Wee Care© is a bittersweet project very near and dear to the hearts of many smocking and embroidery guilds around this country and in Australia. It is our community service project.

Quite a few years ago (and I'm not exactly sure who gets credit for starting this project); someone realized the need to supply hospitals with very small smocked/embroidered baby gowns. There is a great need for families whose babies are born very prematurely or stillborn to have clothing available to fit these tiny little babies. Sometimes these gowns are used as burial gowns for the babies who do not survive and sometimes they are kept by the families as keepsakes. Each family makes that very personal decision. These gowns are also occasionally used for families in great need who simply do not have something new in which to take home their precious newborn. For a family suffering the loss of their child the worry of finding clothing to fit is an added burden. It is a small but welcome comfort to them to have a beautiful gown for their child and to have the life of that child recognized and valued by others. We have received very personal and heartfelt thank you notes from several families.

Cactus Cablers' works in conjunction with the Neo-natal unit at University Medical Center, which is a teaching hospital associated with the University of Arizona and also with Tucson Medical Center. Because of the association with the university, UMC gets more high risk pregnancies and has a great need for gowns. Our guild supplies UMC and TMC each with approximately 80 gowns a year in two sizes - small and extra small. This project is a great way for someone new to smocking to learn the stitches as the gowns are very simple and easy to make and also give something back to the community.

Please feel free to print and use our patterns and directions in your own chapter for your Wee Care© Program. However, please do not reprint them anywhere without our permission and please give written credit to Cactus Cablers.

45 Wee Care Smocking Designs

 in one of our past newsletters

Volume 15 Issue 3
Summer 2003

Knitted or Crocheted Cap

Paul's cap from Denny Kelly, Australia

Katrina's cap from Denny Kelly, Australia

Ribbed cap from Denny Kelly, Australia

Tiny Knitted Golf Ball Sized Cap 

Tiny Crocheted Golf Ball Sized Cap 

These patterns have been designed and donated by Denny Kelly from Australia.  They are like the ribbed caps pictured above and are a special size request by our local hospitals.

 Check with your  hospital, you may find like we did that they would like to have much smaller caps.

 Tiny  Hooded Blankets