Every Tuesday, room 501 transforms from an ordinary classroom into a craft workshop equipped with its own sewing machine and rolls of felt and thread. Chatter fills the air as the members of 1001 Plushies meet to create felt crafts for charity. “It’s a really cozy and welcoming environment,” says club member Rosemary Authier (’26).
Previously, the club was known as 1001 Stories. It aimed to illustrate and publish stories written by a child in Ghana, sending the profits back to the young author. However, when the club moderator left, the club lost contact with the author and was unable to publish the book. According to Rachel Yang (’24), a current board member alongside Samantha Young (’24) and Adele Lanier (’24), the decision of how to move forward was a difficult one. Should the focus remain on illustrating stories? How would the club continue to be meaningful to the broader community? The team knew they wanted to proceed in a “direction of charity”––ultimately, they decided to shift their focus to felt crafts, and 1001 Plushies was born.
Today, the club aims to teach people the basics of sewing while helping those with prior experience improve their skills. Because the club is independently paced, members can complete projects on their own timelines while receiving one-on-one help from board members. Members learn the art of stitching and how to operate the sewing machine. When finished with their first plushies, members can move on to more complicated designs. Once they are complete, the plushies are sold and the proceeds are donated to charity.
The inviting, beginner-friendly nature of the club coupled with its philanthropic mission leads members to take great pride in their work. Current projects range from a black cat to a Shiba Inu. Andrea Chow (’25) was amazed by having one of her creations resemble Mr. Ikezi, a familiar face on campus.
“You get something out of what you’re doing,” Yang remarks. “You can end up with a plushie you can keep. There’s the tangible reward, but you also learn how to sew. Sewing can take on many forms—it can be as simple as stitching a hole in your clothes, or it can be making something else entirely.”
What does the future hold for this club? “There was talk of collaborating with the Crochet Club, since we share a similar set of activities,” Yang explains. Members can also look forward to collaborating with each other on projects and helping organize a fundraising event for the club next semester.
As shown through the plethora of plushies and proceeds, joining a tight-knit community like 1001 Plushies can have a positive impact on students’ creative skills and others’ lives. “Honestly, just show up,” Yang concludes. “We can get you started.”
