I am sorry to hear of your friends loss.
My neice received a pillow which included the buttons
from her dmil made from her husbands grandmas
wedding dress
it was small but it will be kept for many years too come.

"she was wanting something made from it to remember him by."

Pick a pattern that represents him, something he loved. I made a sampler-style quilt of my dad's shirts, choosing blocks that made me think of him. A bird house block for all the bird houses he made for me, Card Trick for our endless Euchre card games, Next Door Neighbor because he was a great neighbor to have, Maple Leaf because he called me every spring when he saw the first leaves pop out.

Ask her for more of his old shirts to make more blocks. Use the special shirt as the center block of your quilt with an alternate sash color to make it stand out from the others. Good Luck!