Gaber laid out Chesney's gown and decided where to cut so the "best" fabric was at the front of the gowns (the backs could be plain, since they would tie shut). The angel gowns project appealed to her compassionate nature. She's also made a habit of giving back, including making bags for Beads of Courage, a nonprofit that provides beads to celebrate milestones along a patient's journey. Gaber, who works in the cardiac ICU, has been sewing for most of her life. So she put out a call on Facebook for anyone who could make gowns from her dress. "I just knew that (the program) was something really special, and I wanted to do that, too," she said. "It's just a special memento they can keep to remind them of their child."Ĭhesney, who was married in 2005, knew that Mayo supplied angel gowns, but Helping Hands paused its donation intake before she decided to contribute her dress. "Sad things happen, and unfortunately, we have babies that pass away that we just couldn't save, and so we have the families pick out an angel gown, and we dress the babies in that," Chesney said. Although the dresses are sometimes used for happy occasions like baptisms, many of the gowns go to bereaved parents, whose children have died in the hospital. NICU Helping Hands, a nonprofit based in Fort Worth, Texas, began stitching donated dresses into angel gowns for infants in 2013. 'Who ever does anything with their wedding dress?'Įarly last year, Kelsey Chesney, a nurse at Mayo's cardiovascular ICU, decided to donate her dress to make "angel gowns." The Fuchsels just happened to pick a gown - white, trimmed with lace and embellished with beading - made by Lynn Gaber. Each of the dresses was made from upcycled wedding gowns, donated by anonymous brides from decades past. Hospital staff offered the Fuchsels three angel gowns to choose from - all tiny, pastel confections with hospital gown ties on the back. "It was just nice to have something to help cover everything that was attached to her. "And then someone mentioned that they had gowns we could use," Mariah said. For this reason, we are unable to post pictures of your gown and the Baby Gowns created from it, but pictures of completed Baby Gowns are periodically posted on our Facebook page and this website.The Fuchsels had purchased a dress for Hadlee to wear earlier, but were stymied by her hospital accoutrements - the tubes and wires. Mail your precious package to DD’s or MM’s, as listed below.ĭonated Gowns travel through many hands during transformation into Baby Gowns. Once you do that, most gowns can be rolled up like a sleeping bag and placed into a large post office box that can be mailed for under $20 to anywhere in the U.S.A. To mail your gown, please cut off any underskirt material, specifically the crinoline or netting that fluffs out the gown. If you live in the Katy (Houston) area and there is not an accessible location, please contact us, using the form on our contact page, and we will try to arrange for a pickup by one of our volunteers. To drop off your gown, please check the list of Drop Off Locations below. By signing the donation form you relinquish your dress to Baby Gowns for Eternity and it becomes our property. The bottom of the form is for your use at tax time next year. Fill out the top of the form and include it with your gown. Please click on the DONATION FORM button below to be redirected to the donation form. If you would like any fabric from your gown for any reason please feel free to cut it from your gown before sharing it with us. Your gift of love can either be dropped off at one of our Houston and Katy (Texas) area locations, or you can mail it to us. We accept clean wedding gowns and formal attire, and we would be honored to accept your donation.
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