The love of sewing started when she was a little girl, sitting with her mother and learning different patterns and designs. As she got older, Alice Williams expanded her knowledge of sewing by taking an elective course in college.
After that course, Williams was — literally and figuratively — hooked.
“After that class, I felt confident in taking on any project,” she said. Since then, she’s knitted prayer shawls for the local basilica and baby hats for newborns at Jamestown Regional Medical Center.
“Every baby needs a hat, so I thought, why can’t I help provide those?” Williams said.
Because every baby born at Jamestown Regional Medical Center is sent home with a knit hat and blanket, there is a need for volunteers like Williams, said Emily Woodley, JRMC Family BirthPlace manager.
“The new moms are so appreciative of having a cute hat that actually fits their baby,” she said.
To date, JRMC Family Birthplace has had 311 babies born at its facility this year, and usually, the baby receives a hat of traditional colors- blue for boys, pink for girls. But in December, the JRMC Auxiliary asked volunteers to knit hats in festive colors. Volunteer Joy Neustel heard that and partnered with Williams to fill that need.
“Together we knitted 24 red and white hats for babies born in the month of December,” Neustel said.
Neustel, a self-taught knitter, knits one hat per week. That means she’s knit more than 250 caps since she started five years ago.
Neustel got involved in 2011 after experiencing a health scare that involved a hospital stay at JRMC. Because of that experience, Neustel says she was looking for a way to pay it forward.
“Knitting is a way that I can give back. I was lucky in that I was able to come home, and I want to take advantage of that by doing something kind for someone else,” Neustel said.
If you are interested in volunteering at JRMC, read more about opportunities here.