Sewing Mercy

For the past 21 years, a group of women have gathered monthly in the main hall at Immaculate Conception Church in Denham Springs with sewing machines, fabric, scissors, needles, thread and Sharpie pens for creative fun. 

Their homemade creations help meet the needs of tiny and premature babies and bind together the hearts of parents at a time of uncertainty about their baby’s health or when they lose an infant.

Threads of Love is a national ministry founded in 1993 in Baton Rouge by Sissie Davis and a circle of women from a local Presbyterian Women’s Bible study circle answering a request from a pediatrician from Earl K. Long Hospital to help babies who were born prematurely and were sickly or died and needed a burial gown.  

The Threads of Love chapter at Immaculate Conception began in September 2001 when then-pastor Father Cleo Milano requested women become 

involved in the ministry, according to coordinator Linda Lopez, who has been involved from its beginning.

For premature or sick babies, Threads of Love provides a care packet containing a crochet or knitted cap, a day gown, a blanket, a lovie doll and a prayer for healing.  The organization also provides burial gowns for babies who pass away.

The lovie doll is made from a tube sock stuffed with a polyester-type filling, and the top folded over and sewn to form a cap.

The packets are given to Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge to distribute to those who need it.

Lopez said the group typically makes gowns for babies weighing three pounds but have made them for babies as small as one pound.

The women enjoy themselves while working with assembly-line efficiency. Since its beginning Threads of Love has produced 85,000 packets, according to Lopez. She mused that her house looks like a fabric store because of all the supplies contained in it.

“We have managed to take a very complicated process and simplify it to where we have produced many,” Lopez proudly beamed. “We have women who sew, some do seam ripping, we have ladies who do hand sewing, tying ribbons and we have (one) who draws faces on the lovie doll.”

Especially during times of natural disaster and other special needs, their ministry has answered the urgent pleas of hospitals to send packets.

“Hurricane Katrina (in 2005) literally wiped out our inventory,” Lopez pointed out. 

But people gallantly stepped forth to help. The ministry received boxes from parishioners with packet supplies and their own uniquely designed blankets, gowns, etc.

“We said, ‘Ladies look at these, they are beautiful,’ ” said Lopez.

When the inventory was wiped out in the flood of 2016, donations again were plentiful.

“One company in Atlanta sent 5,000 socks. They came in huge boxes,” Lopez said. 

Donors sent in new socks, fabric, financial donations, etc. ICC also had a fundraiser to help.

Then there’s the generosity of the women who donate their time and talent.

“I’ve been sewing for a long time,” said Margaret Landry. “It’s something I do to serve the church and serve the babies.”

Dolly Courville has “homework” to do to prepare for the meetings. With the assistance of her husband, Dale, she stuffs the socks and does some initial “tie up” work with the dolls so they will be ready for finishing touches.

Courville became involved after her twin grandsons were born prematurely. One grandson died, and the other son, who weighed 1 pound, 3 ounces, is 23 and thriving.

Joan Feucht applies her fine-point Sharpie pens to put personality to the lovie dolls by drawing faces, some with blue eyes, others green, others black and “quirks” of the mouth. 

She noted the mother will sleep with the doll so it will have her scent. Then the doll is placed with the baby in the incubator in the neonatal unit.

In addition to participating in the Threads of Love ministry, some women make handcrafted items for cancer patients at Our Lady of the Lake’s Children’s Hospital and adult women at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, both in Baton Rouge.

The fellowship and sharing of life stories keep the women coming back.

“We have a ball, getting together is a lot of fun,” said Wanda Manuel as she tied a pink ribbon in a bow around the neck of a lovie doll.

When parents see their babies hooked up to needles and monitors they are devastated so if a baby is wearing homemade-style gowns, caps, blankets, it helps to ease the shock.

Several years ago, the ministry members had a chance to visit Woman’s Hospital and see the preemies in the nursery.

“It was very eye-opening. They were tiny and very translucent,” said Lopez.

It’s in distressing situations the ministry strives to provide support for the babies and families.

“(It’s our way) to give them hugs and let them know they are in our prayers,” said Manuel.

“It doesn’t matter if a baby is there (neonatal unit) for five minutes or five months, they get a packet,” Lopez said.

Threads of Love meets the first Wednesday of each month at 9 a.m. in the ICC Main Hall. For more information, call Lopez at 225-665-3202.