My senior prom dress was made from a parachute on my mother's old Singer (Mom could make anything we pointed out to her, making a paper pattern and going from there). I remember the prom dress well - the skirt was white and Mom tinted a portion of the parachute a pale pink for the bodice and cap sleeves. I felt so pretty and grown-up. No idea where the parachute came from - probably one of my cousins gave it to us. And man, does that date me or what?