I saw a beautiful quilt at a show made from the quilter's wedding dress and thought I would do the same. I got the dress out and now find that I can't quite make myself do it!! Has anyone been able to do this? I thought it would be a great idea for something to enjoy (instead of hanging in a closet not ever being seen) and pass along to my children, but the scissors just won't move toward the dress!!

I am going to make dedication gowns for my girls out of mine. I cannot wait!

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-76236-1.htm This is a neat post.
Maybe buy one at a thrift store and see what you can do with it then get creative with your dress. Be sure to post photos:)

Even after 30 years I still have a hard time thinking about doing that. The dress brings back such young care free times

I understand as I have the same thoughts. I keep saying I'll enjoy it as a quilt, but just can't quite make it happen.

I have thought about doing this too. One day, I will and will have no guilt. I figure that I will never wear it again, my daughter got married years ago and had no thoughts about wearing it, so it is basically gathering dust and taking up space.
A few years ago, I made a wallhanging out of my mothers vintage hankies. At first I was leary about cutting them up but after the fact, very glad, because I look at that quilt all the time and enjoy it (instead of having them in a drawer).
Do you have any photos of the quilt you saw. I would love to see them if you do!

My Mother in law had given me her dress when they were going to be moving to FL. The dress was in bad shape and Dad put it in the trash. I rescued it, and stored it in my attic for a few years.
The year after she passed away, her oldest granddaughter was going to be getting married. I layed out the satin dress on the floor and there were very few places that were usable. I made a wedding hanky for each of the 4 granddaughters adding lace from the dress and for the 3 grandsons I made a small hanky square that could go into a tux pocket.
I embroidered each one...Grandma Carol loves you...and the date of her wedding. My niece carried it for her wedding. Hopefully, my son will take his for his wedding.

My sister took her dress apart for me so that I would use it in her quilt. Haven't started it yet and yes, I am a bit scared to do so!

I had never thought of a quilt out of my wedding dress, but I really the the hanky idea too. Would love to see pictures of any of these, too.

I found it much easier when I asked a friend to take the dress and cut the seams for me. Once it was started, I was fine. I've also taken just the train from friends dresses and made pillows, a quilt, a Christening gown and a bonnet. That way the gown is still there - just without the long train.

I love the hanky idea.
I'm considering doing something to mine. It's been 24 years this summer and it's at my parents house - just sitting in a box. My daughter has no interest in ever wearing it which is probably why I most held onto it. She says I should make a pillow or something like that and then donate the rest to a charity that makes little gowns for babies who are stillborn or die shortly after birth. I'm seriously considering it.

The post I believe you are talking about is: http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-106209-1.htm

What a gorgeous pair of quilts and pillows.

My dh and I eloped so I never had a wedding dress. Next year, 2012 will be our 40th wedding anniversary. I have picked up 2 wedding gowns off of Freecycle to make a wedding quilt. Both posts I was up front in telling them what I was planning to do with the dress.

I just learned to quilt last year, but my goal is to have this quilt made by next August. I never wanted a wedding dress, but an Anniversary Quilt is a different story!

I want to thank you all about this discussion about wedding dresses. My daughter is getting remarried in May. (This time no elopement with the wrong man. They are doing it "right".) So I called her and asked if she wanted to wear my 40 yr. old wedding dress. She was thrilled and we both cried. I would never of thought of it had this post not began. I am so glad I hadn't cut into it yet.

Congratulations on your daughters upcoming wedding. I think it is wonderful to have her wear your dress. What a wonderful memory for both of you. Treasure it!

Hope she has a long, healthy and happy marriage!

Hi Betsy,

I can certainly understany how you feel. I feel the same way. What about going to your local thrift shop or freecycle and getting someone else's dress that they've disgarded and didn't want. You could then add something else to the quilt to make it special.

Pam M

Unfortunately - I didn't have my camera with me, but it was a beautiful quilt that included many embroidered memories and symbols of the wedding and marriage. I have also thought about making christening gowns for future grandchildren and/or a ring pillow for my son's upcoming wedding.

I love this idea very much! What a special gift for the grandchildren!

I helped my friend make a throw-sized quilt out of her granddaughter's wedding dress. She cut 6.5" squares out of the plain and out of the embroidered sections with one embroidered section as a rectange (2 squares x 6 squares). They were arranged into a pleasing pattern and stitched in the ditch. The embroidered squares were stitched around the motifs. I thought it needed more quilting, because the plain squares "ballooned" when holding the quilt vertically for display.

My dress will be 40 this fall. No thoughts of cutting it.

I got married in 1970 - in a mini-dress wedding "gown" I made - wouldn't be enough fabric for more than a few blocks. LOL Oh, to be young & thin again. Even if it were a traditional long gown, I don't think I could cut it - do however, like the idea of buying a thrift shop gown without sentiment attached & 'playing with it".

Oh I am so glad mine was not cut into a quilt. My sons wife wore my wedding dress for her special day. So now if we would do that, we would need two quilts now. lol

Confessions. My mother and aunt and grandma let me play dress-up in all their old bridal and bridesmaid/mother gowns. I would make up plays or stories and act them out, and it was endlessly entertaining. The gowns were fabulous to me and I kept them when everyone passed away. It gave me a love for fabrics and clothing which is with me to this day. My grandma had a beautiful purple crepe, and a faded pea-green silk with leg-o-mutton sleeves, both of which I get goose bumps just thinking of. The dresses date back to the 20's-early 30's.

To each her own.

I suggest that you look for Martha Pullen in your Googlr. I saw a couple of her magazines a few years ago, she is a woman from Huntsville,Alabama that spa cializes in vintage clothes, she holds seminars and used to be on TV maybe 15 years ago,

Janet, I have old hankies and would love to know how you did your wallhanging? Could you share? Thank you!!!

Take several pictures of it and transfer them to fabric for your quilt. Also add wedding pictures of your wedding day and your other family weddings pics if you feel so inclined.

To those of you that say your own daughters will never wear your wedding dress, I just want to tell you that I have a friend that wore her GRANDmother's wedding dress and SHOES when she got married.

I guess I am in the minority...my gown is somewhere in the attic and I don't particularly care where. When Ken got home from Vietnam I just wanted to marry the boy and didn't even want a gown. I only got it because it pleased my mom. I couldn't havee cared less...easiest bride my mom had out of six girls! Well, it's been 44 years, I still love him and still don't care about the gown.

I am currently in the process of making a quilt from my daughter's wedding dress. I offered to make it right after I started quilting. And then I discovered how little I really could do well. So it sat and waited for me to get better at quilting and have the confidence to work on it. I do wish I hadn't cut it because I sure would have used the yardage differently now. Her dress was made out of raw Thai silk which presents its own challenges. She is expecting her first baby in July and since she knows about her baby quilt and everything else, this will be a surprise at her shower. I also am using fabric from her bridesmaids dresses. Hope she loves it!

I was in the situation of not have storage room any more for my wedding gown. At the time I also worked as seamstress for our theatre which puts on plays year round. I decided to give it to them along with prom and bridesmaid dresses. They could use them for however they meeded. It made me feel good. I still have wedding pics and have the good memories of goiing to grandma's house for fittings, since she made my gown.

I have made several Christining dress out of wedding gowns. Not mine but for others. They were so pleased that their own baby girl was wearing the wedding gown, when in years to come they would never have worn the orginal gown.

I would have never thought of making quilt out of my wedding dress. Of course I did finally cut the sleeves off to make it a evening gown. I don't remember wearing it but I do remember getting divorced after that. LOL

She's still on TV -- Create TV which is PBS. I can get it in New England and the Mid-Atlantic areas through Comcast. She's on Monday & Friday and still shows, at the end, something from her "attic."

My mother made my wedding gown but my daughters purchased their wedding gowns so....I recycled my gown into a christening gown for grandchildren. It was hard to make that first cut but very worth it in the end.

I love the stories about wedding dresses. Thought I would use material from my own wedding dress (I made it) for my daughter's christening but a dear aunt offered a family (2nd marriage) heirloom dress to use. Plus being pregnant and giving birth was traumatic enough.
My wedding gown is in the attic in original box my mother packed it in. I will be married 45 yrs this September - maybe I'll peek at it then and recall being 102 lbs with 21 inch waist. Oh, those were the days!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I made a christening dress for my granddaughter. I'm going to make her a purse and pillow for her wedding day.

I made a christening dress for my granddaughter. I'm going to make her a purse and pillow for her wedding day.

Sounds like a great idea. I've never seen one.

Here is the wedding dress throw I wrote about in a previous post.

I have my mothers wedding dress and it is all satin. I would love to make a quilt. I can't cut it up.

I love the idea of wedding dress quilts. I didn't have a formal wedding dress, just a knee length dress. Think I will get it out and use it for a crazy quilt. I envision using using just it cut into different shapes and highlighting with embroidery stitches, etc. Now to just find the time...