Sixty handmade teddy bears have found new homes through a months-long project by the Bermuda Guild of Stitchery. Roughly a dozen members and friends joined the effort, hoping to give children a bit of “comfort and companionship”. Shina Lyons came up with the idea based on a programme she was part of many years ago, Teddies for Tragedy. Those bears were gratefully received by children in England and Nepal.

“I thought, ‘Why don't we do Bermuda bears and give them to places that have children in need here,’” she said.

Fifteen bears each were donated to four charities: Tomorrow’s Voices, Gina Spence Productions, It Takes a Village Foundation and Home.

Barbara Cuoco, Karin Johnson, Shina Lyons, Alexis Pratt, Sharon Pratt, Sue Simmons, Dorothy Smith, Anita Troake and Monica Waddell signed up for the cause.

Guild member Maureen Marshall was unable to participate because of ill health – friends got to work on her behalf.

Not all were experienced knitters. Sharon Pratt embraced it as a personal challenge.

“I saw this as an opportunity to both learn and contribute to our community project. I only made one and it took a couple of weeks, doing it in the evenings, but I did it all by myself,” she said. “Whoever gets my teddy, he was made with love.”

Things didn’t completely go to plan for Sue Simmons. She made three bears, but her dog got hold of one and it became a chew toy.

Anita Troake, meanwhile, was able to make and deliver eight.

“It’s always fulfilling to put my hobby to good use for such a wonderful cause,” she said.

The response from the charities made the months of effort deeply rewarding.

“The girl from Gina Spence Productions was over the moon about them. She was very excited and loved the bears,” Ms Lyons said.

One of the benefits of donating the bears locally was that cultural sensitivities were already understood. Guild members used a variety of yarn colours, including white — a shade they had previously avoided when sending bears overseas, where it can symbolise death.

Ms Lyons started doing needlepoint as a child, sometime around the age of 5, following in the footsteps of her mother. Throughout high school and in university, she kept it up.

“I've been doing it a long time, and I do everything; I like to do different things,” she said.

For a while she took lessons with a family friend who owned a needlepoint store in Hamilton but, other than that, is self-taught.

About 30 years ago, Ms Lyons was delighted to receive a call asking if she’d be interested in helping start a guild.

“Needlepoint or crochet or knitting … it just is a relaxing, stress-relieving thing to do,” she said. “We meet once a month, and we have a good time. We laugh and we joke. We enjoy it.”

Established in 1994, the Bermuda Guild of Stitchery is a non-profit devoted to nurturing and celebrating embroidery in all its forms. The Guild welcomes members of all abilities — from complete beginners to experienced needleworkers.

“It doesn't matter what you're doing, even rug hooking is technically a type of needle. We all do our own thing, but we like to have some inspiration.”

The aim is always to inspire others to join and deepen their interest in the craft.

When one member requested more embroidery activities, it sparked plans to explore Japanese and other embroidery styles.

“We have brought in foreign teachers to teach a project, whether it be cross-stitch or needlepoint or whatever, but cost of doing that got a bit out of hand, so we haven't been able to continue. I have a group that is coming down from the States and Canada in February to stay at Pompano and one of the girls is teaching a couple of things, and then I'll teach something. So we do get some insight from [experienced people who don’t live here].”

• To join, or for more information, follow the Bermuda Guild of Stitchery on Facebook. Annual membership is $55