Turning scraps of cloth into something special
Volunteers sew mementos for hospice patients, make useful items for charities across the South Bay
CAMPBELL >> Every scrap of fabric can become something special, and Michelle Zeiler doesn’t like time or cloth to go to waste.
The 62-year-old San Jose resident recycles fabric and belongings into handmade mementos for local charities, donating more than 18,000 items to animal shelters, hospice centers, police departments and schools across the South Bay.
She and a band of dedicated volun
teers make everything from pet beds for animal shelters and stress balls for people living in homeless shelters to teddy bears from the clothing of hospice patients as mementos for families after their loved ones have died.
The group often receives special requests from charities, such as chair pads for people with incontinence or circular cat beds for newborn kittens that don’t have a mother to keep them warm.
“Sewing is an art for you to create something personal — it’s not just to save money anymore,” Zeiler said.
Her organization, Sew for Love, often relies on fabric donations, and every scrap of fabric and errant thread is used — either to create a new item or hidden as the stuffing inside sturdy fabric cubes, which are donated to schools, shelters and churches as seating for kids.
In addition to donations, the program is funded in part from cans and bottles Zeiler collects while visiting sewing shops as part of her job as a sales representative.
“That’s what buys the good stuffing and batting,” she said.
Zeiler stays busy. In addition to her job, she churns out quilts and bears, teaches sewing classes at shops across the South Bay and instructs groups of volunteers as part of Sew for Love.
When she’s not working or sewing, she and her husband drive their Jeep through alpine backroads, relishing the muddy and difficult routes.
Sew for Love works with Seasons Hospice in San Jose, where families can pass on the clothing of a loved one to be turned into personal teddy bears and pillows.
Rose Forti, a volunteer who has been sewing for 40 years, attended a memorial for one of the hospice patients and was met with tears from a woman who had received a Sew for Love bear.
“One lady was just so grateful that we all started crying — it was wonderful,” Forti said.
On a Sunday at Golden State Quilting in Campbell, Zeiler, Forti and two other volunteers gathered to work on the hospice bears and put together quilts. Many volunteers work on sewing projects at home and meet periodically to work on larger projects together.
Volunteers range from people who don’t sew at all to experts who have been sewing for years.
“Anyone can come volunteer whether you sew or not. If you can’t, you’ll be the one tying bows on the bears,” Zeiler said.
Tiffany Hoyt began sewing four years ago, after her mother bought her first machine. The store owner recommended she take classes with Zeiler, and since then, she’s been an active volunteer.
Not only do volunteers learn a new skill, but being part of a community and giving back to others can be life-changing, Zeiler said.
“Everybody says I go so fast and do so much, which is true,” she said. “But I want to do it while I still can do it.”