In the World of Crochet
The first thing you notice when you visit the Feel Better Friends website is all the wonderful photos of smiling kids and their look-alike dolls. The resemblance is important because the dolls have been specially crocheted to look like the heroic children who are battling major health conditions that can sometimes make them feel different from other kids. Feel Better Friends began in May 2014, when founder Shannon Fouquet saw a photo of a little girl named Berkeley who was battling cancer. What struck Shannon was that Berkeley and her doll were dressed exactly alike, except Berkeley did not have hair and her doll did. Shannon wondered if Berkeley would like a doll that looked just like her and set about to crochet such a doll complete with bald head, wig and matching clothes. Berkeley loved the doll and Shannon had so much fun making it that she began crocheting dolls for children battling cancer and other illnesses. From that first doll, Feel Better Friends quickly grew. Soon Shannon could not keep up with all the requests, so she started a volunteer group of other like-minded crocheters who wanted to make a child feel loved and special during their illness Over 300 volunteers in the United States and worldwide lovingly crochet each doll in worstedweight yarn using the pattern provided on the website. The comprehensive pattern covers how to make the doll and the wig, with information on how to customize the facial features and clothing details so each doll is just perfect. Volunteers work from a photo to make sure the doll is extra special and looks just like the child it is intended for, adding touches of realism such as crocheted glasses and sometimes even a superhero cape! Volunteer Annette G. sums up the very heart of Feel Better Friends: “My greatest joy is knowing that the doll I created is going to be loved. Sharing ideas with our fellow crafters, seeing the smiles on the faces of children and the support system I get from our administrators is beyond words.” If you would like to learn more about Feel Better Friends or volunteer to crochet a doll, please visit their website at www.fbfdolls.org.