When Analane Powell sews her Angel Apparel, her heart is with the little ones lost too soon and those who love them.
For the past seven years, Powell has been taking donated wedding dresses and turning them into what she calls “angel apparel” for infants who left this mortal world far too soon.
“I became familiar with infant loss when I was five years old,” Powell said. “Back in 1977, my mother gave birth to our brother and he only lived for three days. And so growing up, we always knew about our little brother who passed away. And then throughout the course of life, my siblings have experienced infant loss. I’ve had lots of close friends and aunts and uncles who have experienced it as well. It’s always kind of been in the back of my mind —this is a hard thing that many go through. I always wished there was something I could do to help.”
In 2019, Powell was introduced to two women who were creating burial clothing to be donated to NICU centers at local hospitals, and she knew that she wanted to help.
“When I heard what these women were doing, I said, ‘I’m going to do this,’” she recalled. “I decided that I wanted to dedicate my effort to my nephew, to my brother, and to my nieces and nephew who passed away, and it just kind of evolved into that.”
Powell explained that the women she originally made the clothing with were from Spanish Fork, and that as time went on, there were fewer people involved. She said that she wanted to continue doing this, and that’s when she started creating Analane’s Angel Apparel. The organization is on track to be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and she said she has been able to donate hundreds of items to hospitals around the world.
“People give us their wedding dresses and we take them apart and turn them into burial gowns for the miscarried stillbirth and preemie babies,” she explained. “We have donated these burial gowns to many hospitals throughout Utah, the United States and seven different countries. This is completely run by volunteers who contribute time whether it is donating wedding dresses, deconstructing (donated) gowns, sewing the gowns and we even have volunteers who take gowns as they travel and deliver them to hospitals.”
Powell said that the vast majority of her Angel Apparel is donated directly to the hospitals, but said that occasionally, she will get a personal request.
“I had a couple with a daughter who had a rare genetic disorder and they weren’t sure what her life expectancy would be,” Powell recalled. “They reached out to me and so I went to their home and I took different gowns and I got to know them and they were so grateful. It was such a tender experience knowing that this family is about to go through something very hard. To be able to offer them some comfort during that time, is really why I do this. I’ve had people reach out to me on behalf of friends, and I am always so honored to be able to donate.”
Powell and her team of volunteers have various sizes of gowns, as well as a wrap for the littlest ones with the tenderest skin. She said that she has volunteers who take the time to create gifts for the family to remember their little one lost.
“I have this lady in Springville who’s crochets blankets that we include with the gown,” Powell said. “We also put a bracelet set for the mom and baby. We have youth groups that make little beaded bracelets and put those in there so that the mother has a comfort item, too.
“It’s not just apparel or a bracelet,” she continued. “It’s a whole community wrapping this family in love during a really hard time.”
Powell said that she has many volunteer opportunities coming up, and those who would like to get involved, can go to analanesangelapparel.org. More information can also be found
on Instagram and Facebook @analanesangelapparel.
