Sewn With Love Project

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PLEASE NOTE:  We are not able to accept wedding dress donations at this time.  Our storage is completely full and we need to give our seamstresses a chance to catch up!  If you know a seamstress, please ask them to contact us!   

CURRENT NEEDS:  We always need blankets (knitted, crocheted or sewn) in various sizes – 6″x6″ and up to full-term sizes.  

 There are no words to describe what it means to a bereaved family to have something very special to dress their baby in. Many of these babies are just too tiny to even purchase anything at all in the store that will work.

Our Sewn With Love Project receives donations of wedding, prom and bridesmaid types of dresses. A team of volunteers takes the gowns apart. Every piece of lace and every bead and button is reused in the construction of precious items for babies. Seamstresses from all across the country then generously donate their time to turn the fabric pieces into precious clothing.  We always have requests for gowns and outfits, blankets, hats and diapers.

In addition we are grateful for the donation of fabrics such as cotton, fleece, flannel, minky, etc. that can be used to make these items.

We have a collection of patterns for knitted, crocheted and sewn items or you are welcome to use something of your own.

If you would like to make a donation, help take apart the dresses or sew, knit or crochet items, please contact us!

If you are a hospital, clinic or obstetrical provider and would like to obtain some of these items for your patients please give us a call at 952-715-7731!

donate for fabric purchases       If you would like to make a cash donation to help offset shipping costs please click here.

FAQ

  • My gown hasn’t been cleaned – do I need to do that before donating?
    • No, once the gown has been taken apart we hand launder and pieces that are soiled.  Usually we can get those pieces clean enough to use.
  • Do you accept only wedding gowns?
    • No!  We take all types of gowns – wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, prom dresses, etc.  And in addition to that we always need other soft fabrics to use as well such as cotton, interlock knit, fleece, flannel, minky and tube knit. The preferred fabrics for little hats are the cotton interlock knit and tube knit fabrics
  • How do I obtain fabrics other than wedding dresses? 
    • We have had tremendous luck putting out the word that we are looking for these fabrics in baby appropriate prints.  We suggest trying the following:
      • Social media sites, online garage sales
      • Church sewing groups and through friends and family.
      • All sewing enthusiasts have a ‘stash’ of fabric that they intended to use or that is left over from a project.  We have found them to be very generous just by asking!
      • Also – try going to fabric stores and looking in their remnant bins – some stores will donate remnant fabrics if they know what you are going to do with it.  If you need a letter from us to take to the stores with our tax ID for donation purposes just let us know.  They will also sometimes donate notions (thread, bias tape, buttons, snaps and other fasteners, etc)
  • I have a bridesmaid dress that is dark burgundy – is that ok?
    • As you can see below, the colored fabrics are used too.  They are great to use as accent pieces (see vest in image below) or sometimes we use them for the entire garment.
  • What about patterns?
    • Patterns are available on our website – however, they are very basic in various sizes.  We encourage you to use your creativity to create these items.  Each one becomes a special gift of love by all who have contributed to it in any way.  The main thing to keep in mind is to leave the back of the garment open to facilitate dressing the baby.  Snaps or ties in the back are sufficient.
    • Generally speaking sewn items are preferred by hospitals over knitted or crocheted with the exception of blankets.
    • The most requested items are:
      • outfits
      • wraps (envelope like items to use for the tiniest of babies that are difficult to dress – see image below)
      • blankets
      • hats  (These are also used by hospital newborn intensive care units as our tube knit hats fit so nicely on the tiniest of babies)
      • flannel diapers (in sets of 2)
      • booties
  • Do you use the entire dress?
    • Tule, netting and similar materials found in undergarments are not used – they are just simply not soft enough.  However, the tule used in veils is usually very light weight and we sometimes will use it.
  • Can I ask that the outfits made from my dress be donated to a specific hospital or location?
    • We receive hundreds of dresses each year.  Through the process of disassembling them and sending fabric pieces off to seamstresses, it is almost impossible to keep track of materials from a specific dress.  We do hope you will understand.
  • How do I package up the items once completed?
    • It is helpful to have them sent to us in plastic baggies just to be sure they stay clean.
    • Many of our seamstresses will include a small personal note to the family that will receive the item.  An example might be:
      • This gown was sewn with love in memory of my granddaughter Sophia.  I hope it will give you and your family some comfort at this difficult time knowing that there are others who understand your sorrow.
  • Where can I drop off/send my gown to be donated?
    • Please be sure to include your name/address/email when sending us your gown/dresses so we can send you a tax receipt for your donation and postage.
      • Gowns and other dresses & fabrics can be sent to our offices:
        • Star Legacy Foundation
        • 6400 Flying Cloud Drive, Suite 225
        • Eden Prairie, MN 55344
      • PLEASE NOTE: We have office hours by appointment.  Please contact us in advance to schedule a time to drop off your donation(s).

A small sampling of the beautiful items we have received and given to grieving families and hospitals.

We are grateful to the many generous supporters of this project.

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