Maria Lombardi of Colonie wanted to find a way to honor her mother’s memory.

“I remember my mom saying she wanted my daughter to wear her wedding dress for her First Communion,” recalled Lombardi.

So as the big day drew near, Lombardi thought of her mother, who had died a few years earlier, and brought the wedding dress to seamstress Antoinetta Scarcella, owner of Creations 4 Baby, a business she runs from her Guilderland home.

“It came out gorgeous,” Lombardi said of the dress, which was made four years ago. “It looked beautiful on my daughter, who was 8 at the time. And Adrianna loved the fact that she wore her grandmother’s wedding dress.”

Recycling wedding gowns into christening gowns, First Communion dresses and baby blankets, creates instant heirlooms that can be handed down through generations.

Scarcella, a native of Italy, has been sewing since she was about 15 years old.

“I’ve always enjoyed making children’s clothing and when my first granddaughter was born eight years ago, I really got into it,” she said.

Scarcella said she has made several christening gowns and a handful of First Communion dresses out of wedding dresses for clients over the years.

Passing down tradition

“Most of the time it’s for sentimental reasons,” said Scarcella, who is 54 and has been sewing professionally since she was 18. “Many times, mothers hope their daughters will wear their wedding gowns, and when they don’t, they want to pass the dress down as an heirloom. Then they hope the tradition will continue, and their children’s children will also use it.”

For example, Scarcella turned her wedding train into a baby blanket that has been used by all five of her grandchildren. Scarcella embroidered each child’s name and date of birth on the blanket, which is made of Italian silk, beads and lace.

She also made original christening gowns for all five of her grandchildren with silk material she bought in New York.

For her youngest granddaughter, however, she used the same material as her daughter’s wedding dress.

Working from her basement, which is filled with shelves of material, she also sews original dance and ice skating costumes.

Making the christening gowns from start to finish takes her about two full days, she said.

“It depends on the material,” she said. “Sometimes, if I have to do the beading by hand, it takes much longer.”

Prices range from $75 to $300 and up depending on the material and the amount of work involved.

When she moved to the United States, Scarcella started out sewing adult dresses such as wedding and bridesmaids gowns. She started Creations 4 Baby about 15 years ago because sewing for children is her first love.

Practical, sentimental

Laura Giardina of Katonah asked her mother to make a christening dress out of her wedding dress for her daughter Jenna, now 7.

“I think I read about it in a magazine, and I thought it was a good idea,” said Giardina, who has been married for nine years. “The christening gown turned out really beautiful. It amazed me that my mom was able to take that big dress and make a tiny gown out of it.”

Giardina, who also has a son, Nicholas, 4, is hoping that her mom will be able to use the bodice of her dress to make a ring pillow for his wedding some day.

“I was pretty sure my daughter would want to wear her own dress when she gets married. So rather than keeping my dress in a box, I wanted to get some use out of it,” said Giardina. “This way, it means a lot to all of us.”

Pamela Cushman of Pamela Jodiene’s Alternations and Tailoring Boutique in Rensselaer, said she made one christening dress out of wedding dress about five years ago.

“I think the mother did it for sentimental reasons,” said Cushman, “She seemed pleased with the results.”

Bea Retersdorf, a seamstress for Kem Cleaners in Schenectady, said she has made about five christening gowns out of wedding gowns in 45 years.

“It’s not that common, but it’s a very nice idea,” said Retersdorf. “It’s rare that a girl will wear her mother’s wedding gown. So this is this way the gown can be used again. People do it for sentimental reasons.”

Special reminder

Lombardi said when her daughter wore her mother’s wedding dress at her First Communion, it was a very special day for the entire family.

“My father was overwhelmed,” she recalled. “It reminded him of my mother. My daughter reminds me of my mom, too. I know my mom would have been very proud that my daughter wore it. I hope someday if my daughter gets married and has a daughter of her own, she will wear it, too. When my daughter wore it, she felt like a queen. She kept twirling all around. All of the family was teary-eyed at the reception. I had a picture of my mother in the dress next to a picture of my daughter in the dress, side by side. It was a very emotional, happy day.”