On any given Saturday afternoon this spring, if you had walked by the parsonage of the Evergreen United Methodist Church on Long Island, you might have heard talk and laughter. You might also have heard the clicking of knitting needles. And if you had ventured inside, you would have smelled coffee, and then been warmly invited in by island women gathered for fellowship and crafting.
Welcome to the Crafters Coffee Fellowship, where Long Islanders congregate to create items for charities, or just work on their own projects. Over the past spring, and to be continued this upcoming fall, Fellowship members knitted, crocheted, and sewed items for charities, including leprosy bandages, t-shirts for children, hats, and “critter” blankets and toys for the animals at the refuge league. Anywhere between five and eleven people assemble in an afternoon, ages ranging from teenage to septuagenarian.
As its mission grew, the crafters group also grew, moving outside the walls of the parsonage and into the community. Soon other islanders were working on projects, both at home and on the ferry. Off-island friends and family members crocheted bandages and sewed chemo hats for the Crafters’ cause.
The fellowship was a wonderful gathering in which to exchange thoughts and ideas, especially on the many dreary rainy Saturdays that seemed to plague us in the spring. The warmth of food and conversation flowed, and brought good cheer to everyone who joined in. Its hoped that in the upcoming fall and winter, the group will continue to provide a bright spot on the island for all, even for those who just want to stop by for a cup of coffee or tea and a sweet.
For more information on starting your own island or community crafters fellowship contact Nancy Noble (nnoble@mainehistory.org) or Robin Norcross (Binarug60@aol.com) or write, in care of the Evergreen United Methodist Church (10 Leavitt St., Long Island, ME 04050).