Keep THEM IN

Stitches

FEATURE

A San Diego-Based Charity

Organization Knits Happiness
WRITTEN BY: CArOLYN SAMuELSON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: ADAM gENtrY

Stitches From The Heart has a simple

mission: to provide comfort, love and
support to each newborn and their
families coast-to-coast, regardless of
economic or religious background.
Through meet-up groups, hospital
donations and outreach programs, this
local, non-profit organization is changing
the lives of its recipients with woven
products and passionate volunteers.
It began in 1997 with Kathy Silvertons
daughters service project. She read in the
Los Angeles Times that many infants were
leaving hospitals with nearly nothing. Her
solution was simple: Mom, you knit! It is
now a cadre of knitters, crocheters and
crafters alike, creating beautiful items
for newborns and families in need. With
17,000 volunteers nationwide, the impact
is unimaginably widespread.

Stitches From The

Heart is a cadre of knitters,
crocheters and crafters alike,
creating beautiful items for newborns
and families in need. With 17,000
volunteers nationwide,
the impact is unimaginably
widespread.
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| Indian Summer 2013 Issue

What better place to display these

handmade works than in the Home &
Hobby room at the Del Mar Fair? Stitches
From The Heart has been featured at the
fair for nine years, gaining momentum
from avid crafters seeking camaraderie
and inspiration. So up to Del Mar I went,
eager to experience their involvement
at the fair firsthand. Having never been, I
was quickly lost in the sea of huge stuffed
animals, fried bananas and sugar filled
children. With the help of a site map, I
found my way to the booth I was looking
for, filled with incredible blankets, assorted
baby garments, animals and fun heart pins.
GeorgeAnne Plaza is the mother hen
of the group. Passion pours out of her,
spilling onto all she does. As I speak with
people - her husband, knitting ladies,
even the woman working the event - the
care and love with which she fosters all
her relationships is evident.
The Stitches From The Heart network
creates an outlet for like-minded
people to interact, with 400 meetings
across the country. Over 1,600 hospitals
are on the donation list, with quickly
growing numbers. Elderly women who

would otherwise be knitting alone now have a

sense of purpose for their wonderful projects.
Of course, it doesnt stop here; children can
get involved, too! Stitches From The Heart has
provided the foundation for many Girl Scout
and service projects.
The Stitches women showed me some of their
handcrafted pieces. I discovered the difference
between cable and knit patterns. I was shown
how incredibly small the head of a premature
baby, or a preemie, can be - as tiny as golf ball! It
is inconceivable at first glance that a little human
could fit in the palm of your hand. Thumb-sized
hats cover the noggin of a tiny being, preventing
precious energy from escaping, while covering
the multiple monitors and tubes.
All energy must go to growth, explains Plaza.
The hats, booties and blankets also humanize
these little guys. Premature births are those
that occur before 37 weeks. Without sufficient
body fat, it is very difficult for a preemie to retain
warmth. Premature births are often unexpected
and usually require extensive hospitalization
time, and Stitches heartfelt gifts provide
comfort to their families in trying times.
From
the
initial
coffee
table-based
collaboration of knitters making baby-related
items, the organization has made huge strides.
Friends told friends, exciting interest across
generations, harnessing human power to adorn
needy newborns.
Plaza was a blanket recipient for her preemie,
Michael. Thats how she found out about
Stitches From The Heart. Twenty years ago, she
relocated from the East Coast with her son to
California in search of warmer weather. She was
introduced to the founder, Kathy Silverton, by
one of Michaels teachers. Initially a crocheter,
GeorgeAnne was a volunteer for over eight
years. With her leadership and fervor, she soon
became the Executive Director in September
2011. Her role cannot be boiled down simply - her
myriad job titles include Chief Financial Officer,
delivery woman, inventory supervisor, journalist
and marketing director. On top of it all, she is a
wife and a mother.
She runs the Gazette, which has been publication
for 16 years. As I flip through the archives, I see

how the content has evolved as its readership

grew. The pages are filled with various
entertaining and informative content. Comics
blend with little games, advice columns pair with
pattern ideas. Big updates of the organization
are discussed and key members are highlighted.
And most importantly is the fruit of Plaza and
others tireless efforts: letters from hospital
nurses line the pages, praising the items that
have brightened lives.
A knitter asks, I usually finish my crochet items
with a single crochet around the edges, but that
gets boring. Is there an alternative? Plaza has an
answer: crab-stitch crochet, also called backwards
crochet, produces a beautiful corded edging.
Other advice, like how to massage a cramped
hand, is offered. Until three years ago, Stitches
was technology-free, with just a paper gazette
through mail. They now have a well-trafficked
site, over 1,000 followers on Facebook and are
switching over to an email-based publication.
They have a shipping location in Mira Mesa and a
home office which doubles as a storage facility.
Upon entering her house, she says, youll find
blankets, hats and yarn everywhere. Its a home
office, but its also in the garage, the kitchen,
the living room. I imagine my great aunts home
with her crocheted doilies and large-buttoned
sweaters, but with a project base multiplied
by... 200. Everything is quality controlled,
she explains. Certain fabrics cannot enter the
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). After
sorting, she sends out 12,5000 items a day.
You might wonder how in the world this is
accomplished? Its all thanks to Plaza and her
phenomenal crew, including her son, Michael.
He is one of my best mailers. He helps with
envelopes, labels and stickers. Michaels high
school requires 80 hours of community service
to graduate. He completed his the first semester
of his freshman year. With multiple support roles,
everyone can come in to do service, even if they
dont knit or crochet. That is, after completing an
interview process with the head honcho, to make
sure they know what theyre getting involved
with. So many people see volunteer work as
punching a clock and being done. I want it to be
more than that, and I want you to take something
away from the experience, Plaza said.

Deliveries are weekly. Plaza sends out an email

to hospitals saying shell be in the neighborhood,
asking what they need. With their new Adopta-Hospital program, volunteers can drop items
off directly at the hospital, allowing them to see
where their creations will go.
I was curious how much the average volunteer
produces. It varies from one hat a year to
even 1,000. Plaza once did an astonishing
300 blankets in one year - thats completing
82 percent of a blanket each day! There is no
minimum or maximum; its from the heart. Plaza
says, It brings friends together, generations that
may not have known about each other. We have
13-year-olds knitting with 80-year-olds.
Because Stitches is a non-paying organization,
they rely on people donating their hours, which
creates a strategic team. They utilize everything
from the word power of a journalist to the
analytical insight of a web designer. There are
men, too, some 100 to 150 of the 17,000 - thats
a start! The board is five large and in San Diego
alone, there 500 members.
There are endless inspirational stories. They
gave a hat and booties to two active lieutenants
for their premature baby, who is now thriving. A
letter from the family reads: My husband and I
wanted to write and say thank-you for the lovely
handmade hats and blanket we were given for our
newborn son, Wallace, while we were at Balboa
Naval Hospital. It really meant a lot to us. Wallace
has worn his hats quite a bit, and its done a good
job keeping him nice and warm. Thank you again.
We were really touched by your generous gifts
and support of active duty service members.
Mary and Aaron Robinson
LT and LT, USN
The gratification comes with the heartwarming
stories like these. She shows me a blanket that
took three weeks to create. A nurse contacted
her saying the woman who received it was
overwhelmed with happiness. Her husband was
stationed, and she was all alone.
Sometimes well see someone walking by and
say, you need a blanket? My ladies are amazing.
Theyve given me the ability to be their voice and
Im very honored to represent them, Plaza said.

| Indian Summer 2013 Issue | 155

My grandmother always said, every child

comes into this world innocent and should be
wrapped in love. I cant think of a better way
to honor my grandmother than by making hats
and booties and blankets to wrap infants with
love. Im fortunate to have many like-minded
individuals with me doing the very same thing.
Her husband attests to her passion and agrees
that its all because of her grandmother, who
served as a role model and introduced her to
the world of stitching. Stitches From The Heart is
about taking the skill you have and using it to help
others. Its therapeutic to be engulfed in a project,
knowing that it will one day be the first item on
a babys head, the first garment of memory for
a new parent. Plaza jokes that she has a happy
marriage, because he drives and I crochet. A
Stitches woman, Barbara, and her husband just
retired, and she wont go anywhere without her
knitting. Plaza intimately knows all the people
she works with. She knows their families, too, and
takes interest in keeping in touch.
I certainly had no idea how small a preemie could
be. Oranges are used as a visual for head size. An
average babys head is approximately the size of a
softball. When you put it in comparison, you feel like

a giant. Stitches makes hats for full-terms and for

the small toddlers visiting their new siblings. In the
past two-three years, theyve had an insurgence of
bereavement items (for babies who do not make
it). To humanize the baby, the hospitals will put a
hat and a blanket on the baby for parents to hold
before saying goodbye. The thumb-sized hat then
goes into a memory box. You always have your
child in your heart, but now you have a tangible
item. Its been therapeutic for these parents to
know that their was someone in this world and
is remembered. We do grieving sessions. We do
hospice, outreach with the bereavement centers,
social services out of Childrens national hospital
in DC. Many little ones dont receive warm items
in the colder states. The sweaters that dont fit
the newborns cant be repurposed. Social workers
often request these sweaters.
When Stitches hears that there will be a grief
session with parents, theyll send blankets,
booties and hats on their way. They are also
engaged with centers, giving options to young
women going through the difficult pregnancy
process. Plaza receives many emails asking how
to get involved. Making that phone call or sending
that email makes them involved. Stitches cannot

contact everyone, so its uplifting to have new

people reach out. Upon completing a survey,
theyre placed on the receiving list immediately.
Whats the next stop for Stitches? The Texas
State Fair in September! Theyre trying to get into
the OC/LA fair. Because crocheting and knitting
are an old fashioned medium, this is the perfect
place for them to meet the public and spread
the word. Beyond efforts to recruit knitters,
Stitches also serves as a receiving center for
unused items. Often times, storage rooms will be
cleaned out and dozens of blankets are suddenly
in need of a home. Stitches will find the home for
anything. Boxes of yarn go to senior centers to
be knit into creations or to the Girl Scout crews
looking for assistance in projects.
Every penny goes towards the organization.
Among large withstanding organizations such as
YWCA, Stitches is blossoming. In 15 years, theyve
reached a million items. The goal? Two million in
the next five years. As the interest grows, Plaza
becomes more confident in this achievement.
Having seen the size of this amazing womans
heart and all the great this organization is doing,
I have complete confidence, as well.

My grandmother always said,

every child comes into this
world innocent and should be
wrapped in love. I cant think
of a better way to honor my
grandmother than by making
hats and booties and blankets
to wrap infants with love.

~ GeorgeAnne Plaza

Stitches From
The Heart
9450 Mira Mesa Blvd
Suite C419
San Diego, CA 92126
877.985.9212
www.stitchesfromtheheart.org

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| Indian Summer 2013 Issue

Executive Director,
Stitches from the Heart