GREENSBORO, N.C. — A local artist is using her creativity to bring hope to others and herself.
What You Need To Know
Susan Weimer has made more than 2,000 stuffed animals
She's one of milliions of unpaid caregivers across the U.S.
She sells her animals at local businesses around Greensboro and Winston-Salem
Susan Weimer stitches together smiles by creating tiny stuffed animals that fit in the palm of a person’s hand. Aptly named “Itty Bitty Animals,” she said the project started because she wanted to have a hobby when she retired from teaching. It’s become much more than that.
Weimer is also one of more than 50 million unpaid caregivers in the U.S., according to the National Alliance for Caregiving. Weimer cares for her husband of almost 32 years, Calvin, who has dementia, as well as her sister Jill, who has breast cancer.
It turns out that what began as a retirement hobby meshes perfectly with taking her sister to medical appointments or sitting with her husband while he watches the news.
“I can accomplish a lot while I’m caregiving. If I have to go and take my sister and wait for her, I take my sewing because it’s all by hand. I’m not wasting one minute,” Weimer said.
Weimer does more than sew the animals. She creates a backstory for each one. She’s well-practiced after making more than 2,000 of them. She’s particularly fond of Credit Card the horse, who she says “likes to charge.”
Weimer’s spunky works of art can be found at several local businesses. She created denim animals that are featured at Hotel Denim in Greensboro. More of her designs are at the GreenHill Center for North Carolina Art in Greensboro and at Visual Index in Winston-Salem.
The community’s support means the world to her.
“To me it means we’re all just kind of like working together, and if I can help them make their place more attractive and if we can make their place become more public, they’ll do better too,” Weimer said. “The way I look at it, kind of like the virus, we’re all in this together so let’s go for it.”
Weimer adores making her animals and hopes to bring a smile to everyone who comes across them. She’s also thrilled that her art and caregiving complement each other so well — but if that scale ever tips, she knows what she needs to do.
“I really love [caregiving]. It’s also strenuous and straining, but it’s still the number one thing I want to do. Anything else can go except what I need to do to care for my two special people,” Weimer said.
More of Weimer’s Itty Bitty Animal stories are available here.