Has anyone ever done anything with velvet? I bought a dress at the Goodwill the other day...a beautiful purple velvet, long dress with lots of fabric in it for 1 dollar. I thought surely there is a quilt that would become of this.

Stretch velvet or woven? If it's stretch its going to be a booger! You have to be very careful in pressing velvet of any kind---use a pressing cloth and only from the back. It looks beautiful in quilts and used to be used a lot in crazy guilts. However, it can be used in almost any type of pattern. I'd keep it very simple though and use appropriate fabrics such as silks, satins, and light weight borcades with it.

Be careful with the iron---DD ruined a piece of velvet that she was trying to fuse with interfacing for the "embroider" on bodice of an Irish dance dress.

it would make an amazing crazy quilt look....and don't forget that if it's a rayon velvet you can emboss it using stamps and other textured items....put the stamp/item on a table, lay the piece of velvet on it upside down (right side against stamp), spritz a little water on the velvet and steam it with an iron (use a press cloth between iron and fabric). Gives you great designs to use on individual squares for a quilt.

I have always dreamed of making a velvet crazy quilt with lots of lace and shiny fabrics.

My grandma, according to my mom, had a log cabin pillow made with velvet and satin. I only got to see the extremely worn version(my mom saved EVERYTHING), but my mom said it was stunning when it wasn't so worn out.