what a wonderful story - so sorry all of the pictures were ruined. I bet it was beautiful

One day when I was in high school I came home and mom had cut up her wedding dress to line a coat. It wasn't going to fit me for sure. I'm a lot bigger than mom. She was only 5' tall and very petite. I guess she thought it was getting yellow, too. I remember the material - it was wonderful very thick for silk and shiny yet it draped nice. I don't think she ever once let anybody else try it on.

My sister's wedding dress was remarkable, too. Her DH was stationed on a carrier during Nam. Sometimes they got into Hong Kong on leave. He bought his mom 5 yards of 30 inch wide silk brocade. His mom is a big woman and put it away. When he and my sister announced their engagement, his mom gave my sister the silk and my mom figured out how to make a wedding dress. Did I mention my sister takes after my mom? My other sister wore the dress, too.

Isn't it amazing what we can do with what we have? Now we are so spoiled!

I'd love to see a picture of her gown.

Great dress stories make me shake my head when I see one of those shows where brides-to-be agonize over wether a $5,000 dress will fit their budget.

You know if they had to make a dress like that one my mom made, they might think twice whether they want to get married or not... She must have spent hours hand smocking the front down to a point below her waist and then sewing on 200 loops and covering 200 buttons...
The price of the dress had no bearing on how long they have been married. Let's see - I'm thinking it was 1949... They are still together. I wonder how long a marriage with a $5,000 worth of dress debt holds up??? Oh and that would be just the beginning.

That is such an interesting story! I had never heard of using parachutes for sewing! I'd love to see a picture of the dress your mom made and I'm sorry her pictures were lost.