Most of our members have been touched in some way by cancer, whether their own struggle or that of their family and friends. When the new Wilmot Cancer Center opened a few years ago, the Flower City Needlers wanted to recognize the new facility and those whose lives have been changed in some way by cancer. It was important that each member have the opportunity to express Cancers impact on them. When we first started the project, we stitched needlepoint hearts in honor or in memory of specific people or cancers. Unsure of what to do with the hearts after their completion, we contacted the volunteer coordinator at the cancer center. We were excited when she asked for permission to give them to patients who were alone or having an especially difficult time with their treatment.
Our first donation consisted of 25 hearts and since then we have donated over 200. We have also donated them to other individuals, whom our members know personally. At last year’s Tri-City ANG Needlepoint Retreat, Buffalo and Syracuse Chapters also participated in the project. A local Red Hat Society has also contributed several of these needlepoint hearts.
The hearts are four inches wide and are frequently stitched using over dyed threads, metallic threads and beads. As the amount of threads and canvas needed to complete a heart are inexpensive and the time to complete one is minimal, our members experiment with new stitches, with new threads, and learn how to better compensate stitches. A local retailer finishes many of them at a reduced price.
Our members are frequently seen in waiting rooms at the doctor’s office or flying on a plane stitching our hearts away.
