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Trio of Chilliwack toque makers add to Christmas warmth for kids

Nearly 800 toques delivered to Chilliwack schools just in time for winter

There are people in the world who just do nice things.

And as we always find out around Christmastime, a good many of those people happen to live right here in Chilliwack.

People like Gaye Bailey, and Jean Mullen-Day, and Sherry Welch.

The ladies came together this year in a knit and stitch kind of way, quite literally. Sherry is a self-confessed “wool-aholic.” She’s got a collection that ensures she has what she needs, whether she’s crocheting afghans, dishclothes, toques, scarfs, slippers, little dolls or lap blankets. Everyone who knows Sherry, knows she’s into wool.

Sherry also sells her wool online, and that’s how she met Gaye.

Gaye was going through breast cancer this year, and took to knitting to get through the time spent recovering multiple surgeries. Gaye was making toques for the Murray Honda Winter Warmth Campaign, to be distributed with the 700 coats that are given out to students in need. Through buying some of Sherry’s extra wool, the two women chatted about the great cause, and Sherry decided to get on board with that. ]

“I started that at the end of April,” Sherry says. Then Jean moved into her neighbourhood later that spring, and pretty soon they had a third toque maker.

“Every time I saw here, I was crocheting,” Sherry says. “She said, I could do that, too!”

After a bit of practice, Jean was up to the task and they were creating several a day.

The two crocheters made 442 toques, and Gaye knitted close to 300 toques. This is in addition to the 130 toques she made last year and scarves she created the year before, also for Honda’s annual giving program. She delivered them to the dealership last week, in time to be delivered before Christmas.

Altogether, the boxes and bags were filled with fun and colourful toques of every colour and size imaginable, from earthy tones to fun and funky patterns. Each one was lovingly stitched with its own details and designs. And this week, each of them are helping make sure someone out there can enjoy a wintry day a little more.


@CHWKcommunity
jpeters@theprogress.com

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Jessica Peters

About the Author: Jessica Peters

I began my career in 1999, covering communities across the Fraser Valley ever since.
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