When a baby is born prematurely or is stillborn, the heartbroken parents often find their babies are dressed in tiny white gowns. The outfits, a gift from an organization in Texas, help honor the lives of the little ones who will never leave the hospital. But not everyone has a seamstress in their life to make the gowns. That’s where volunteer seamstresses like Diane Wright come in. The Grandview United Methodist Church member has gathered a group of 44 seamstresses from across South Jersey to create angel gowns that are donated to hospitals, infant loss organizations and funeral homes.
As a labor and delivery nurse for 37 years, Wright has seen the pain that comes with losing an infant. A grandmother of five, she knows the loss a family suffers and hopes the angel gowns will bring some comfort.
The idea of sewing the gowns started when Wright’s granddaughter, a nurse practitioner in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the University of Pennsylvania, shared an article with her. The Huffington Post article told of a nonprofit called NICU Helping Hands that uses repurposed wedding dresses to sew angel gowns for infants who won’t leave the hospital, including those who are born prematurely or die due to complications from prematurity or other causes.
Wright’s granddaughter, who also is an accomplished seamstress, suggested she start a similar group in her community. Wright contacted the NICU at her hospital and other local groups to get the word out. She started by posting on Facebook, and the idea caught on.
Almost immediately, Wright’s group had members offering to take wedding dresses and other materials to turn them into the little angel gowns that are donated to area families. Each dress can produce up to 20 angel gowns. “That’s amazing,” Wright said. “One bride’s dress can give a family of four so many.”
After seeing how popular the angel gowns have become, Wright decided to expand the group’s reach by creating kits that include the fabric needed to make one gown. She hopes more people will want to join her. “People think this is too much work,” she said. “But the time investment is not as big as you think.”
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