Newborns in Need will be hosting its annual baby shower on Saturday, May 4 with free knitting, crochet and sewing lessons for anyone who attends.

Tis the season in which family problems become magnified. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, thank your lucky heritage. Mixed up in our holiday cheer is nearly always increased strain in relationships. It’s eerie. It begins to build soon after Halloween, kind of like a dust devil that stirs up emotional junk.

A desire to recycle, save money and add that personal, imaginative touch is what entices many crafty people to create what easily can be bought. This time of year, that includes crafting a lunch sack.

Janet R. Harkness, 88, passed away on Oct. 26. Raised in Los Angeles, Janet attended UCLA, obtaining her master’s degree in education. She then returned to teach at U.E.S., the training and experimental school on the campus of UCLA for over 30 years. She loved Native American history and spent many years taking her students to reservations in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Canada.

The Ahwatukee Prickly Piecers have been working to complete an “opportunity quilt” to raise money for their guild chapter to pay rent for the church where they meet, to pay for the charges to their sew-in’s for charity, to buy fabric, batting, thread, webbing, and more. It will also pay for workshops with teachers to learn sewing techniques that can be used in charity work.

If you’re itching to take up knitting or are stuck in a beadwork project, there’s help — and many classes — online.

The Valley must hold some kind of record for how many people vacate the city over Labor Day weekend. It has to, because with temperatures still bordering on insufferable, having three days to escape the heat sounds like a great idea. Consult our roundup of events across Arizona if you’re itching to hightail it to cooler climes for a day or the weekend. Just be sure to call ahead to check for any last-minute changes.

Norb Weninger’s 72-year-old wife, Elsie, suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for nine years before she passed away from the illness last week. Weninger took care of his wife, but had to learn along the way.

Arizona State University has entered into an agreement that will bring TechShop, a do-it-yourself workshop and fabrication studio, to downtown Chandler.

Arizona State University has entered into an agreement that will bring TechShop, a do-it-yourself workshop and fabrication studio, to downtown Chandler.

For artsy types, the Olympics are an opportunity — to make crafts.

Linus van Pelt knew the subtle comfort and break from reality his security blanket provided him. The national organization named for the character is certain Linus — consistently portrayed in the popular Peanuts comic strips and cartoons carting around his wavy blue companion — was on to something.

Many DIY projects go off the rails because the person doing the project dives right into doing without planning. No matter what kind of DIY project you take on, whether it is a craft or a total bathroom redo, there are six essential steps to ensuring it stays on track:

Many DIY projects go off the rails because the person doing the project dives right into doing without planning. No matter what kind of DIY project you take on, whether it is a craft or a total bathroom redo, there are six essential steps to ensuring it stays on track:

Kyrene de la Altadeña Middle School seventh-graders Alexandra Gutierrez, Abigail Kany, Rebecca Kim, Ashley Ong, Nora Wagner, and Sonoran Science Academy seventh-grader Ryann Yount dedicated more than 52 hours each in planning, organizing, making, and teaching others how to make Positioning Pillows. In all, the girls from Girl Scouts Cadet Troop 2292 made 131 pillows that they donated to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Cardon Children’s Medical Center at Banner Desert Hospital in Mesa.

Kyrene de la Altadeña Middle School seventh-graders Alexandra Gutierrez, Abigail Kany, Rebecca Kim, Ashley Ong, Nora Wagner, and Sonoran Science Academy seventh-grader Ryann Yount dedicated more than 52 hours each in planning, organizing, making, and teaching others how to make Positioning Pillows. In all, the girls from Girl Scouts Cadet Troop 2292 made 131 pillows that they donated to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Cardon Children’s Medical Center at Banner Desert Hospital in Mesa.

No one is prepared for a premature baby or the death of a newborn, but one group is doing what it can to make the process a little more caring.

After three years in business in Ahwatukee Foothills Three Dudes Quilting is doubling its size at Elliot Road and 51st Street.