A few years back, Sharon McLaughlin, who has served as Secretary of Fair Tide’s Board of Directors for the past six years, began her day browsing around a craft fair admiring all of the talented pieces on display. She laid her eyes on a work of art – delicate, handcrafted mittens recycled from old sweaters. These immediately sparked an interest in her, but little did she know these would become a major part of her life for the coming years.
Sharon mentioned this newfound discovery to her niece who is also crafty and creative. As fate would have it her niece happened to have a mitten-making kit that she received as a bonus after attending a rug-braiding class. Sharon immediately signed up for the same class and walked out with a new skill, but more importantly with her own mitten making kit!
That night she took home her kit and got right to work. Throughout the winter months and even into the spring Sharon practiced making mitten after mitten. Once she grew her confidence she reached out to Fair Tide Thrift Store, at this time she had been on the board for about 1 ½ years. She offered to sell the pairs of mittens at the Thrift Store.
While finalizing details with the store, she remembered those mittens at the craft fair, recalling mostly the price, about $30. This sparked an idea. Fair Tide, with her collaboration, had just launched a new campaign called “One Warm Night” where donors could cover the cost to house one person for one night… for $31. Immediately the mittens were incorporated with the “One Warm Night” campaign so every mitten pair purchased provided one night of warm shelter to a Fair Tide resident. From there the mittens took on a life of their own!
Fair Tide began to set aside sweaters that could not be sold due to rips, stains, missing buttons, etc. and then Sharon would take them to her workshop and turn them into magnificent mittens. In order to appreciate the incredible contribution Sharon makes to Fair Tide via these mittens, allow us to briefly explain how each mitten is meticulously made. Sharon spends time picking out sweaters based on their color and material to create unique and beautiful designs. From the selected fabric, she cuts an outline of a mitten and then lines it with warm fleece. These two cut-outs are then sewed together to make one whole mitten. A thoughtfully chosen decorative button is added as a finishing touch and after two long hours, one pair of mittens is complete.
Right away the sales of Sharon’s mittens were a great success. In the first year, 2014, Fair Tide sold 104 pairs! After three years, the mittens have brought in $14,546 which equates to providing almost 470 nights of shelter to someone in need! This winter season marks the fourth year of mitten sales, so don’t miss out.
Come stop by Fair Tide’s Thrift Store to admire and buy your own pair of “One Warm Night Mittens”.