BarbaraSue

Could you possibly make a wall hanging in a crazy quilt fashion using this garment? AS a wall hanging it would not have the wear and tear of a bed quilt. Maybe suggest it be displayed and not handled so much because the fabric is fragile and vintage.
Looks like the wedding garments of the Eastern Europians of years ago. They were brightly colored and embroidered. Beautiful garment.

madamekelly

Possibly in a shadow box for his wall?

Pieceful Quilter

I did not read all the responses, so this may have been said - the black is most likely mold. In order to get it out, you might ruin the silk. If you don't get it out it could be fatal or harmful to someone breathing in the spores. It does not seem like a wise choice for a child's quilt. (But it sure is beautiful!)

Momsmurf

I personally wouldn't put it into anything but a wall hanging...maybe several...along the line of the decorator screens the orientals have. I would then have it professionally framed in the approcriate acid free material and cherish it as an heirloom. If in fact that was hand embroidered 100 years ago, it should be preserved as is with the mentioned history included.

Beautiful pieces.

Dee

Too old and fragile. I wouldn't touch it. Just my opinion.

writerwomen

Strong suggest to her that a baby quilt is too easily damaged by wash etc- perhaps a wall hanging or a throw for over the bed when it is made would work for her

frog54

So beautiful I wouldn't have the heart to cut it up :hunf:

MacThayer

If you take that beautiful heirloom, and cut it up for a child's quilt, the child will take little time in destroying it. That might not matter to a young child. It may matter a great deal when that child grows into an adult and realizes that, in his childish ignorance, he was allowed to destroy a family heirloom. Because of that, he will not have the chance to see or enjoy it during his adulthood, or pass it on in his family. As I see it, that is taking choice away from a child.

This is the kind of thing that needs to be preserved and passed down. It's irreplaceable. Once gone, it's gone forever. There are people who restore quilts and fabrics. These are the people to turn to now. This needs to be preserved properly, for posterity. I would never "cut it up" even for a wall hanging. But that's not my choice. Whatever the choice turns out to be, I hope that it's in the best interests of preserving the fabric.

It is much too fragile for a quilt. I've restored quilt tops my Great Grandmother made, and they were fragile. I would touch this.

Best of luck to you!

MacThayer

If you take that beautiful heirloom, and cut it up for a child's quilt, the child will take little time in destroying it. That might not matter to a young child. It may matter a great deal when that child grows into an adult and realizes that, in his childish ignorance, he was allowed to destroy a family heirloom. Because of that, he will not have the chance to see or enjoy it during his adulthood, or pass it on in his family. As I see it, that is taking choice away from the child.

This is the kind of thing that needs to be preserved and passed down. It's irreplaceable. Once gone, it's forever gone. There are people who restore quilts and fabrics. These are the people to turn to now. This needs to be preserved properly, for posterity. I would never "cut it up" even for a wall hanging. But that's not my choice. Whatever the choice turns out to be, I hope it's in the best interests of preserving the fabric.

This ancient wedding dress is much too fragile for a quilt. I've restored quilt tops my Great Grandmother made, and they were fragile. I wouldn't even consider touching this.

Best of luck to you!

MsEithne

What is the feed sack backing on the collar pieces like? If it is decorative, then they were probably printed after 1925, which is a clue to the age of the whole. If the feed sack pieces are decorative, it's possible the silk is actually rayon (first marketed as "artificial silk" and hugely popular).

Figuring out whether the fabric is rayon or silk will guide your choice of stabilisers. Rayon prefers a slightly alkaline environment and silk does best with a slightly acid environment. So if the wedding dress is rayon, then I'd choose either cotton or rayon as a stabiliser; if it is silk, I'd go with silk (and silk thread). In either case, I would not suggest a fusible stabiliser, the heat required could change the colour of the fabric or hasten deterioration.

Will the quilt hold up on a small child's bed? Depends on the child. I'd be hesitant to try it and would perhaps suggest a wallhanging as being subject to much less wear. Or a much larger quilt that would showcase the wedding gown pieces and be appropriate in size for an adult's bed (which would mean storing the quilt until her son was old enough to appreciate it and treat it carefully).

And yes, sewing by machine may just eat up the fabric or parts of the fabric. Stabilising with a sew-in stabliser (NOT FUSIBLE) or plain rayon or silk might help but personally, I'd be hesitant to try it. It sounds like you really don't have any excess fabric for testing.

My last suggestion is to ask your friend if you can take this wedding dress to a textile appraiser, in order to find out the value, what this is actually made of and get suggestions for treating the stains and black marks. Again, there is so little fabric there, it would be a shame to ruin any of it via experimentation.

It's a gorgeous piece!