Making wallhanging from wedding dress
 

A friend of mine wants me to make something from her wedding dress (I asked her if she was really ready to cut into it and she said yes) and I suggested a small crazy quilt - either hand embroidered or machine-embroidered. My question is, what would I charge for something like this? I would be providing the embellishments, the time, etc. - what is a reasonable price to charge where I can make some money for my time, but not be cost-prohibitive to her? Any suggestions would be welcome!

First, sorry I don't have much input as to your actual question-how much to charge. The usual verbage: give yourself a decent wage, keep track of hours - OR - supplies times three.

But, seeing your post reminded me of something I saw years ago, and loved. I thought this might give you some ideas to add to any you already have come up with.

http://www.quiltsbycindy.com/weddingdress.htm

Sure would make a great Christening Quilt for a baby.

Several years ago there was a big display at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show of quilts made from wedding dresses. (The display was inside the clock shop, not outdoors.) They were beautiful. Many were crazy quilts, but not all. A couple of years later, a bunch of wedding dress quilts were for sale at one of the bigger quilt shows. I wouldn't know what to charge for that, but would have to factor in the added difficulty of working with non-cotton fabrics. Some of those fabrics show any pin holes, some are super slippery, some are stretchy and require interfacing - I don't think I would tackle it without more knowledge. There are places online that will do this professionally - see the link below. There are also some pictures online of really beautifully done wedding dress quilts. I think the nicer ones are beautifully quilted, letting the quilting provide much of the design.http://www.thepatchworkbear.com/cust...ilts-c-47.html

I liked the idea of a teddy bear made from a dress and also a christening gown. Another item to make could be a bonnet for a newborn that turns into a hankie to be carried at that child's wedding.

WOW........An arm and a leg??!!

Jan in VA

Whatever you decide you should charge.... be sure to agree on the price with the person you're doing it for. She may decide not to have you make the quilt when she learns how much $$$ it will cost. I'm not so sure I'd want to tackle the project just because a wedding dress is such a personal thing and I wouldn't want the person to be disappointed in any way. To do it justice would take a lot of time and effort.

My daughter had made a christening gown for her daughter from her wedding dress. A great remembrance.

I would think that you wouldn't need a lot of embellishments unless it's a really plain dress. If she has a wedding photo it would be nice to print on fabric and include either in front or in back. You can do a lot with white embroidery thread on seams...not costly! Add some pearls and maybe white silk ribbon (or already made up) roses. I'd be sure to check her wedding colors and any special flowers or colors--if she wants to use color... I can't help on the price, but, good luck.... Frankly, if she were a good friend, I'd ask her how much she's willing to pay. You might want to Google Wedding Dress Quilts and look on Pinterest. Don't worry about the fabric. Lots of crazy quilts include wedding dress bits.