The Water Glass makes, sells embroidery to quench water needs

Three women and friends are using their arts-and-crafts skills to help people have clean water.

Hallie Kenny, left, Misty Granade and Amy Sims sell their crafts for The Water Glass. (Contributed)

The Water Glass, a non-profit organization, uses “our ‘mad’ crafting skills to raise money for and awareness about 1 billion people around the world who don’t have clean water,” Hallie Kenny said.

The Water Glass started with Kenny, Misty Granade and Amy Hatchett who meet for weekly craft nights and booths at craft sales. They learned about water crises at Global Women meetings (globalwomengo.org).

“Faced with so many sad statistics, the choice was to be overwhelmed or empowered,” Kenny said. The Bible verse, Matthew 10:42, challenges them: “And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water … will by no means lose his reward.”

To raise money, they sell embroidered tea towels, aprons and dishcloths by individual sales, craft booths and retail outlets, soon to include Madison Drugs in Providence.

Using beautiful fabrics, the trio and their friends hand-embroider tea towels and aprons with appliques, like songbirds and umbrellas. A signature towel has water glasses. They also make seasonal designs, like Easter bunnies, Thanksgiving turkeys and nativity scenes.

The Water Glass has donated money to the non-profit Living Water International and supported Trinity Baptist Church mission teams working in the Dominican Republic, a local Rotary chapter helping a Ugandan school and His Hands Mission International for water filters in South America.

Each gift is sold with tags about their objectives. Their blog, thewaterglass.org, offers instructions on using craft creations “to change someone’s world,” Kenny said. They also teach classes for children and adults on clean water needs.

The Water Glass will have a crafts booth at the Sidewalk Arts Stroll at Huntsville Botanical Garden in the early spring and Global Women Summit in October in St. Louis. “We’re seeking local retail outlets that will partner with us in selling tea towels and aprons,” Kenny said.

To place orders, email to misty@thewaterglass.org. For more information, visit thewaterglass.org.