Arizona veteran receives home makeover for a sewing room

A Valley veteran got a big surprise at his senior living center.

A place to create magic.

It all began with a hobby he picked up from his wife – sewing.

The backstory:

"When my wife passed away, I asked the leader if I could take my wife's place because I knew what she was doing, and she said I could," Ted Drake said.

The 95-year-old stuck with hobby, learning how to work and operate sewing machines.

He made quilts and then, eventually, stuffed animals that would go to a center for homeless boys in Phoenix.

"I volunteered to put a stuffed animal in each of the bags and that amounted to, I don't know, 60, 70 of them. I made the animals. Didn't cost them anything. It's just something I learned how to do, and I liked it," Drake said.

Others could tell how much he loved doing it, too. So much so, he was chosen for a makeover to make his workspace a little more workable.

‘I knew that we needed to do a sewing room’

Big picture view:

Gio Design Company, which was hired by Brookdale Senior Living, did the makeover.

"The production company actually does the interview, and they sent me the video of him, and oh my gosh, I just fell in love with him. He just has a love for sewing and for giving children in the community blankets and stuffed animals, so I knew that we needed to do a sewing room for him," Brandi Giovantto of Gio Design Company said.

The final product had Drake in shock.

"It's amazing. Just amazing. You guys are so, so good in a short time," Drake said.

They added cabinetry and counter tops, so he has multiple workspaces and custom shelving.

"I was expecting some changes, but geez. This is way beyond that," he said.

The makeover left him with a space to create what he loves in memory of who he loves.