How This 90-Year-Old Seamstress’ Unexpected Passion Is Healing Sick Kids – And It’s Not What You Think
Ever wonder what happens when a lifetime of sewing passion meets a heart as big as Texas? Enter Margie Conlin—once the maestro behind exquisite wedding gowns, now the queen of comfort, stitching cuddly plush dogs that cradle the hopes and fears of children battling life-threatening illnesses. At an impressive count of over 300 hand-crafted pups, Margie’s journey is nothing short of extraordinary, blending decades of skill with an unstoppable mission of love. Picture this: a cozy sewing room nicknamed “The Doghouse,” fabric scraps rescued like precious treasures, and a spark of hope delivered one soft, snuggly pup at a time. What started as a dream, sparked by a simple Christmas tree skirt, has blossomed into a heartfelt crusade that’s rewriting what it means to heal. Curious how a nonagenarian’s thread and needle are weaving joy into the toughest days? Dive into Margie’s story and prepare to be inspired. LEARN MORE
Margie Conlin once sewed wedding gowns, now she spends her days crafting cuddly dogs that bring comfort to children facing life-threatening illnesses—and she’s stitched more than 300 so far! Here, she shares her story with Woman’s World.
Margie Conlin’s friend, Sue, unrolled a Christmas tree skirt and smiled. “I thought you could use it to make a bear.”
Margie ran a hand along the soft furry fabric. But it was gray, not brown. “The color’s not right for a teddy bear,” she said, “but I could use it to make a plushie dog.”
Margie was a lifelong seamstress — ever since she was four years old and carried a shoebox full of buttons and fabric scraps everywhere she went.
Mission of love
The little girl who loved so sew grew up to be a professional seamstress, stitching elaborate gowns and wedding dresses. Later, she also stitched plushies for her three grandchildren.
But now, in her early 90s, Margie’s eyesight was failing. She could no longer manage fine stitches. But she never lost her passion for sewing…and she could still sew plushies.
Eventually, Margie’s sofa was crowded with a dozen hand-stitched pups. “What are you going to do with them all?” her friend Nancy asked at one of their Jupiter, Florida, sewing circle meetings.
“I was thinking of bringing them to the children’s hospital to see if they’d like them,” Margie replied, hopeful.
“Oh my gosh — I have the perfect person for you to talk to,” Nancy said, and put Margie in touch with Lori Griffith, founder of Chasin a Dream, a local foundation that offers financial and other assistance to kids with life-threatening illnesses.
Lori was blown away by Margie’s plushies. “We give every child in the hospital a backpack with an iPad, coloring books and other essentials,” she told Margie. “If you like, we could include one of your pups with every backpack,” she suggested. When she and Margie said goodbye, Lori had a dozen pups with Margie’s promise to make many more.
Pups of hope
The pups were a hit, and every morning, Margie headed to her sewing room — or as she called it, The Doghouse — and set to work creating patterns, cutting fabric, stitching and stuffing even more plush pups. She used embroidery thread to stitch their noses, and gave each extra-soft inner ears made from silk scraps she and her sewing buddies rescued from a dumpster behind a Vera Wang factory.
Recently, Lori was especially touched when she heard of one boy who cried every time he needed to leave his room for tests. “You should have seen his eyes light up,” Lori related. “With his new friend, he didn’t cry when the nurses came.”
Lori also told Margie about a little girl with brain cancer. “I handed her a pup, and I don’t think she’s let go of it since.”
Every other week, Margie and Lori visit Hobby Lobby to shop for fuzzy fabrics. She’s stitched over 300 service stuffies so far.
“I get to combine my love of sewing with comforting sick boys and girls,” she says. “That’s a double blessing.”
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