A Newsletter for WakeMed Cary’s Sewing Community

May 2021

Current Patient

Needs:

Adult shawls and

wraps

Adult crocheted,

knitted, or fleece

blankets

Baby Hats -

Holiday themed

(Fourth of July,

Halloween, Fall,

Thanksgiving,

Christmas)

Surgical caps

with band and ties

Crocheted or

sewn stuffed

animals – see

Volunteer

Services for sizes

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 to meet our

patient and staff needs. Our goal is to keep our sewing community connected

with our hospital community through personal contact and newsletters. Let us

know how we can assist you.

WakeMed Cary Hospital is Growing!

On April 20, Cary Hospital opened Floors 4 West and 5 West. The expansion

added 40 larger patient rooms on Floor 5 West. Now that the new rooms are

open, repairs will be made on Floors 1 East and 2 East, the original portion of

the hospital. When all rooms are opened there will 208 licensed beds at Cary.

With new beds and

additional patients, our

need for patient comfort

items is growing!

Each item is a special

benefit to our staff and

patients, especially during

the pandemic when visitors

and family members are

restricted. We are so

grateful for all that our

Community Volunteers

contribute to making

WakeMed Cary a special

and caring place.

Did you know that all your

handmade items are

represented as volunteer

hours and reported

monthly to WakeMed

Administration? Individuals

and group sewers

contributed more than

22,638 hours from October

1 to March 31.

A patient room on the new 5 West floor

Thank you

to all our wonderful

sewers, quilters,

crocheters and

knitters for bringing

comfort to our

patients and families!

Welcome New Staff Member -

Pennie R. Graham

We are so fortunate that Pennie joined the Volunteer

Services staff as the new Volunteer Services

Representative on February 1, 2021. She is the

friendly face that greets you when you go to the

Volunteer Office or the welcoming voice on the phone.

She assists with individual and group communications,

receipt of items, new volunteers, tracking of handmade

items, reimbursements, answering questions,

providing patterns, and fulfilling requests.

Pennie is married and has two grown daughters. She has been in the Raleigh

area since 1989 and previously worked at North Carolina State University.

Pennie joins us with a background in HR, Training and Development, and

Customer Service. In her spare time, Pennie enjoys crocheting and knitting.

Pennie enjoys working with people and is looking forward to working with our

volunteers.

Call Pennie at 919-350-2363 or email her at pegraham@wakemed.org to drop of

your handmade items from 9-12pm or 1:30-4pm M-F. Thank you, Pennie, for all

you contribute to the Community Volunteer program!!

You are Sew Awesome!

The Volunteer Office recently received a wonderful note from a very grateful

patient. It reads:

To the Volunteers who knit and crochet items for the patients at WakeMed

Hospital, thank you for the blue shawl that one of you crocheted for me. It was

right after my surgery that someone appeared in the doorway of my hospital

room holding up two items. She gave me my choice and just said they were

made by their volunteer groups. I chose a light blue shawl. It was long enough

to cover my back and shoulders just like a bed jacket and it had two buttons to

fasten it so it would not fall off. It was just what I needed to keep warm in my

drafty hospital gown. Thank you very much! I really appreciate your generosity

and kindness in using your time and

talents to keep a stranger warm.

Thank you for comforting our

patients at WakeMed with your

handmade items!

We also received many thanks for

the tape measures we mailed out for

Volunteer Appreciation week, please

let us know if you have not received

your tape measure!

Wanted: Patient Shawls and Wraps We asked and you have delivered beautifully handmade shawls and wraps for

WakeMed patients! Please enjoy some recent donations:

SHAWLS

Large Crocheted Shawl Medium Crocheted Shawl

39” midpoint x 70” across 28” midpoint x 58” across

Small Crocheted Shawl Large Knitted Shawl

25” midpoint x 50” across 40” midpoint x 75” across

• Triangle shape 25”-40” (max) midpoint (height in the middle)

• 50”-75” (max) across

• Medium and Large sizes should cover patient’s arms

• No large holes in crochet pattern and no long fringe

• Soft yarn, 4ply or 5ply

WRAPS

Fleece Wrap with Crocheted Edges Knitted Wrap 22”h x 52” w

22”h x 60” w

• Rectangular Wraps can run from 22”-26” x 60” long

“Anyone who works on a

quilt, who devotes her

time, energy, creativity,

and passion to that art,

learns to value the work

of her hands. And as any

quilter will tell you, a

quilter’s quilting friends

are some of the dearest,

most generous, and most

supportive people she

knows.”

Jennifer Chiavernini

Group Spotlight - The Material Girls

The Material Girls has been busy making newborn quilts. This is a group that

works well together as each person does a part of the quilt, like an assembly

line! Rebecca Andrews and Cris Brookhart cut the fabric to put together the kits

for a quilt. Kathy Ackerman sews pieces together. Becky Harbour then uses her

long arm sewing machine which sews a beautiful pattern on the fabric. Finally,

Sue Moore puts the binding around the quilts. Cris completes some quilts

independently too. They probably made more quilts this year with everyone

staying home. It was nice to be able to “see” each other, dropping off quilts for

the next person. Just to say “hi” from six feet away!

This group started about

twenty-two years ago. It was

originally a book club for

neighbors. Then they

realized that a lot of them

quilted. They have done

other projects including work

with Camp Kesem, which is

for kids whose parents have

cancer. They took the

drawings the kids made and

turned those into quilts!

Another way they have helped is through assembling kits for Days for Girls. DfG

kits including items such as reusable pads, washcloth and soap are made for

girls in over 100 countries. DfG advances menstrual equity, dignity, and

opportunity for all.

The ladies were

looking for another

project a few years

ago when they saw

that WakeMed was

looking for items for

our patients. They

decided to make us

their next project,

while they still work

on Project Linus as

well. Thanks ladies,

for all you do!

The Material Girls and Threads Committee Member Cindy Larsen (far right) display some of their quilts

Individual Sewer Spotlight -

Dotty Morefield

Dotty Morefield has been crafting for Wake Med Cary for

14 years. She is currently a member of The Templeton

Threads, a recently formed group at the new Templeton

of Cary. A Founding Resident of The Templeton, Dotty

has lived there since last July, a month after the official

opening of the community. Prior to The Templeton, Dotty

lived at Carolina Preserve, where she was a member of

the Yarn Spinners group.

As a founding member of The Templeton Threads, Dotty

is helping to organize the group – still small but growing

as new Residents move in monthly. The group meets

once a month, but the members work on their hospital

contributions independently and in smaller groups.

Several of the Residents are currently taking knitting

Dotty Morefield lessons so they, too, can join The Templeton Threads.

Dotty’s interest in helping Wake Med Cary Hospital is

a personal one. When her daughter-in-law was dying

of cancer, a friend of Dotty’s made a wrap to keep

her warm. As the daughter-in-law passed, the wrap

was something she cherished the most, as the gift,

according to Dotty, “was just an act of pure love.”

“And that’s why I do what I do,” said Dotty. She

crochets beautiful shawls, as well as baby hats and

wraps, and mask extenders for the nurses.

According to Dotty, making the gifts for patients is an

act of love and encouragement, and creating the gifts

for the babies is an act of love and joy. As The Templeton’s volunteer librarian Dottie has collected, registered, and displayed over 1100 books in one year

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. If you need supplies, please let Diane Boyer or your committee contact

know or call 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!!

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.

Searching for Creative 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.

We have recently had requests for crocheted animals

and inquiries for suggestions of sewn items in addition

to pillows and huggable animals.

Crocheted Critters by Windsor Point

The Threads Committee has purchased several books

of crochet patterns. These can be loaned, or patterns

can be copied 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

they will copy and scan it for you to the pattern library!

Swaddle blankets are another new item for newborns:

Swaddle blanket made of

double gauze:

https://bellewoodcottage.com/diy-muslin-swaddle-

blankets/

Swaddle blanket made of soft flannel:

https://old.passionatehomemaking.com/2011/05/how-

to-make-a-flannel-swaddling-blanket.html

Baby burp cloths made of soft flannel:

https://bellewoodcottage.com/how-to-sew-baby-burp-cloths/

We are still receiving a few requests for crocheted mask extenders:

Use any 4ply soft acrylic yarn. Use a 5.5 mm (J-9) crochet hook.

Cast on 20 stitches. Double crochet in 4th

stitch in chain. Double crochet in each

stitch until the last stitch in chain. Three

double crochet in last stitch in chain and

continue going back up the row with a

double crochet in each stitch until the last.

In the last stitch double crochet two

stitches. End.

If you leave long strings at each end you

can use them to sew on both buttons.

Otherwise sew in ends and attach buttons

with needle and thread. Examples of crocheted mask extenders

Newborn Guidelines Refresher

The Women’s Pavilion and Birthplace staff asked us

to revisit the newborn item guidelines to ensure

that every piece meets their current needs. This is

a repeat of those guidelines.

Dimensions

• Approximately 4.5 – 5 inches across the

widest part when laid flat

• Approximately 4.5 – 5 inches in height

Approved Yarn Baby hats by Cary Blanketeers

• Bernat Softee Baby, 3ply (light) acrylic 5oz/140g, 362yds

• Caron Simply Soft, 4ply (medium) acrylic 6oz/170g 315yds

• Or similar yarns

What you need to know:

• All yarn should be washable, acrylic or

cotton, no sparkles please

• Ruffles, pompoms, and ribbons are ok

• Fold over cuffs are ONLY allowed with

the approved above yarn. Please do not

use thick and chunky yarn for baby hats.

The hats made with thick yarns may

restrict breathing and swallowing due to

the thickness while baby is positioned on

their back. Assorted baby hats

Knitted or Crocheted Baby Blankets:

• Sizes: 32x32 to 36x36

• Yarn: Soft washable acrylic

Incubator Quilts:

• Size: 36x36

General Requirements: Assorted baby blankets

• No buttons or other choking hazards

• No odors from cigarette smoke, perfumes, strongly scented

laundry products

• No attached tags from individuals or organizations

• No sparkles in yarn

Holiday Newborn Hats Wanted!

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 Fourth of July, 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.

Please Note – Items not used at Cary:

WakeMed Cary has a very small pediatric patient population. Hats exceeding

4.5 – 5 inches width and height are shared with our volunteer program at the

Raleigh campus, the Children’s Emergency Department, the Children’s Hospital,

or community organizations. If we can provide appropriately sized patterns or

assist in modifying your favorite pattern, please let us know.

Please Spread the News!

NEW CRAFTERS WANTED: 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 contact the Cary Volunteer Office (919-350-2363) or any Threads

member to get started.

You’re Invited to Tour WakeMed

NOTE: Tours are currently not available due to visitor restrictions.

When restrictions are lifted and everyone feels safe to venture out into the

community, please join us for a tour of WakeMed Cary and see where your items

are being distributed.

Threads Committee

Contact Information:

Susan Coulter

919-630-6750

Greeni.susan@gmail.com

Diane Boyer

919-621-8513 (C)

919-859-1251 (H)

Cindy Larsen

919-606-9845

Cindyquilts2@gmail.com

Sue ReCorr:

919-469-2702

suerecorr@gmail.com

Beth Turner

919-280-7586

beturner@nc.rr.com

Joyce Aschenbrenner

919-272-8300

jcaa@nc.rr.com

Staff Liaisons:

Volunteer Development

Specialist:

Laura Riach

919-350-4008

lriach@wakemed.org

Volunteer Services

Representative:

Pennie Graham

919-350-2363

pegraham@wakemed.org

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

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

Hindu Society NC (HSNC) Diane Boyer/ Sue ReCorr

Holly Springs Newcomers & Friends Susan Coulter/Diane Boyer

Material Girls Cindy Larsen

Project Linus Laura Rich

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 Summer 2021! Happy Stitching too!