Michelle Wheeler simply couldn't believe it when her father told her he was donating his uniform to her cause.
Michelle had always had an eye for that uniform as a child, during her countless hours spent playing dress up. The uniform was one of many that her father had stored away in the basement. Denis Pilon was a reservist in the army for 15 years and earned the rank of Major in the Artillery. Pilon has ties to Weyburn, having served as the Fire Chief to the department from 1993-2008.
The uniform, which is referred to as a mess kit, was initially purchased for a great deal of money back then. This tuxedo type style of uniform is worn only on formal occasion, one which even saw Denis and Prince Philip at the same event. Pilon had the uniform carefully tucked away alongside his other uniforms for over 20 years, to preserve both the fabric and the memories that went with it.
"He had many different kinds of uniforms that we would wear, military and fire but he would NEVER let us wear the red one, it was his baby," states Michelle. The uniform will be used to create gowns for the Saskatchewan chapter of Angel Dresses.
The need for angel dresses in our province was recognized after 30-year-old mother, Becky Panter lost a son, she named Christopher James. Christopher was born perfect, but so tiny he could fit in the palm of her hands. Panter had to use an owl fleece blanket she had made for her daughters dolls to wrap him in, as there was no other alternative at the time. Panter stumbled upon a solution while spending time on the internet. Becky found a website based out of Texas that would provide garments made from donated wedding gowns to create outfits to lay the angel babies to rest in. Rather than send her wedding dress to Texas, Panter saw the opportunity to fulfill the need in Saskatchewan and set up shop here. Within the first weeks, two seamstresses were able to create thirty gowns out of Becky's dress. The first week alone saw nearly 300 dresses donated and 1300 members join . The current status of the group has grown to over 3000 members.
One of those members is Michelle Wheeler. Michelle first became involved when she read about them online in February of 2014. Touched by the story and feeling the need to reach out to help wherever she can, Michelle joined the group. Not only has Michelle offered her talents as a seamstress, but she now sits as volunteer on the board of directors, as they begin their journey as a non-profit organization. Wheeler gained her talents as a seamstress when she was very young. Her grandma, Louise Forer, who is both a quilter and seamstress, taught her most of what she knows today.
"Whenever we would go over to her house she would help us with little projects or show us the amazing quilts she was working on."
That's what brought Michelle to buy her first machine from her grandmother. The $100 machine served its purpose for many years up until her wedding. That's when her grandmother bought her a sewing machine as a wedding gift, one that she uses today to create the angel dresses. The majority of the gowns created are geared towards females or gender neutral. What's special about the uniform that Pilon donated is that the gowns can now be customized to resemble "uniforms" for boy angel babies. Working with the different type of material has proven to be tricky but not something holding her back. Taking into account ways to add softness to the material to protect the baby's skin, Michelle expects to create 10 to 15 uniforms. A typical wedding dress can see as many as 20 to 30 gowns being sewn.
"When Dad said he was going to give me his uniform, my mind was dancing with different ideas and designs. I cannot wait to make more."
Looks like Michelle finally got her hands on that uniform, just not how she expected. That's the way life usually hands us the greatest gifts.
