Creating for a Cause

Totes for Love is our animal welfare outreach project.

Using reclaimed sampling and discontinued textiles of premier quality, The Fabric Nerd makes up tote bags in aid of various animal welfare organisations.

100% of profit generated from the sale of these bags supports either LEAPS, TEARS or The Underdog Project. The overarching concept behind the Totes for Love project that one bag pays for one sterilization. 

LEAPS do much needed work along the West Coast of South Africa. The Underdog Project does phenomenal work with vulnerable children and animals in Hout Bay and TEARS is a long-standing project in Cape Town’s Southern Peninsula. 

Totes for Love also gives bags that are used for prizes and giveaways in aid of animal welfare fundraising initiatives.

The ONE who started all of this...

Back in 2016, I found a little black dog wandering around a parking lot in Cape Town. I loaded her up in the car with the intention of taking her to TEARS, an animal rescue shelter close to home.

Unfortunately, TEARS told me they were full, had a PARVO breakout and couldn’t accept any dogs. She wasn't chipped so we took her home with us. I emailed the SPCA and put her up on many Lost & Found pages, but she was never claimed.

For a week I pretended to find her another home but I'd fallen totally in love with her and there was just no letting her go.

TEARS sterilised her and in no time she had become part of the family. Her name is Pepsi and she is the sweetest dog ever.Following my experience with TEARS, I decided that I wanted to make ongoing contributions to their organisation.

We are family!

As a result of my long-standing relationships with fellow fabric nerds  (a.k.a fabric houses), I was able to secure beautiful reclaimed fabric. With generous donations from Hertex, Mavromac, U&G, and Weavewell, I manufacture tote bags, scatter cushion covers, and quilts made from beautiful fabrics. The Quilting Bug and Enviana Quilting Studio have generously provided quilting services for the quilts.  

Totes for Love has multiple gains...

• Totes for Love makes use of fabric that is already “in the system”, rather than new fabric. All products are made sustainably and can become part of the circular economy.
• Cloth tote bags are a superior solution to shopping bags that are STILL made of a version of plastic (albeit that it’s not single-use). Cloth totes are also much stronger than bags made from other materials and are so much more beautiful!
• Organisations who donate fabric/materials AND organisations who purchase items in aid of a charity qualify for a tax break  It’s a win-win for everyone!

Want to get with the programme? Drop me an email.