Dear Friends,

I received this letter from my friend, Alanna Smith. I thought it shared the very essence of sewing with love for others. I wanted to share this inspirational message with you.

Dear Martha,
This is the first in seven years that I have not been able to attend your school in Huntsville. In February I had to have extensive surgery on my right hand to repair a thumb joint and be able to sew again. I decided to finish up all my past class projects as physical therapy for my recovering hand. My hand may have hurt, but my fingers itched to be back to my favorite activity.

One project was Margaret Boyles' Baby Hope Christening Gown. I had planned to dress my mother's Armand Marseille baby doll in it when done.

Well, by August, I knew that I was going to need a fourth back surgery and put my sewing on hold again. My surgery was scheduled for September 12, and then the tragedy of the eleventh caused it to be changed to the 26th. Sewing on the christening dress helped with the stress and sadness we felt.

My daughter works for Delta Airlines, and her station in Fairbanks, Alaska was to be closed as part of their cut-backs. Many of the employees are to be laid off. One morning one of her employees came to work in tears. Not only was she going to have to find a new job, but her daughter, very young, is expecting a baby in six months. The family christening gown had been lent to a friend , and they had carelessly left it out where their sled dogs were able to get hold of and shred it . The gown was gone. My daughter called me with the sad story, and asked if I could help. This Inuit baby is far more important than a doll, and I was more than happy to be doing something to help someone who was indirectly hurt by September 11th. While I recuperated, I finished the hand work, resting in bed and the machine work thirty minutes at a time. My husband kept close watch so I did not exceed what the doctor allowed. I mailed the dress and slip yesterday, and am so happy that I have had the opportunity to touch the lives of others with something special that will be passed down through generations. My daughter says they are a very loving family and will treasure the dress. God is good to let me enjoy the gift of sewing and be able to share it with others, especially at a time such as this. Baby Hope was the perfect design name for this dress and the babies who will wear it in the future.

Martha, thank you for all the wonderful and generous things you do! You are an inspiration to all of us who know you.

God love you,
Alanna Smith