CULLMAN – We all have hobbies that we enjoy from photography to quilting to hunting. Inez Macon, a resident of USA Healthcare, spends her days sewing and hand making dolls during her free time. Inez has been making the dolls for about a year and really enjoys giving them away to children that visit their grandparents in the nursing home as well as many other causes within the community.
It will soon be a year that she has been hand making the dolls. “I started about a year ago,” Inez said. She gives them all away and has not gotten a penny out of it. She said some people call her crazy for doing it for free and tell her they would never do such a thing. “I just enjoy doing it. It’s my hobby.” Inez has hand made over 800 dolls. She said she has never asked anybody to help her. “I just do it on my own and give them to who I please.”
Inez got started when she was given a doll one day by one of the residents. She looked at it and thought, “Well I could do that. I’ve sewn all my life and quilted.” She just started cutting out pieces of material that different people had brought her. Inez said she has made 100 quilts if not more and now sews all the dolls by hand. “I’ve just always been used to work. I’ve worked all my life.”
She currently has four bags of 25 dolls, two bags of 50 dolls and a box of dolls that has not been counted yet. Within a week, she has given away 250 dolls to children in the community including Childhaven who received 60 dolls and the Special Needs Rodeo coming up that will receive 100 dolls. Inez said that she gives away two to three dolls every day to grandchildren that come to visit their grandparents in the nursing home. The nursing home has also packed shoeboxes to send to foreign missions and included the handmade dolls that Inez has made.
Inez said, “Every day I’m out here. I get out here by daylight. If anybody’s hunting me, they say, ‘Go where she’s sewing at.’” The staff at the nursing home always knows where to look for Inez because she starts sewing in the activity room at about 8:30 in the morning and stays until 11:30 before lunch is served. She comes back after lunch at about 12:30 and stays until about 4 in the afternoon. “I don’t get too tired. I’ve gotten used to it and I just do it all the time.”
When different people come in, she gives them dolls and word gets out that she needs material to make more. Inez said that a lot of different people have brought her material to make the dolls. “Different ones have been wonderful to help. They bring it [material] to me.” A lady from Hartselle gave her a lot of material; at least 3 to 4 bolts of fabric all at once. “When people give me stuff, I’m just pleased. People give me pieces of cloth and I just sit down and sew it up.”
Inez is thankful for the people that appreciate what she does and want to contribute. “I’ve been blessed by everybody helping me. They have really been good about getting me stuff. Some of the girls that work here are mighty good to help me with it.” Sometimes Inez thinks it is time to quit making dolls when she runs out of supplies. “When I run out, I think it’s time to quit, but it seems like the good Lord just brings it to me. That’s just the way it’s been.” People bring her cotton, fabric and spools of thread when they learn of her doll making.
There is definitely a doll for everyone. The fabric she uses varies from tractor print, to floral print to even some with fish on them. Inez said that boys and girls both like them and can pick out their favorite. Christmas time creates more of a need for buying presents. So far, Inez has been able to meet the needs of hundreds of children in the community by gifting them with a handmade doll. If you would like to donate cotton, fabric or thread, feel free to drop it by the USA Healthcare facility for Inez Macon. USA Healthcare is located at 401 Arnold Street NE Cullman, AL 35055.
