Those who have ever lost an infant or child know the unimaginable pain that accompanies it. One of the ways some families cope is through garments like angel gowns, which are specially crafted to offer solace and dignity to a baby who didn’t survive. The gowns are made by seamstresses who repurpose wedding dresses and give them to hospitals, birthing centers and funeral homes that offer them to families at no charge. A volunteer seamstress can make about 18 unique, tiny angel gowns and wraps from one donated dress. It’s a labor of love that can bring peace to those struggling with one of life’s greatest sorrows.
Every year in the United States alone, 626,000 babies are born through stillbirth or miscarriage. That’s more than one baby per minute who doesn’t get to go home with his or her parents.
For many of those babies, it isn’t possible to find a cure. The repurposed dresses, which are known as angel gowns, help those parents hold on to a small measure of comfort.
The gowns aren’t easy to sew, and it is a labor of love for the seamstresses who repurpose the wedding dresses and give them to hospitals, birthing centres and funeral homes that offer them to families at a no-charge. The gowns are not just a symbol of the babies’ short lives, but also of the loving care given by the staff.
A seamstress named Edith Clark saw a need when she read an article about the program at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. Judi Gibson, a registered nurse at the hospital, was recruiting seamstresses to create the gowns, which she would provide to families who lost their babies in the NICU.
She knew she could help. Edith, a retired 66-year-old grandmother who taught sewing to her grandchildren, had been sewing for years and had many beautiful wedding dresses. She was able to repurpose several of her own dresses, along with the supplies she already had at home, to create the gowns.
In addition to the gowns, Edith sewed matching baby bonnets and sleeping bags. She’s even stitched phrases like “heaven’s angel” onto some of the outfits. She adds antique buttons she’s saved and often sews gold or silver bells to the dresses, a nod to the iconic scene at the end of the movie It’s a Wonderful Life.
Her work has spread far beyond the Spokane area, where she now supplies hospitals in Coeur d’Alene and Spokane. She’s even sent gowns to hospitals in California, Oregon, Texas and Minnesota. The columns have resonated with so many people that she now has a waiting list.
The project is run entirely by volunteers, and the donations of dresses are what keeps the group going. For more information about how you can help, visit the website here. You can also call the hospital and ask for the program coordinator. The number is (509) 893-6511. –Joey Davidson is the communications specialist for University of Michigan Health – West.