About 1 in every 275 pregnancies end in stillbirth each year in the USA. That’s one baby lost every 16 seconds. It’s an extremely heartbreaking event for mothers and families. A woman in Arkansas is trying to help ease the pain by making tiny angel gowns.
Colleen Angel, better known as Grandma Angel, turns the first floor of her home into a workshop where she sews tiny angel gowns for premature babies. She started making them after her cousin lost a child and found that hospitals across the country had a need for the gowns. They are made from donated wedding dresses and each dress has its own story.
When a family loses their newborn, they want to take some final moments together. These special gowns are used to wrap their precious little one in, for photos or even for memorial services.
Each Angel Gown Kit has a special gown, blanket, two hats and a heart and memorial trinket. The gowns are designed to be perfect for smaller newborns and micro preemies. The kits are then given to local hospitals, bereavement groups and funeral homes.
The gowns aren’t terribly hard to make, but they do require a lot of love and time. KATV reached out to the group in Camden that makes them, W.L.J., to learn more about their process. They are completely volunteer run and rely on donations of bridal dresses, lace, fabric, ribbon, pinking shears, sewing scissors and other supplies.
If you are decluttering your closet and have a wedding dress you’d like to donate, look for an organization near you that accepts them. Many of the groups also need other sewing supplies like lace, buttons, fabric glue and pinking shears. Some groups even need men’s ties to make bows for the boys’ gowns and wraps.