The impending rains last weekend were not enough to keep good seamstresses away Saturday when Angel Gowns of Southwest Louisiana held its first “sew day.”

In the fellowship hall at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, volunteers from both near and far stopped by to offer their time and energy to create delicate funeral gowns out of donated wedding dresses to be given to families of stillborn or miscarried infants.

“We accepted 40 wedding gown donations today alone, and at one point we had 15 sewing machines going at once,” organizer Anna Theriot said.

Theriot created the group with her sister in-law, Lauren Leibee, when she realized the plight of mothers who lose their babies at delivery and then must deal with finding something to bury their baby in.

“That’s a devastating moment, and no mother should have to think about that,” she said.

Leibee created a Facebook page for the group, which soon became popular. That’s when they decided to hold the “sew day,” and seamstresses from across the state answered the call with their sewing machines in tow.

“We saw it on Facebook and decided that this was something we wanted to be a part of,” said Gail Vicknair, who was one of four women who drove from Baton Rouge to offer their skills for the day. “We are a part of a smocking guild called French Hand Sewers and we actually make these back home, but out of cotton.”

The mission behind the gowns touched Vicknair, who said she has experienced an infant death within her family.

“I had a sibling who was stillborn,” she said. “It is a very sad thing to go through, and I’m happy being a part of something to help families through that time.”

Local businesses donated food for the volunteers, and at the end of the day Theriot said 15 tiny gowns had been created.

“I’m just so pleased and excited about this turnout and what we were able to accomplish,” she said. “I can’t wait for us to be able to do this again.”

Theriot and Leibee will take the gowns to area hospitals, where they will be kept in the neonatal intensive-care units until needed.

To donate a dress or offer assistance with making the gowns visit www.facebook.com/angelgownsofswla or call Theriot at 337-304-7622.

Linda Allumbaugh puts the final stitches on an angel gown while friends and fellow seamstresses Lorraine Poirrier (left) and Gail Vicknair assist. The women are part of a smocking guild in Baton Rouge who learned about Angel Gowns of SWLA’s Sew Day through Facebook and drove to Lake Charles to offer their skills.