Her handmade stuffies help heal little hearts!

Margie Conlin once sewed wedding gowns, now she spends her days crafting cuddly dogs that bring comfort to children facing life-threatening illnesses-and she's stitched more than 300 so far!

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"I get to combine my love for sewing with comforting others," Margie says

Margie Conlin’s friend, Sue, unrolled a Christmas tree skirt and smiled.

“I thought you could use it to make a bear.”

Margie ran a hand along the soft furry fabric. But it was gray, not brown. “The color’s not right for a teddy bear,” she said, “but I could use it to make a plushie dog.”

Margie was a lifelong seamstress—ever since she was four years old and carried a shoebox full of buttons and fabric scraps everywhere she went.

The little girl who loved so sew grew up to be a professional seamstress, stitching elaborate gowns and wedding dresses. Later, she also stitched plushies for her three grandchildren.