Apr 12

Apr 12 Sewing circle formed to help front line workers

Wyatt Harris, age 10, a member of the sewing circle. Photo: Teresa Wise

On March 20, Teresa Wise went to Joann Fabric to purchase fabric to make masks for her friends and family. Her son is currently serving in the U.S. Army and she had followed the status of COVID-19 in South Korea because of loved ones currently there. With the state of infection, she knew that the masks would be necessary. The following week she went online to place another order for more materials.

Wise encountered an issue while ordering materials online, so she called in for assistance. The store manager, Diane Manning, asked Wise if she was making masks, as Manning needed 450 masks for a request to be fulfilled in two days. Manning told Wise that Joann Fabrics would supply free kits to the public for anyone able to sew masks. Wise told Manning she would call her back in 15 minutes after she reached out to some friends.

After making a few phone calls and posting on Facebook, Wise formed a sewing circle of her friends with about 15 people. She called Manning back and said she had a group willing to get the masks done by the end of the week. True to her word, Wise turned in 450 pediatric masks to Joann Fabrics made with the donated material.

“From that point forward our whole group was in agreement that what we were doing just felt right and we were being led to do our part to help our community and people for the greater good,” said Wise.

Since the first request, the sewing group has grown to about 37 people with ages as young as nine through people in their 70s. To date, the group has sewn over 3,100 masks and plan on continuing to create as many as they can until the pandemic ends.

The group has received donations of materials and gift cards from individuals and multiple businesses in and around Goldsboro. They have had requests from Goldsboro, Kinston, Wilmington and Raleigh as well as from other states including West Virginia, Maryland, Rhode Island and Kentucky.

Their focus is on providing the mask to all essential workers in the medical field, retail, grocery store, and gas stations.

“Our group’s heart is to serve, first of all, our healthcare workers and frontline workers who so valiantly defend us during this unprecedented crisis,” said Tammy Lee, a member of the sewing circle. “They are truly our heroes.”

The group has worked non-stop to pay homage to the men and women who may encounter COVID-19. Some members have learned online patterns from websites like Pinterest and YouTube and are sharing the revived skill of sewing with others who want to learn.

“It has been the most rewarding experience, hands down, I have ever been a part of,” said Wise.