LOVELOCK - A group of Lovelock kids, the Amazing Creekside Sewers, as they call themselves, are making cuddle pillows for children undergoing chemotherapy treatments at the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Nevada, Pediatric Unit in Las Vegas.
"They are for the kids to have something to hold on to and cuddle while receiving chemotherapy treatments," Stephanie Mello said in an email to her grandmother, Lovelock resident, Bobbie Jeanne Aufdermaur, when enlisting her help in making the pillows.
Aufdermaur is a member of the Lovelock Country Quilters and immediately her group started making the pillows. Then Aufdermaur set off to make this a learning experience for the younger generation also.
She received the help of fellow quilters Sharon Maynard and June Talcott to teach the Friday youth class at Creekside Variety Store to make the pillows. The idea was well received among the young semesters and seamstresses.
"It will make them feel good, and you never know if it will happen to you," Amazing Creekside Sewers member Loryn Hunt said.
"It makes us feel good inside to help other kids," another young sewer McKenna Hertz said.
"It's really sad what they have to go through. This will make them feel better," said Katie Ray Cerini about why she is sewing pillows.
The pillows are made of a variety of soft furry-type material with abundant stuffing to give them that cuddle quality. Once the word got out about what the young sewers were doing, Aufdermaur said she had abundant donations.
"We had so many donations I couldn't even begin to name them all, and I am appreciative of every one of them," she said.
Aufdermaur said she was extremely proud of the Amazing Creekside Sewers.
"They just jumped at the chance to help these other youngsters. Some of the kids even donated their own money to buy supplies," she said.
"This is a learning moment for these kids. They are not only learning how to make pillows; they are learning about giving back and helping others," Aufdermaur said.
Aufdermaur also praised the two instructors of the class Maynard and Talcott.
"They are so good with the kids and the kids learn so much from them," Aufdermaur said.
Maynard and Talcott teach the sewing and craft classes every Friday at Creekside Variety.
"We started the classes because the kids were off school on Fridays and we have the extra machines here. Cindy (Portman, Creekside owner) has been so gracious about donating the craft room and supplies for the kids classes," Maynard said.
She and Talcott have taught a variety of classes where their students have been able to give away their finished project, including Christmas trees for the Pershing County Hospital nursing home, Mother's Day projects and keychains Maynard said.
They have been working on the pillows for about a month, she said. While she is not sure exactly how many pillows the Amazing Creekside Sewers have completed, she estimates well over 30 have already been finished.
Aufdermaur said that she has close to 100 pillows to send to her granddaughter, Mello, for the children in the pediatric unit.
Mello is attending a nursing school in Las Vegas and will graduate in May 2013. She and fellow classmates sewed and donated 200 pillows to the unit in August.
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