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11/16/2016 07:30 AMFor the past 11 years, Terry Langley and her husband of 52 years, Francis, have lived in Stevens Woods in North Haven. They had lived in Clinton for the 10 years prior, but when Francis was ill, they wanted to move closer to their son, who lived in North Haven.
“We applied to live here and it took two years and once we got here, we enjoyed all of the facilities with different things to do,” says Terri. “I fell right into the craft thing and met a lot of new people, so it’s worked out well.”
Terri has always been a crafter. Her mother taught her to knit and sew when she was young and as a young mother, she learned how to crochet. She also had a scroll saw and enjoyed cutting and painting lawn decorations. Terri enjoys cross-stitch, paint by number, and other crafts.
“I’ve always done crafts,” says Terry. “I love number paints and I would make them for my kids until they got so many of them they asked me to stop.”
When Terri and Francis moved into Stevens Woods, there weren’t many planned activities, so they took it upon themselves to start hosting pancake breakfasts. Terry began a craft group that meets once a week.
For several years, there were enough people attending the group and creating crafts that Stevens Woods held a Christmas Fair. Unfortunately many of those originally involved have passed away, but Terry continues to host her group for newcomers.
“At the Christmas Fair, I’d work the tables and my husband would work in the kitchen,” says Terry. “With the new people, we may be able to have a small spring fair. It’s a lot of work, though, and I’m a little older than when I started, but I’m still pretty active and they enjoy coming down and learning new stuff.”
In the craft room, Terri teaches knitting and crocheting. There are also a variety of crafting supplies, including paints, stamping materials, and adult coloring books. The group also enjoys coffee while meeting and many friendships have been formed over the years.
“We’ve lost people who used to be in my craft group, so it’s sort of sad to look back,” says Terry. “But we always have new people who like to join in, so we’re always making new friends.”
With so many residents knitting, Terry has organized a number of ways to give back to the community. When Francis visits the VA, he often goes with knitted and crocheted scarves and hats to donate to the veterans. One of the residents of Stevens Woods has a daughter who is a nurse and brings hats to the hospital for preemies.
“We’ve got our hands into a lot of things,” says Terry. “I love to do that kind of stuff and it makes everyone feel terrific. Fran brought a bag of hats and scarves to the VA and sometimes you get a little thank you note and the ladies get excited. It gives you a lot of satisfaction that you’re doing something good.”
Terry is also very involved with the Joyce C. Budrow Senior Center. After living in Stevens Woods for about a year, several people had suggested the couple visit the senior center. The first event they attended was a hot dog cookout.
“It was outside and we just watched all of these women file out of the building and Fran kept nudging me because he was embarrassed to be the only man there,” says Terry. “We didn’t go back for a little bit, but once we did, we loved it. We’ve met a lot of people through that. The senior center is terrific here in North Haven with really terrific people who are good at their job.”
Terry and Francis play bocce in the summer through the senior center, which also offers yoga and exercise classes and craft classes. Terry volunteers her time to teach a sewing class twice a week and has taught a knitting class in the past.
The senior center hosts a holiday fair, which will be held on Friday, Nov. 18 from 1 to 6 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 19 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Holiday Fair is a fundraiser for the Senior Center and the proceeds are used to buy supplies and fund programs.
Terri’s group has been busy sewing items to sell at the fair, including bibs and table décor. There will also outside vendors, ceramics, raffles, and a Cookie Walk, which Terry is coordinating.
She and other volunteers have washed 111 coffee cans and wrapped them in Christmas paper. Visitors can purchase a can and then stroll the Cookie Walk choosing from a variety of homemade cookies.
“It went over so well last year that we’re doing it again this year,” says Terry. “Bingo is a popular event at the Senior Center so I got a lot of volunteers to bake cookies by asking people there.”
In addition to teaching others to craft and making items for a variety of charities, Terry also does projects for her family. She has two sons and a daughter, as well as three granddaughters. She is currently working on making quilts for gifts.
In the meantime, she is excited that her craft group at Stevens Woods is in full swing again—it takes a break during the summers. She has been enjoying teaching others how to knit and crochet and share her love of painting wood.
“It’s a great weekly get together,” says Terry. “I enjoy it and have made many friends through the group.”