S5 E2: Ease Grief, Create Community, Inspire Generosity with Loose Ends (Masey Kaplan and Jen Simonic)

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Loose Ends is an everyone-is-welcome movement that aims to ease grief, create community, and inspire generosity by matching volunteer handwork finishers with textile projects people have left undone due to death or disability.

In this conversation, Felicia Lo speaks with Masey Kaplan and Jen Simonic, co-founders of the Loose Ends project, which connects crafters to finish projects left behind by loved ones who have passed away. They discuss their backgrounds, the inception of Loose Ends, and how the project has grown to include thousands of volunteers across the globe. The conversation highlights the emotional impact of crafting, the importance of community support, and the future aspirations of the organization as they navigate challenges and seek to expand their reach.

Takeaways

• Loose Ends was born from a desire to help those grieving.
• The project connects crafters to unfinished projects left behind.
• Community support is vital for the growth of Loose Ends.
• The organization has grown to over 33,000 finishers in 74 countries.
• Crafting serves as a universal language of comfort and connection.
• The founders emphasize the importance of planning for unfinished projects.
• Loose Ends aims to expand beyond textiles into other crafts.
• Volunteers play a crucial role in the success of the project.
• The organization is adapting to challenges in the crafting community.
• Crafting fosters genuine human connections and kindness.