In a cozy room in the church offices of the First United Methodist Church of New Iberia, laughter erupts. It’s 1 p.m. on a Monday afternoon, and it is the weekly meeting of the textile arts group Needles and Pins. There are officially 21 members, but attendance varies each week. 

Members come and go according to their schedules, toting bags and plastic containers of supplies and works-in-progress, exchanging hellos and latest news, good-natured ribbing and always, love.

The ladies get together, bring snacks, and crochet, although any project involving creativity, fabric or yarn is welcome. Mary Babineaux and Marlene Robin arrive first, Mary explaining to Marlene that she “felt like peach cobbler today,” so the group profits from her craving, with a large pan in the kitchen. Joanie Kraker, aka the Brownie Fairy, has brought in a plate of her creations, while Cathy Melancon, claiming, “I don’t cook,” contributes some glazed pecans.

Cheryl Gonsoulin enters at about 1:30, hefting large applique banners from her church, faded over time. She asks the group’s advice for the best way to restore or replace the banners, using the same colorful symbols from the originals. Members chime in with opinions and suggestions, and the problem is eventually resolved.

Then back to the crocheting, banter, and laughter. Members tell affectionate stories about others in the group, both present and past. Carolyn Hebert Peltier, one of the founding members who has passed away, is praised for her good humor and also, “She could crochet like a machine,” said Mary Babineaux. “She could almost finish a whole afghan in one sitting. It was amazing. She was a gift to us. We miss her.” Another member, gone but not forgotten, is Vivian Fowler, who specialized in quilts and stuffed animals which were in turn donated. “Vivian was an artist. Her quilts were colorful and detailed, she made pillows, dolls and stuffed animals as well,” said Cathy Jackson.

Mary is fondly known as “the Ripper” for holding the record for ripping out the most crochet stitches of the group, and proudly tells of the “Ripper” T-shirt she has verifying her title.

The group is a tonic for its members, who, according to Kraker, come to the meetings to “have meaningful conversation with adults, and escape from home.” Other members describe their time with Needles and Pins as therapeutic. The items they crochet, mainly afghans, go to multiple good causes in Acadiana.

“It’s healing to give our work to someone else who needs it,” said Jackson, the group’s informal leader. “When we started, we were giving afghans to veterans. We still do many of those. We crochet those in red, white and blue. Methodist pastor Paul Melancon blesses them before we distribute them.”

Members recall a veterans group in Jeanerette, whose members, upon receiving their afghans, were visibly moved. “There were grown men with tears in their eyes. They thanked us for thinking of them.”

Other charities and individuals profit from the group’s handiwork. Needles and Pins also donates afghans to chemotherapy patients, via several hospitals and doctor’s offices in the area. “The thing about afghans for chemo patients,” Babineaux said, “is they have to be from nose to toes, so when they get that chilling cold, they can warm up.”

Witness to this kindness is group member Judy Delahoussaye. While she was undergoing six weeks of  treatment for breast cancer, the ladies in the group provided her family with meals. “It’s humbling to have this family of ladies who care for one another and their community,” she said.

In addition to veterans and chemo patients, the group donates baby blankets and caps to the Unexpected Pregnancy Center in New Iberia. Kid-sized colorful throws go to the children’s camp for families of Hospice of Acadiana clients. “We’ve given them as many as 38 throws at once,” said Jackson.

“It was rough when COVID hit,” Kraker said. “We all stayed home, and crocheted. We kept up our production, but we’re glad to get together once again.” The group has a ‘yarn room’, where donations and odds and ends from various projects are stored. There are annual dues for each member, utilized to buy the red, white and blue yarn for veterans’ projects.

Although these ladies are united in service, not all are even Methodists. “There are some Catholics in the group and even Episcopalians,” Kraker said.  “But we all share the same faith, the same love, and we want to help each other and our community.”