can I use to make my softie?

A. You can knit, crochet, hand-sew, machine-sew – whatever you like.

Q. Are there any child-safe guidelines for Christmas Appeal Softies?

Please note that softies being donated to the Mirabel Christmas Appeal (ie going straight under the Christmas trees of lots of great Mirabel kids) must not include buttons or other choking hazards.

Q. How many softies should I make?

You can make one, or many - entirely up to you!

Q. Who made softies last time?

School kids, crafters, local shoppers, blog readers, nannas... lots of wonderful people!

Q. I saw a cute softie in a book/magazine/website. Can I use the pattern/idea for my softie?

A. If you are using someone else's softie pattern, be sure to e-mail them and ask if it's OK to reproduce it for this charity sale. Copying someone else’s work without permission is NOT COOL AT ALL, and many commercial patterns specifically state that the patterns are not to be duplicated for sale. Because the sale in this case is for charity – all funds go to The Mirabel Foundation – the patternmaker might relax the rule. Best to ask.

Q. Do I need to follow someone else's pattern?

A. Nope! Please feel free to create your own work of art. If you would like to share your very own softie pattern online for others to use, let us know! We would be SO SO SO grateful!

Q. Where can I find free softie patterns?

A. Check our Flickr Discussion board for kind people who are posting free patterns for us all to use!

Q. Can I see what other people have made?

A. Softies from the 2007 Mirabel Christmas Appeal can be viewed in the group photo pool

Q. I don’t have a digital camera or a Flickr account. Can I still participate?

A. Of course! It’s fun to see what everyone has made, but not necessary. The softies will get plenty of exposure in Mike’s window, too. Just pop a note on yours if you haven't photographed it, and we'll do it for you AND upload the pic to Flickr!

Q. When are the deadlines?

A. Deadline for auction listing: 25 July 2008

Deadline for display in Mike’s window: 25 August 2008

Deadline for Christmas Appeal: 13 December 2008

Softies will be auctioned on eBay from Sunday 27 July.

Any unsold softies will be donated to the Mirabel Christmas Appeal and will go to some extra good kids!

Softies will be hanging out in Mike’s window from 1 June 2008 to August 30th.

Q. Who will own my softie?

A. Softies sold through eBay auction could go to anyone, anywhere in the world. Any softies that remain after auction – and all softies made especially for the Mirabel Christmas Appeal – will go to children supported by The Mirabel Foundation, who range in age from birth to 17 years old. Softie recipients are anonymous, to protect their privacy.

Q. What is The Mirabel Foundation?

A. Mirabel is a wonderful organisation that supports the children of families affected by substance abuse. They do amazing, important work, and we try to support them in our own small crafty ways! Mike's is located in Fitzroy, Melbourne, and we see all sorts of addiction issues on our street every day. We think that you should always try and do something about issues that are in your very own neighbourhood. Having said that, this is a global issue – affecting children from all walks of life. http://www.mirabelfoundation.org.au/

Q. What percentage of auction profits goes to Mirabel?

A. All funds raised from the auction (except eBay listing fees and postage) will be donated to Mirabel.

Q. How can I help spread the word?

A. Perhaps you have a craft group, school group or social group that might like to make toys together! Perhaps you have a softie pattern that you have designed that you might put on your blog or website for other people to use. Perhaps you might spread the word via your own internet contacts or site? A Softies for Mirabel button is under construction as we speak - keep your eye on the blog and Flickr for the code v soon!

Q. Who is Mike?

A. The resident housecat. He is soft of fur, but prickly of personality.