It is often said that one of the greatest joys in life is creating something with your own hands. The ladies of the Springfield Masonic Community (SMC) Needlecraft Workshop experience this through their passion for sewing, knitting and crocheting. This group of roughly a dozen women spends its free time creating small expressions of love from fabric and yarn.
Barbara Hause is the founder of the Needlecraft Workshop. Originally from Minnesota, she and her husband lived in Myrtle Beach before moving to Springfield Masonic Community in 2012. Barbara learned how to sew on the family sewing machine when she was very young, sparking an enduring affection for needlecrafts. Barbara’s enthusiasm for creating beautiful and functional pieces has never wavered, and for this she credits her husband and his complete support.
When Barbara moved to SMC, her new friends and neighbors voiced their interest in having a place to gather and enjoy crafting together. As interest grew, Barbara put together a proposal and began working with SMC staff to find a suitable, available space. In November of 2013, the Needlecraft Workshop was born. Fully stocked with supplies, including sewing machines, fabric and even an antique loom, the Workshop is now the ideal space for those interested in continuing, renewing, or even learning needlecrafts.
Carol Tanner is one of those whose affection for needlecrafts has been rekindled due to the Workshop. Carol is an Ohio native and came to live at Springfield Masonic Community in 2007. Carol’s mother and grandmother introduced her to cross stitch and embroidery at age nine. Interests in knitting and crocheting quickly followed, but sewing soon became Carol’s go-to craft. For many years she sewed the majority of her own clothing and suddenly it had been fifty years since she had last picked up her knitting needles.
Carol decided to join the Needlecraft Workshop in order to complete a quilt for her great granddaughter. Then, in August of 2014, Carol’s daughter, Tina, mentioned wanting a handmade afghan. After a quick knitting refresher and with the encouragement of her fellow needlecrafters, Carol completed a beautiful afghan in less than five months and was able to surprise Tina with it at Christmas.
Both Barbara and Carol agree that the Needlecraft Workshop brings happiness to its members. They enjoy having the opportunity to socialize while working with their hands. Each new member brings with her the opportunity to share something new, whether it’s a stitch, technique or idea for a group project. The ladies of the Workshop have created 13 shawls and lap robes for SMC residents to use when traveling to appointments. They also sent 25 handmade t-shirt dresses to Mexico when another resident embarked on a mission trip last summer. The group even engaged non-members in the creation of a giant knotted quilt that sold just before Ohio Masonic Home Day.
It’s not uncommon for our friends and neighbors to become our second family. Barbara and Carol believe that Springfield Masonic Community is a family. The Needlecraft Workshop acts as an opportunity for this family to gather, whether it’s to work together, visit together, or even just stop by to see the latest project. There is no greater joy than creating something with your own hands especially if that joy can, in turn, create a family from a community.
