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GREENSBORO, N.C. — A mother-son duo are working together to donate handmade baby hats and booties to a Greensboro hospital. 

Martina Armijo, 88, worked as a seamstress for years, but now she’s sharing her talents in a new way. After her husband died in 2016, one of her sons encouraged her to pick up a hobby. While living in Florida, Armijo learned how to knit and crochet. 

In 2019, she moved to Greensboro’s WhiteStone Retirement Community to be closer to her son, Henry. Soon after, the pair reached out to local hospitals to see if newborns needed any hats or booties. Armijo has been donating her handcrafted creations to Cone Health Women's and Children's Center at Cone Hospital every few months. 

“A big part of me wishes she would take it easy and relax, but this is who she is, and we’re here to help her help other people, and I think that’s what we should be doing,” Henry Armijo said.

Henry Armijo buys his mother yarn and a few gift boxes, then she carefully stitches matching pairs of hats and booties for the newborns. Once she fills a few boxes, Henry Armijo drops them off at the valet stand at the hospital for personnel to give to new parents. 

“She talks a lot about the babies over there are cold when they’re born, so that’s why she does the hats and the booties. And it just shows me that it’s never too late to share your talents with other people,” Henry said. 

Cone Health’s director of guest relations, Vivian Langley, was there to greet the Armijos for the first time. Having handmade pieces to offer to new families welcoming their babies is a special treat, Langley said.