Old Wedding Dress
 

Today my DH and I were cleaning out our pole barn and came across my Mom's wedding dress. I remember moving it from their garage to our pole barn when my Dad passed about 5 years ago. My parents had put it in an old Navy trunk and it was in their garage for 35 years and we had it in our barn for 5. The dress was worn by my Mom in their wedding 68 years ago. It is a satin dress with beading at the botice. I would like to make something with the dress, but I'm not sure what. Does anyone in this fantastic group have any ideas for making a quilt out of it? What should I do to the dress before using it? i.e. cleaning it?

how about a nice pillow out of it. if you're giving to all relatives. I make 4" jointed bears. (I'll share pattern with you if you want. pm me) maybe dryclean b4 using. good luck and show us what you're doing.

I'm curious about what you could make too. It is kind of passe now, but a shadow memory box or album about your parents could include their wedding picture with a nice section of the fabric.

You could also do a wall hanging memory quilt along the same lines of a shadow memory box.

A display quilt for the wall or bed. Depending of the amount of fabric and condition, you could add other fabrics like chiffon, organza, laces, and even cotton. Make blocks like crazy patch, turning 20, fabric origami blocks, include beading, lace motifs, and decorative stitches using embroidery and crochet threads. If you google embellished crazy patchwork I'm sure you will find heaps. Much embellishment can be done by machine if you don't hand work. Good Luck

You could make an angel for the top of your Christmas tree from the satin and add some lace and beading to it from the dress. There would be more than enough fabric for more than one. Each sibling might like one.

Some years back there was a wonderful exhibit at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show of quilts made from wedding dresses. (The exhibit was inside the clock store at Sisters, not out in the open.) If you google "wedding dress quilts" and look at images you can get a lot of ideas, but I think it could be challenging to work with the satin fabric.

I will goggle wedding dress quilts. I agree, it may be challenging to work with satin. I am leaning towards teddy bears, which will still be a challenge! Thanks for the info.

I made a kingsized quilt with the train of a wedding dress appliqued down the middle of a cream very wide backing. I also made some flower vases and flowers out of some of the other parts of the dress that went on both sides and some across the top. Then I majorly quilted feathers, pearls, etc on the rest. I did use wool batting. But her train was already embellished (much more so that then top).

It was tough, but turned out beautifully. My sister uses it as a coverlet on her bed as decoration only.

I used to have a wedding dress business, and satin is challenging to work with, pins leave holes and it slides all over, it does embroider very well though both by machine and by hand. You could cut a panel and embroider parents wedding details either make a pillow/cushion/wall hanging or than add borders to make a quilt/coverlet.

Because of the age and storage conditions that the dress has endured, the fabric and thread may be pretty fragile. It won't be long that all will be 100 years old! First of all, I'd have it cleaned to see how well it survives. Making something that will have little actual use or handling would be my recommendation. Perhaps small pillows (as in ring bearer pillows?), Christmas stockings, make a smaller version to dress a display doll, etc? I especially liked the idea of an angel tree-topper. Maybe the dress needs to be put back into a box and taken out occasionally to be appreciated rather than cut into pieces. Depends on its condition at this point. There may be another family member who will want to wear Grandma's dress? A museum who can use it for a special display?

Make christening gown or suit for boy, if there is enuf fabric, a bassinet is also a notion

I made a baptismal gown for my granddaughter out of my mother in law's wedding dress. So she had something from her great grandmother. It will be treasured in future generations.

I made a christening gown out of my dd dress. I was going to make a Christmas tree skirt out of the remaining fabric, but not sure I have enough left over. I like the idea of the angel tree topper does anyone have a pattern for that?

All of these comments bring us to the age old question. How long, or why, do we save things. I too have my wedding gown. 36 years. If we don't do anything with it. If we don't display it. If the fabric is too frail to make a different project out of. If it just is not up to being used for anything, then how long do we save it? Just so it's in a box in the attic and when I am gone my daughter can?? What?? Do what with it? Save it for another 30 years because it was moms? Don't get me wrong. I have no intentions of getting rid of mine. But I am a saver :). My kids are not. All the things I store away for so long will most likely be donated when I am gone. So do I keep hanging on to them? Seems like I am creating more work for them? Sometimes I think guilt has me hanging on to things. I don't think you should throw out your wedding dress! I think this summer I will get mine out and look at it. There might be some usable parts. Maybe small pillows for all the grandkids.... Anyway, sorry for the rant. I may have gotten carried away :). Sophie2, I hope you do something really great with your moms dress!!!!

There is a group that makes burial dresses and suits for stillborn and premie babies. They are made from wedding gowns.

Fizzie, I hear you. Although my kids never cleaned up after themselves so I figure this is my payback. They can clean up after me when I am gone ;-)

Some have made small Victorian crazy quilts by using the embellishments and embroidery and incorporated maybe another dress. Depending on what kind of shape it's in possibly only cutting certain parts and lightly soak in Woolite and carefully rinsing and lay flat to dry. After I got married the first time, I took my dress to the cleaners and never went back for it. Actually, I just forgot about it. Never came up in conversation either.

I have made several Christening gowns from wedding gowns for babies/grandbabies of the bride. I try to keep the integrity of the original gown. I have made them for boys and girls. Good Luck with your endeavor ! !

Oh my, I just googled wedding dress quilts. I am blown away! Quilters are the most amazing Artist's!!! Good luck with your project.

This is a great idea. I think I will make one for each of my children - wedding gown has been in the closet a long time.

How about if you put tissue paper under the satin while sewing it?

ROFL! This is the BEST rationale I've ever heard! Totally relieves me of that nagging guilt that I MIGHT--ahem--be creating work for THEM for a change. Hahaha.

A friend has used her Mom's plus some of her Mom's costume jewelry and a photo of her folks wedding picture on fabric, to make a really nice memory wall hanging. Very creative art quilt.

I made my children's Christening Gown from my wedding dress just changed a bow in the front from pink to blue for them , 35 years later I asked my daughter what was she going to have her little ones Christened in she look at me strange and said " the family grown of course" , I then made a cotton under slip and embroider all their names and dates on it, leaving enough roo for at least 10 more names I guess a family tradition has been started. We now keep it in special paper and box with a wedding photo of us both .Cathy

I took my daughter's wedding dress and had a Christening Gown made from it. It had some smocking on it. Both of her children wore it and we embroidered their names and the date.

I didn't make a quilt from my wedding dress; I have 3 daughters and I combined each of their Communion dresses with pieces of my gown and made a Baptism outfit for their first child. I had made my gown and their dresses, too.

Good luck with your project. I am sure you can do something great.

Yes! (Disclaimer: I work for the woman who designed this product, but am not making any money from it. I just think it's a great product.)

Google All About Me interfacing. She made a wall hanging out of her daughter's wedding dress and it's lovely. The interfacing made the satin less challenging to work with. And she printed photos onto fabric using special sheets of fabric, but I can't remember the brand. A picture of the wall hanging comes up on google, and you'll see the center photo is larger than an 8 1/2 x 11. She used the poster setting on her printer to make her photo bigger. It prints the photo out on four sheets and has lines to align it correctly.

I love the idea of repurposing the dress and letting it be enjoyed by future generations.

I made padded photo albums for my children (and my nephew whose mother also worn the gown for her wedding) from my wedding gown and put pictures of their life from birth to their wedding day in it for them.

Clean it and display it on a dress form. I would love to see a photo.
sandy

Years ago I had a dress form that I got rid of. Sure wish I hadn't!

I love to do crazy quilting, and have used old wedding dresses, you could make a pillow or small wall hanging

As old as it is, and if you decide make a project, i think l would deconstruct it first then wash in something like woolite. I would wash by hand and dry London roll flat method as your space allows.

I buy formal wear and deconstruct to repurpose pieces, this is the method i have found works best for me. Then i know if pieces are strong enough to withstand handling

You can make christening gowns (had a friend who did these and gave them to different family members, then sold others), and little boy christening suites. Have another friend who like Lynnie, she made crazy quilt bears for the family. I did a tonal crazy quilt throw from a wedding dress along with other formal dresses I had around. As you will find satin is a pain to work with (don't use pins, you'll end up with holes), but you will have something your mother loved as well as the memories of your parents. Good luck

Baptismal gowns! Many could wear it that way!

I was thinking while reading this post that my cousin who is a little younger than I am has her mother's wedding dress from the early 1940s that she also wore at her wedding. She has a very pretty dress form that the dress is on, in her upstairs foyer, and whenever you go up or down in her house, there it is. It is made of cream satin, not much fabric, but floor length with train. Very simple and very beautiful and it is being "honored". My cousin knows her daughter wouldn't be interested in it so it is just there for memories and to be pretty.

wedding dress
 

I made a lap quilt and a jacket for my best friend out of her wedding dress. She tells everyone she still fits into her dress.

I also saw this exhibit and it immediately came to mind when I saw your question. They were beautiful quilts.

A high school friend of mine actually wore her grandmother's wedding dress and shoes down the aisle at her own wedding. It was noted in the her wedding notice in the local newspaper as well. It was amazing and she looking absolutely beautiful in that wedding attire.

I Took mine to a wonderful woman who makes Christining Gowns out of them and my Grands wore them. I saved all the different pieces and I took sections of the beading and lace inserts and turned them into Hankerchiefs. Maybe in many years to come one of those grands would like it with her or him on their wedding day.