Hi, my name's Abi.
Welcome to the Siren Sox Buddies website. Siren Sox Buddies is a project I started back in 2009 (when I was 12!), making fun little creatures out of new socks, to give to children served by amulance crews in the UK and also to children in Ghana.
Read on to find out how you can join in, how it all started and what's been happening recently.
Latest News
- November 2012: We are still collecting for ambulances and Ghana (Fourth school being built, many children still without a buddie). Click here to read more.
- May 2011: Buddies arrive in Ghana! Click here to read more. "The excitement on the children's faces tells the ... story! For most this is the first time they have held a toy in their hands."
A bit of history...
In 2008 my little brother was taken to hospital in an ambulance. The crew were great and we wanted to do something in return, so I came up with the idea of 'Siren Sox Buddies' - fun little creatures made out of new socks, for the ambulance crews to give to the children they are called out to.
Click on the photo for a larger version >>
We had a brilliant response to Siren Sox Buddies when we started in 2009, so we extended the project to collect buddies for the Savannah Education Trust - a charity providing education to some of Ghana's poorest children.
In 2011, a shipment of 400 Buddies arrived in Ghana - the following is a quote from the Savannah Summer 2011 Newsletter:
"An exception is Abi Izzard's initiative to create 'siren sox': fun creatures for children made out of socks. A network of helpers created 400 toys which arrived in Ghana in early 2011. The excitement on the children's faces tells the rest of the story! For most this is the first time they have held a toy in their hands."
Click here to see a picture of the children receiving their buddies on our news page.
So how do I get involved?
We have provided three patterns to get you started. You can print or download these from this website - just choose your pattern from the list on the left. The patterns are also available at The Pumpkin Patch (St Mary's Walk, Hailsham). All are quite simple to make, the pig needing the most work, but they can each be made in an evening.
I find them great fun to make. There are lots of bright and cheerful patterned socks out there and once you get started it is easy to adapt the patterns and come up with new creatures.
What do I need to make Siren Sox Buddies?
All you need to make Siren Sox Buddies is the following:
- Cotton Socks - only new socks to be used please
- Extra strong thread or double thickness of normal thread for the seams
- Embroidery silks to sew on the features
- Stuffing - only proper soft toy filling to be used please
- Needles, scissors and marking pen
The instructions for Siren Sox Buddies have been copied from 'Stray Sock Sewing', with kind permission of 'David and Charles', for this not-for-profit project.
Due to the choking hazard, no buttons or beads may be used - use french knots and felt scraps instead.
Where do I take my completed Siren Sox Buddies?
Please return your completed Siren Sox Buddies to:
- Pumpkin Patch, 10a St Mary's Walk, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 1AF
Any queries, please email abz@sirensoxbuddies.co.uk or call 01323 844939 (not Sundays).
