From the dumpster to the aisle: This wedding dress restorer brings gowns back to life

As Sadie Webostad walked down the aisle at her wedding, she was surrounded by an entourage of children she nannied. She had assigned them roles as flower girls and members of the “ring security team.” And when she reached the altar, one of the children, 2, cried out, “Sadie’s a princess! Sadie’s a princess!”

Many of her guests likened the dress to that worn by Princess Aurora from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, she said. It had long, sheer sleeves, a sweetheart neckline, buttons down the back, embroidered flowers down the front and an extensive train. 

The dress is estimated to have come from the 1950s at the earliest, and is one of a couple dozen dresses that have been restored by a woman who goes professionally by the name of Hobby Bobbins to her more than 176,000 TikTok and 174,000 Instagram followers.

Bobbins is one of many creators whose videos are dedicated to upcycling clothes. Many of her customers turn to the secondhand dresses in consideration for the environment, their budgets or their desired aesthetic. But they’re also moved by the stories behind the gowns.

“It gives people a feeling of nostalgia and connectivity with something that so frequently ends up just getting thrown away or turned into a Halloween costume, and it’s really unique to see,” Bobbins said.

Bobbins started restoring vintage wedding dresses during the coronavirus pandemic. She saw one in an online auction — and although she wasn’t getting married, it was too beautiful to pass up, with its long, balloon sleeves and embroidered paneling over the neckline.

She successfully bid on the dress for $20, and was eagerly anticipating its arrival. But then, it caught on fire. A heating lamp was sitting next to several shipments at the post office, including hers, and the blaze charred several parts of the dress. The seller checked around town to see if someone could repair it before sending it to Bobbins, though was unsuccessful. Bobbins was offered a full refund, but refused. Undeterred, Bobbins posted the dress online in search of tips on how to revive it, and to document the process. 

“It just blew up,” she said. “I started having people who were reaching out to me from all over the place…asking me if I’d be interested in their mother’s, or their grandmother’s, or their great-grandmother’s dress.” 

Webostad, the bride, has been interested in vintage clothing since middle school, so she knew she wanted her dress to be “something borrowed.” Seven months out from her big day, she had been scouring Etsy and TikTok before stumbling across Bobbins’ page. And there it was. 

Bobbins had dedicated a series to Webostad’s future dress. A “good Samaritan,” as Webostad calls them, found the dress in the rain, in a dumpster, and sent it to Bobbins. The dress came with a veil, and the train took up Bobbins’ entire living room.

To restore the gown, Bobbins had to remove the buttons so they wouldn’t rust while being washed. She then hand-washed it twice in her bathtub, let it drip dry and put it out in the sun. She hand-sewed each button back on, and then ironed and steamed the dress.

The original owner has yet to be found, but Bobbins found a couple interesting trinkets in the fabric. There was a small weight, which can be used to keep the fabric from blowing in the wind, and a grain of rice, a possible remnant of throwing rice at newlyweds.

“It had such an amazing story, and it was truly a spectacular dress,” Webostad said.

Webostad purchased the dress from Bobbins’ online storefront, and when it arrived at her door, it fit perfectly. But before going down the aisle, the dress would need a different kind of reinforcement. 

“My husband actually was convinced it was bad juju, and that we had to get our chaplain to bless the dress before the ceremony, because he was convinced that if it wasn’t from a good marriage, we’d be cursed,” she said. 

The gown was a hit on her wedding day. 

“It was amazing. It was absolutely beautiful,” Webostad said. 

Bobbins ideally wants all her customers to have that same feeling. She priced some of her early restorations as cheaply as possible so they’d find a new home. But with such low prices, customers weren’t cherishing the pieces. When Bobbins would follow up with some of them after their purchases, they’d tell her a dress had ended up under a bed or in the back of a closet. One customer, who was going through a breakup, said she planned to burn her dress.

“Mostly my goal is to find the right person who will value the garment and give it the second chance it deserves,” Bobbins said.