Dozens of newborns will soon be cozy and warm thanks to the hardworking and steady hands of Coquitlam high-schoolers.
Grade 11 and 12 textiles students at Dr. Charles Best Secondary stitched 100 baby knot hats for the Ridge Meadows Hospital's maternity unit.
Home Economics instructor Betty Hyatt-Shaw told the Tri-City News the teens — Makenna, Veronica, Talia and Cole — were able to learn new serging skills to create clothing, as well as empathy for new parents.
Hyatt-Shaw also called the project "meaningful" as serging provides students with practical sewing skills.
"The knot hat is a very versatile design where the depth of the hat can be adjusted by where the knot is tied to accommodate babies born with cone heads," she explained.
The baby knot hats were inspired by a personal experience from Hyatt-Shaw as her now three-year-old daughter was born with a cone head.
As a result, she said the hat she brought for her newborn didn't fit.
"The hospital had hat donations and they found one that managed to stretch over her head for full coverage. Now, as a teacher, I am seeking ways to help students make meaningful projects to give back to the community."
This is the second year in a row Hyatt-Shaw's textiles students have completed a bonus assignment that allowed them to give back to the community.
In June 2021, four other Dr. Charles Best students — Ciara, Lynn, Eularose and Annika — created more than 100 scrunchies to sell and raise funds for the Crossroads Hospice Society.
"They have learned about the toll it takes on one's physical and mental status doing the same repetitive job," Hyatt-Shaw said at the time.
"It changes their perception on mass produced items and the labour behind it."
