sewing community
TRANSCRIPT
A Newsletter for WakeMed Cary’s Sewing Community
September 2021
Patient Needs:
Adult shawls and
wraps
Adults wraps and
blankets - designs
and colors for
men, fleece ok
Adult crocheted,
knitted, or fleece
blankets
Baby Hats -
Holiday themed
(Halloween, Fall,
Thanksgiving,
Christmas)
Crocheted or
knitted baby
blankets
Surgical caps
with band and ties
Crocheted or
sewn stuffed
animals – see
Volunteer
Services for sizes
Cloth Mask
Extenders
What is “Threads”? Threads is a WakeMed Cary Volunteer Board committee that coordinates the
efforts of our community sewers who make patient comfort items for the needs
of our patients and staff. Our goal is to keep our sewing community connected
with our hospital community. Let us know how we can assist you.
Sewers Spotlight… Celebrating Our
Sewers of Elephants and Bunnies and
Cats, Oh My!
Let’s celebrate 25 years of creating and distributing dogs, cats, bunnies, bears,
elephants, dinosaurs, monkeys, bees, flamingos, octopi, llamas, dragons, and
handmade dolls at WakeMed Cary. It wouldn’t be a celebration without
spotlighting our history of stuffed animals and a few of our sewers who create
them! The handsewn, crocheted and knitted stuffed animals bring a sense of
security, reduce stress and anxiety, help ease loneliness, and provide comfort to
our patients during their hospital stay. Our patients, families, and staff are very
grateful for the numerous animals they have received over the years.
Stuffed animals have been at the cornerstone in the
development and growth of Threads (previously
Huggables) at WakeMed Cary. In 1996, soon after
WakeMed Cary Hospital (then Western Wake Medical
Center) opened, Laverne Shuty and Ann Foster,
heard that dolls were needed for WakeMed’ s
youngest patients. With their sewing machines and
scissors in hand, at an old church that was on an
adjacent property to WakeMed, Laverne and Ann
started the first sewing group. Soon the group was
asked to make something more suitable for boys and
the group grew from that point as Ann Foster’s
Workshop. Ann’s group started meeting at her home
and developed a variety of different stuffed animals
designs from dinosaurs to whales to scotty dogs.
Ann Foster, Sewing Group
Leader of Ann Foster's Workshop
Vivian Collins started as the cutter and
from there Ann’s group grew to many
dedicated helpers who designed, cut,
sewed, clipped, turned, stuffed and hand
sewed closures on each animal. They
carefully handcrafted approximately 50
huggables per week for nearly 25 years.
That’s a lot of “HUGS”. As demand grew
and fabric and stuffing became more
expensive, Ann’s group moved to smaller
huggables that were just as loveable!
Due to COVID, Ann’s
Workshop became inactive,
however, at nearly 88 years of
age, Ann continues to make
huggables for local charities,
primarily those supported by
the Searstone CCRC where
she now resides. THANK YOU
to Ann and her group for their
years of dedication and
contributions!
Over the years, other group and individual
sewers gradually joined to create huggables for
the hospital. For most of the past 25 years, the
community groups and individuals have been
masterfully coordinated and lovingly nurtured by
Diane Boyer. Diane educated sewers, shared
patterns, purchased supplies, visited groups,
picked up finished items and delivered them to
Volunteer Services. Diane always ensured that
there were always ample sewing supplies and
sewers to provide comfort items to WakeMed
patients. And she still does!
Current groups Diane works with that make animals
include Colonial Baptist, Comfort Circle UMC, Garner
on the Mend, Garner Senior Center, Holly Springs
Newcomers & Friends, the Harriett Kelner’s Group,
Spring Arbor Cary, and Windsor Point (critters
pictured). In addition, several individual sewers
support the stuffed animal comfort care project by
making fabric “huggables” and crocheted animals.
Huggables made by Ann Foster’s Group, each
one wearing a WakeMed Volunteer Ribbon
Ann Foster's Workshop
2018
Threads Committee Cindy Larsen
(left) with Diane Boyer (right)
Windsor Point Crocheted Critters
Thank you
to all our wonderful
sewers, quilters,
crocheters and
knitters for bringing
comfort to our
patients and families!
Judy Latham, one of
our individual sewers,
crochets wonderful
animals for our
patients of all ages
and recently delivered
40. Judy loves making
the animals and the
smiles they bring to
patients. Here are
Judy’s creations all
lined up and waiting to
be delivered to the
hospital. Beautiful and Unique Creations by Judy Latham
Our youngest animal sewer is Clara Menzo. At
age 15, Clara is a self-taught crocheter. On a
crazy, boring "covid-day" when her mom was
working, Clara saw a knitting project online
and decided to give it a try, thinking, "I can be
pretty creative". With 2 wooden chopsticks,
she taught herself to knit! She enjoyed
producing something with her hands. When
she fell into crocheting, Clara moved into chain
stitches with lighting speed and came up with
"The Derpy Dinosaur". The name Derpy came
about because (in Clara's words), "Each one is
different and unique, just like people. You are
different from each other person but will still
be loved" (despite differences). You see, Clara
knows all about being different. She has
Tourette syndrome which gives her the
opportunity to understand that we all have
differences! With a smile that doesn’t stop and
infectious enthusiasm, Clara has decided to gift
WakeMed Cary the stuffed animals that she
crochets.
Clara is a rising 10th grader with desires to
attend the Ringling College of Art and
Design in Florida. She currently wants to
be a Pixar animator! Clara has a younger
brother and a younger sister. Their family
motto is “OTOD = One Team - One
Dream”. They are actively supportive of
each other’s dreams and chosen
directions. Clara’s mom is obviously filled
with pride. It is certain that Clara's
parents have given her a wide path to
explore her talents and strengths with
total support! Thank You to the Menzo
Team for all you do!
Clara Menzo (left) with Threads
Committee Chair Susan Coulter (right)
A Nurse admiring one of Clara's
handmade Llamas
For the period of
October 2020
through June 2021,
our awesome
Community
Volunteers at
WakeMed Cary
contributed 44,157
hours of cutting,
sewing, knitting,
crocheting, and
stuffing to provide a
variety of comfort
care items and smiles
for our patients.
Our WakeMed family and patients are grateful for the comfort and happiness that your animals and dolls provide for them.
THANK YOU to every person that
has been a part of reaching this 25th
year milestone and its significant
accomplishments!! A father sent the
following thank you after his child
received a “Huggable” in 2019 that
still applies today.
“This doll was a simple doll without a
face. This doll had no shoes or
clothes. In “high tech” Cary it
seemed out of place. This doll had
no label “made in another land”
This doll was not molded, it was
made with love and by hand. This
doll had seams looking mighty
smart. This doll had something the
others do not. This doll has a heart,
with love sewn in, no wonder it gave
comfort and brought a grin.”
Threads Social Media Presence
Did you see the recent Facebook posts recognizing our community volunteers
and publicizing the application process for new community volunteers? One post
publicized a Veteran quilt being gifted to one of our patients, Robert, for his
service. Also pictured are his wife Avda (right) and Threads Volunteer Joyce
Aschenbrenner (left). Robert extended his thanks to Threads in the card below.
Invitation to Donate to the Threads
Pop-Up Sale
On Wednesday, December 1, Threads is
hosting a Pop-Up Sale of handmade items
in the hallway outside of Volunteer
Services. The goal of the sale is to
supplement the volunteer board funds that
are used to pay for sewing supplies. The
sale also gives our nurses and staff an
opportunity to purchase some of the
beautiful items that they see on the floors
all year long. As our hospital grows and the
cost of fabric, yarn, and stuffing increases,
we welcome the additional financial support.
We invite all our crafters to donate items. All items for sale should be handmade.
Donations can be dropped off in the Volunteer Office or your committee member
can pick them up.
Thank you for the gifts of your time and talent to assist others!
Holiday Newborn Hats
Would you like to help us spread the holiday spirit in our women’s pavilion and
birthplace? You may already have your favorite patterns for Fall, Thanksgiving,
and Christmas, however, if you do not, we have several patterns. We need
approximately 200 hats for each holiday to distribute the entire month prior
to the holiday. Let someone on the Threads committee know or call the
Volunteer Services Office at 919-350-2363 if you are planning to make holiday
items.
New Crafters Wanted
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD: We have a great community group that always
exceeds expectations, but we are always growing! If you have a friend,
neighbor, individual or group that would like to be involved, please let us know.
You can apply online at Community Sewing Volunteer, WakeMed Health &
Hospitals, Raleigh & Wake County, NC or contact the Cary Volunteer Office (919-
350-2363) or any Threads member to get started.
Thanks to your donations, the 2019 Pop
Up Sale raised $1,885.07
Creative Ideas from Our Readers:
Shawl knitted with Super Bulky Yarn Some of our patients have recently commented that they like shawls and wraps
knitted or crocheted with super bulky yarn because they are soft and cuddly. If
these are of interest to you, below is a pattern and there is some yarn available
in the Volunteer Office.
Burp Cloths
Receiving Blankets SUPPLIES & TOOLS:
• Flannel fabric for front of blanket (1/2 yard)
• Coordinating flannel fabric for back of blanket (1 yd)
• Basic sewing supplies
DIRECTIONS: Cut front of blanket 15”x 15” square.
Cut back of blanket 25”x 25” square.
Mark the center on each edge of both squares.
Make a mark in each corner ¼” in from each edge of front blanket piece.
Match small and large square right sides together, matching the center of each
side. Pin along all sides of the small square up to the mark in the corner. There
will be excess from the large square at each corner.
Stitch along the edges using ¼” seam allowance. Stop and start at each corner
at mark.
Leave a 4” opening on one side to turn blanket right side out.
To make mitered corners, pull the center fabric away from the outside fabric
matching up raw outside edges to create a triangle. Fold the center fabric in half
diagonally on itself, matching seams. This should create a triangle next to the triangle flap. Sew from edge
of center fabric to edge of outer binding fabric and trim to ¼”. Continue with all corners.
Flatten and press new corner seam open, then press all “binding” fabric toward center fabric so that it will
lie flat when turned.
Turn blanket right side out and press.
Topstitch ¼” from edge on center fabric closing the opening in the process. Topstitch ¼” from edge of
blanket.
Receiving Blankets
made by Karen George
Pattern below
Burp Cloths made by Sue Levy,
Nancy Battiste, Pam Stelmack
Pattern to left
More Ideas?
Visit Volunteer Services! The Threads Committee and
our established groups are great resources for ideas
and patterns. Groups and group leaders have libraries
of ideas and patterns that have worked for them.
There is also pattern library available in the Volunteer
Office that can be shared via mail or email. There are
also patterns on:
https://www.wakemed.org/volunteer/community-sewing-
volunteer/sewing-sample-patterns.
We have recently had requests for crocheted animals and inquiries for
suggestions of sewn items in addition to pillows and huggable animals. The
Threads Committee has purchased several books of crochet patterns. These are
available in the Volunteer Office.
If you have a favorite pattern to share, please let your committee member
know. Or bring it to the Volunteer Office and we will copy and scan it for you to
the pattern library!
Threads has supplies to share!
Periodically, Threads is fortunate to receive donations of
current, quilt quality cotton fabric, stuffing and yarns from
various individuals, businesses, and groups. A nurse
recently donated a significant amount of fleece that is
available in the Volunteer Office. If you need supplies,
please let your committee contact know or call Pennie in the
Volunteer Services Office at 919-350-2363.
Reimbursements for supplies may be provided by The Volunteers of WakeMed
Cary Hospital. As with many organizations, our FY21 budgets will be smaller
than last year due to cancellation of sales events and a decrease in revenues.
Use of coupons, on-sale items and donations help us to work within our budget!!
If you need to be reimbursed, the Volunteer Office needs your
reimbursement form by Thursday, September 23rd for this fiscal year
which ends September 30th.
Thank you to everyone who donates yarn, fabric, stuffing, finished items, etc.!!
Our patient goals would not be met without the support of many people.
New! Donation Tracking Form
Please use our new donation tracking form attached to this email. On the form,
you will find sizing alongside the sewing item. The desired sizes for our patients
are listed right next to each item for quick reference! This sizing was developed
with our volunteers who work on the patient floors and who see firsthand what
sizes work best for our patients.
If you are unsure what to check off for your donated items, the Volunteer Office
will still assist in checking in your items and helping you with this task.
Threads Committee
Contact Information:
Susan Coulter
919-630-6750
Cindy Larsen
919-606-9845
Sue ReCorr:
919-469-2702
Beth Turner
919-280-7586
Joyce Aschenbrenner
919-272-8300
Diane Boyer
919-621-8513 (C)
Staff Liaisons:
Volunteer Development
Specialist:
Laura Riach
919-350-4008
Volunteer Services
Representative:
Pennie Graham
919-350-2363
Community Groups & Threads contacts
Group Contact
Ann Foster’s Workshop Sue ReCorr
Carolina Preserve Yarn Spinners Susan Coulter
Cary Blanketeers Diane Boyer/ Susan Coulter
Cary Quilting Joyce Aschenbrenner
Colonial Baptist Diane Boyer/ Cindy Larsen
Comfort Circle UMC Diane Boyer/ Sue ReCorr
Compassionate Knit Hearts Diane Boyer/ Sue Recorr
Cornerstone Presbyterian Diane Boyer/ Cindy Larsen
CP Piecemakers Sue Coulter
Elegant Stitches Diane Boyer/ Cindy Larsen
Garner on the Mend Diane Boyer/ Susan Coulter
Harriett Kelner’s Group Diane Boyer/ Susan Coulter
Hindu Society NC (HSNC) Diane Boyer/ Sue ReCorr
Holly Springs Newcomers & Friends Susan Coulter/Diane Boyer
Material Girls Cindy Larsen
Project Linus Laura Riach
Spring Arbor Cary Diana Boyer/Cindy Larsen
The Templeton Threads Joyce Aschenbrenner
Village Knitters & Crochet Sue ReCorr
Windsor Point Diane Boyer/ Sue ReCorr
Woodland Terrace Knit & Crochet Cindy Larsen/Diane Boyer
Thank You for All You Do!
Happy Fall 2021! Happy Stitching too!