Mother’s Day has come and gone for another year, but not everyone celebrated the day. The sad reality is not every pregnancy ends happily. Not all babies survive, be it because of miscarriage, stillbirth, or after a brief, brave stay in the neonatal intensive care unit. No matter how these precious souls pass away, they are worthy of dignity and respect.
Forever Loved Angel gowns can provide some of this dignity by turning donated wedding dresses into tiny burial gowns. Although little consolation, a parent wanting to spend a few last moments with their baby will have the tactile memory of embracing their angel in a soft, silky gown, rather than an institutional towel or hospital blanket.
The gowns come in different sizes, and are made using the silk, lace, elastic, and trimmings from the wedding dresses, and each dress can provide enough material for up to 20 gowns. The little gowns are open in the back like a hospital robes so they can be slipped over the delicate skin of the infant. A card and a little angel pin are added to each lovingly fashioned creation, then the gowns are wrapped in plastic and sent to hospitals and funeral homes where they are stored until needed.
Kiersten Anne Gascon first heard of the program when she lived in British Columbia. She had been trying to sell her wedding dress on eBay, but got no bidders. Instead, she ended up donating the dress to the B.C. Angel Dresses. A few years after she moved to Manitouwadge, she connected with the Forever Loved Angel Gowns in Ontario, and has been volunteering her time and sewing skills for over five years.
“I’ve been sewing since I was little. Mom used to make all our clothes, and she’d give me scraps of material so I could make Barbie clothes,” Gascon says. “This project is a natural fit.”
To make the gowns, she first deconstructs the donated wedding dresses, carefully separating the different types of materials, embroidered designs, lace, pearls, and other trimming. Then, using a pattern she obtained from the group, she sews and decorates the little gowns. It takes about an hour to prepare the basic gown, perhaps longer if she chooses to make a more elaborate piece.
When Gascon isn't making Angel gowns, she is sourcing fabrics to save from the landfills, and she up-cycles this material for other medical related sewing projects, such as adult bibs, chemo-port guards, fidget blankets, and toys for children with autism, as well as bags, aprons, gift bags and other items. She receives these gently used fabrics from individuals, as well as from Threads, Manitouwadge’s local thrift store, which often donates a load of denim. The jeans may be in perfect condition, except for a broken zipper or a tear or two, but can be easily salvaged to use in her various projects. You can find these and more items on her ‘Footprint Free’ Facebook page.
“It’s very satisfying, and fun to do,” she says with a grin. “If sewing keeps me out of trouble and can help a grieving family or person in need in the process, by all means, I’ll do it!”