Holding animals sewn by Sequim’s Fiber Arts Neighborhood Group are, from left, Monica Dixon of the Sequim group, which is part of the American Sewing Guild; Tessa Jackson, director of the Sequim unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula; Nick, 5; and Josie, 4; of Great Futures Preschool, housed at the Sequim unit. (Emily Matthiessen/Olympic Peninsula News Group)

Holding animals sewn by Sequim’s Fiber Arts Neighborhood Group are, from left, Monica Dixon of the Sequim group, which is part of the American Sewing Guild; Tessa Jackson, director of the Sequim unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula; Nick, 5; and Josie, 4; of Great Futures Preschool, housed at the Sequim unit. (Emily Matthiessen/Olympic Peninsula News Group)

Fiber artists donate stuffed animals to club

Service project supplies puppies, elephants, giraffes

  • By Emily Matthiessen Olympic Peninsula News Group
  • Thursday, September 16, 2021 1:30am
  • NewsClallam County

SEQUIM — The Sequim unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula welcomed 49 new pets when Monica Dixon of the Sequim Fiber Art Neighborhood Group delivered handmade stuffed animals for the members of the club.

“This is going to be great,” said Tessa Jackson, unit director. The staffed animals, “are very, very helpful right now, especially during COVID,” serving as emotional support for the children.

Dixon said 16 members had worked on the stuffed animals for a year before the donation last Thursday.

“One lady made eight snakes, super cute and cuddly,” she said, “and there are puppy dogs, elephants, giraffes and lots of teddy bears.”

The fiber arts group operates under the auspices of the Silverdale chapter of the American Sewing Guild, which says on its website it is the “only national organization dedicated to advancing sewing as an art and life skill.”

“ASG requires one community service project a year,” Dixon said. “Three years ago, we donated 100 pairs of polar fleece pajama pants,” to the club unit.

Last year the group donated 150 pillowcases to the children at the unit.

The inspiration for this year’s donation was when they were discussing the completed pillow case project on Zoom.

“I reached up and grabbed my giraffe — I told them, these are really cool,” Dixon said.

She was excited the pattern had just two pieces, so even inexperienced “sewists” (a combination of sew and artist) can make a stuffed animal.

The patterns came from Carolszoo.com, a business run by Carol Cruise of Rodeo, Calif.

“Carol likes to do charity work, so a member called and asked if it was OK to reproduce her patterns in bulk,” Dixon said.

Normally when a person buys a pattern, it is just for them to use, not reproduce.

Cruise said yes, so several of the members each chose a pattern to buy and then shared it with the group.

Not all of the animals were from those patterns. Dixon said the snakes weren’t and that the dog was made using a 1950s pattern.

“We collect fabric from leftover projects to turn into these stuffed animals,” Dixon said.

Club members plan to make more of the animals since there are more than 49 children at the club.

Jackson said she has a number of different ways to give the animals to the children, and she will prioritize making sure they each get one.

Dixon said the women in the Fiber Arts group “were a huge part of how I was able to pull together 9,800 masks in two months last year,” after a request from long-term health facilities for help.

“I called the fiber arts girls, and they went at it,” Dixon said.

The members of her group contacted other sewists they knew, and those contacted others, and “they went into full-tilt boogey mode,” Dixon said.

“All I do is say, ‘Hey, I need help,’ and they all get everyone going.”

________

Emily Matthiessen is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach her at emily.matthiessen@sequimgazette.com.

Nick, 5, and Josie, 4, of Great Futures Preschool, housed at the Sequim unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula, hold stuffed animals sewn by members of the Sequim Fiber Arts Neighborhood Group of the American Sewing Guild for distribution at the club. (Emily Matthiessen/Olympic Peninsula News Group)

Nick, 5, and Josie, 4, of Great Futures Preschool, housed at the Sequim unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula, hold stuffed animals sewn by members of the Sequim Fiber Arts Neighborhood Group of the American Sewing Guild for distribution at the club. (Emily Matthiessen/Olympic Peninsula News Group)

More in News

Weekly flight operations scheduled

Flight operations This story was updated on May 30, based on new… Continue reading

Betsy Schultz, left, and Claire Rausch unveil a painting especially drawn for the Captain Joseph House on Monday. The artwork was done by a Michael Reagan, a veteran who features military men and women who have been lost in the service to their country. This was the 12th Memorial Day ceremony held at Captain Joseph House, at 1108 S. Oak St. in Port Angeles, which is now open to Gold Star families. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
Peninsula Memorial Day

Betsy Schultz, left, and Claire Rausch unveil a painting especially drawn for… Continue reading

Jefferson Healthcare offers medical assistant training program

Jefferson Healthcare has opened enrollment for another cohort to… Continue reading

Ridership for Clallam Transit’s new Interlink vans has increased so much since December that leadership is looking to implement a second van that would report to pings for rides using the app “Ride Pingo.” (Matthew Nash/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
Ridership grows for app-based van-ride service

Staffer hired to help train people to use public transit

Road closures set this week in Port Angeles

Continuing work on the Race Street improvement project will… Continue reading

Four sent to hospital following collision

Four people were taken to Forks Community Hospital after a… Continue reading

Samuel Jones, 9, and Grace Kauffman help place hundreds of flags on graves of deceased veterans at Ocean View Cemetery early Saturday morning. The tradition this year was led by the Daughters of the American Revolution organization. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
Rites to reflect meaning of holiday

Services set today across Peninsula

4-H fair deadline next week

Clallam program rebounding after pandemic

Most Read