Wrapped up in a cause in Bradenton

When Tara's Lynne Sheal was diagnosed with breast cancer, she was grateful to have Florida Cancer Specialists behind her.

And when she went into remission, she knew she wanted to give something back.

Her idea? Quilts.

“When I walked by the chemo center when I would go back for check-ups, I could just feel the coldness wafting back in,” Sheal said. “I wanted to give (cancer patients) warmth.”

She and her quilting group, the Scarlett O’Haras of Tara, made 20 quilts to give to the hospital in 2017. Half of them have already been donated to patients, and the other half will be handed out soon.

The Scarlett O'Haras currently have 30 members and about a third of them are snowbirds. The ladies in the group meet once a week on Mondays at the Preserve at Tara clubhouse. All levels of skills are welcome.

Mary Jane Diaz calls herself a “beginner-to-intermediate skill level quilter,” and on March 28, she was working on her next quilt she found in a magazine.

“They send you the patterns, you just have to figure out where they all fit,” Diaz said.

Donna Koenig made a beautiful, red-and-black baby's quilt and was adding the trim on March 28. Florida Cancer Specialists is just one of groups that benefits from the Scarlett O'Haras' generosity.

Koenig said she will be donating her quilt to either Sally and Sam Shapiro Babies and Children's Medical Center of Sarasota or the neonatal intensive care unit at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

In 2018, the Scarlett O'Haras group is trying non-traditional quilting, using a pattern that includes a simple, white cloth with a blue line, and the individual members use their creativity from there.

The Scarlett O’Haras make it clear they let their members suggest a charity and it's up to each member if they want to participate or not.

In the end, a lot of great causes benefit.

“Quilt makers know the way to give back is to make quilts,” said Jane Benace, a Scarlett O'Haras member. She made one of the quilts that were donated to Florida Cancer Specialists.

It was an easy decision for the Scarlett O'Haras to support Sheal's cause.

“She’s a survivor,” Koenig said. “We wouldn’t have done this without her.”