craftycrafters-10-20-16

Baby Ethan Arreola and his parents, Jose and Mayra Arreola accept handmade Christmas gifts from the Sun City Crafty Crafters Club. Photo submitted.

Sun City Crafty Crafters Club members are busy this fall making Christmas buntings, caps, and elf hats to be given to babies born at Mesa View Regional Hospital this holiday season. Sun City resident Janeen Johanssen, a registered nurse at Mesa View, approached Crafty Crafters Club President Kris Petersen with the idea, and the members reacted enthusiastically.

One member, Diana Powelson, recalled that she still had a Christmas stocking in which her newborn son went home from the hospital 45 years ago. Diana brought the stocking in to the club as an idea, and a pattern was made. That prompted many delighted members to get busy knitting and crocheting elf hats, Christmas caps, and buntings for anticipated Christmas babies at Mesa View.

Mesa View Regional Hospital was pleased with the project plan and many of the items are finished with more to come. A ceremonial review and thank you by Mesa View Regional Hospital representative Nancy Seck, R.N. and the “crafters” was held on Thursday, Oct. 13 in the Pioneer Center, Sun City Mesquite.

Many completed caps, buntings and other items were displayed. Special Christmas gift tags, handmade by Papers and Pixels club member Clar Forbes were ready to be attached to the gifts.

The nicest surprise for all was the attendance of weeks-old baby Ethan Arreola and his parents, Jose and Mayra Arreola. Ethan, dressed in holiday finery, proved himself to be a trouper, as everyone gathered around the family and many photos were shot by Sun City resident Ronnie Boarer.

Crafty Crafters chair Kris Petersen said, “We are most happy to contribute to this worthwhile project for Mesa View’s babies. The families will enjoy receiving these little handmade gifts. We hope that the little caps and buntings may become cherished mementos, just as the stocking that Diana Powelson has kept all these years. That is a pleasant thought for all of us.”

The Crafty Crafters Club of Sun City, Mesquite encourages residents who knit, crochet, needlepoint, cross stitch, bead and the like to join their group any second and fourth Thursday of each month at 10 a.m. in the Pioneer Center.

Contacts: Kris Petersen, Chair, Crafty Crafters, 801-631-7436, Ronnie Boarer, rboarer66@gmail.com, Lori Arnone, Communication Coordinator, Sun City, Mesquite, 702-346-6006, Rita Ryan, communication committee, Sun City, 702-613-4032.