This mom made a dress for her daughter using the shirt her husband wore the day she was born—and she will do the same for you

What started as a special moment for a father and his newborn daughter was given new life when a mom decided to get a little creative.

Carli Grant is a mom who loves to sew. She decided to make her daughter, Amelia, a new dress and, when it came time to choose a fabric, she used her husband’s closet as inspiration. She found the plaid button-down shirt he wore the day their daughter was born and decided to repurpose it to create a dress their 2-year-old could wear.

When her husband, Josh, came home from work to find his daughter wearing the shirt, he was overcome with emotion.

“I was totally blown away,” he told PopSugar. “I usually get home from work and play acoustic guitar to calm down from the day while Carli sews, but I never quite knew what she was up to,” he said. “One day, I got home, and Amelia gives me the biggest hug in her new dress.”

He continued, “Carli asked me if I remembered why that shirt was so special, and I immediately remembered the day I first held my baby girl,” he told PopSugar. “Such an amazing memory. One that is hard to even put into words. From there, we went back through old photos and put together pictures of me holding her during her first few hours of life to the beautiful little girl in the dress asking me to dance with her in the kitchen.”

The finished product was absolutely adorable:

That’s when Carli realized she had stumbled upon something very special. If she and her family could appreciate this so much — she knew other families out there would, too.

“I went downstairs to start sewing it and found myself with tears in my eyes,” Carli said. “I thought other moms could benefit from the feeling that I had when I finished the dress and saw it on her.”

From there, a business was born.

Making A Business Out Of Refashioned Memories

Carli now runs a website, Refashioned Memories, on which she asks visitors to send along a sentimental shirt so she can “refashion it into a memory.” She now makes reimagined clothing for both girls and boys.

This dress style, for example, is called Secret Garden, and is on sale for $49.99:

According to the website’s FAQ page, you can send in any kind of shirt to start.

“We’ve had clients send us everything from high-quality button-ups to T-shirts — we will always produce a fabulous product,” the website reads.

Here’s How The Process Works

Once you’ve chosen the shirt you’d like to have recreated into children’s clothing, you head to the Refashioned Memories website and order the style you’d like. Within five days, you’ll receive a full order package.

The package contains prepaid postage and a measuring tape so you can get your child’s measurements. Once you’ve made note of the measurements, send them back with the shirt you’d like the team to use.

Here’s an example of a dress made for a younger child, which is also available to order for $49.99:

Wait about two weeks and your custom clothing will be ready.

You Can Also Try To DIY

Of course, Carli isn’t the only mom and wife to find a new use for her husband’s shirts. Stephanie Miller also turns her husband’s old clothes into outfits for her daughters, and if you follow along with the tutorials on her website, you’ll be able to do it for yourself, too!

This Instagram post demonstrates exactly what she’s been able to do with an old button-down:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjHy3bIhrvK/?taken-by=mothermake

Impressive, to say the least.

What do you think of this business idea? Will you be sending in a special shirt, or maybe trying to make a children’s garment on your own? Either way — you’ll have a very special keepsake when you’re done!