Recycle Prom Dress
 

Tonight i will be attending an adult prom event to raise money for a local charity. Ever since i bought my dress it has been driving me crazy about what i will do with it afterwards. I don't get dressed up often and don't have a need to keep it. I bought it at a consignment shop and i think it should be retired after one more use.

It's a burgundy satin that has a bit of weight to it. I already figured i can recycle the light weight satin from the inside layers for a slip but i don't want to trash the rest of the fabric.

Have any of you used fabrics like this in quilts?

What color is it? If it matches any of your home decor you could make some pillows. Small pieces would make nice Pin cushions. Or if you have little ones (or know any little girls that still play dress up) you could recycle for a play dress for them. I can just see a group of little ones having a tea party.

You may feel it should be retired after the event you are attending, but it may just make the day of a young woman who cannot afford a prom dress.

Check in your local community most have a group that collects dresses for those who cannot afford them.

Crazy quilts lend themselves to these type of fabrics. And depending on your area, some charities would take them for donating to young ladies going who would like to go to thier Proms but can't offer a dress.

Here are a few examples I found on search:
http://www.donatemydress.org/
http://charity.lovetoknow.com/Cinder...Dress_Donation
http://www.kidzworld.com/article/658...to-your-rescue

It is just an idea....

Tricia

i've not made one ,but a crazy quilt would be pretty
with snippets of lace and hand embroidery

My sister had a prom as her house warming party. I got to be prom queen! It was a hoot!
I agree with the poster who said you might want to donate the dress to a charity, but a crazy quilt with embroidery, lace and other lux fabrics would be great too!

I thought about donating it so maybe i should consider it longer. This dress isn't gently used though. I just needed something appropriate at a reasonable to me price.

I tend to sit on things like this a while and make sure i won't do anything i will regret later. I live in an area where there are a lot of less fortunate people and there aren't enough people donating to good causes. One time there was a prom dress drive and i was shocked at some of the awful things people donated. I'm not talking about missing some beads or needs a couple stitches, there were dresses that worn torn badly or too dirty to clean. I worked at a thrift store for a while and it was the same thing there but fortunately there are some people out there like me who will buy unusable items and cut away the bad spots and work with whats left over.

I do love the crazy quilt idea. I am hoping to get a machine that has some decent embroidery type stitching for something along those lines. My hand stitching is awful.

I also thought of pillows or a crazy quilt. What about doll clothes like Barbie formals?

I saw 'aprons' made out of old style prom dresses! Real cute, but I don't know when I would need such a fancy apron!

I made a quilt using bridesmaid satin as part of the quilt. (I did the alterations on 2 of the dresses and had quite a bit cut off the bottoms!). So a surprise wedding quilt for the bride! The quilt was white, batiks, and this blue slippery satin in the blocks. I did use a lightweight iron-on stabilizer on the satin as it was not only slippery, but very ravelly.

What about reverse applique using dark heavier fabric as background . The lighter contrast on top so it will needle turn .ie my avatar.

3 of my children have gotten married and I am hoping to use their bridesmaid's dresses for Christmas tree skirts. Perhaps you could use a new one also? Or a table runner?

This is a GREAT idea!!!

I am not sure if rubber stamps can be ironed on to the satin but I know in quilt club one night we were doing it with the velvet which turned out great. I have been collecting various fabrics for a crazy quilt including my family's mens ties. I want to use the rubber stamps I have to make different stuff on the velvet. I have a wonderful antique bunny stamp I want to try too. Try it sometime.

I love the tree skirt idea, when i read it i had one of those "why didn't i think of that?" moments. Years ago i made all of our Christmas stockings out of recycled fabric and they are all lined with a pretty dark green satin dress. The skirt we have now isn't so great so that sounds like a perfect idea.

Because of the condition of the dress, i decided i won't be donating it. The seems are so worn out that i thought it wouldn't make it through the night. Giving it to someone to be altered would cost more than getting a newer dress at a consignment shop.

loving the Tree Skirt idea also for those unwanted old dresses...I have one in my closet...have been debating on a quilt, but this tree skirt idea is perfect...and maybe adding another color to it. Small squares.

Another think I have done with silky or satiny fabrics is make nightgowns, simple cuts and wonderful to sleep in. Scraps from that can still be crazy quilted into pillows or small quilts. If you travel, those fabrics make wonderful lingerie protectors for your suitcase - make these like a book with the open pockets to the inside. I have tons of ideas on using up those kinds of fabrics.

Before you cut it up please consider donating it to a local high school where it will be given to a young girl who would otherwise not be able to go to her prom because she or her family do not have the means to purchase her a dress. Most high schools have a special program set up just for this purpose and those that don't usually have someone on staff or a volunteer who will assist the girl with the selection of a dress and see that the necessary alterations are made so it will fit her and in and in some cases given a few extra nips and tucks to make it fit into the current styles. While this may not seem like much to many, it is a really big deal to the girl receiving the gift of your dress and being able to attend her prom.

And, for those of you with formal type dresses and/or men's dress clothes that are hanging in your closet but you know you will never ever ware again, please consider donating them.

Betty62, I will definitely wait before i make any final decisions. We don't have any regular charity type places that do something like what you mention. Ocassionally one of the high school seniors will have a dress drive so that she can complete her community service project which is a requirement to finish high school here. From what i have seen, these girls are only collecting newer, clean dresses which do not require any repairs. If i was capable of handling the repairs or alterations, i would volunteer and help. We don't even have a shop that does alterations anymore, the last one closed quite a few years ago.

Just another thought to throw out there for making your decision. While it would be nice to donate your dress you might want to look at the current trend in prom dresses to see if your style is still within the current trend of what the girls are wearing. The last time I saw prom pictures the trend was more along the lines of a less formal cocktail dress than what I would call a prom dress.

Stuffed Christmas ornaments with bead details, table runners, binding for quilts, detachable collars & cuffs, applique patches, handbag lining, tiebacks for drapes, backing for beading, a hair ornament, cloth flowers with a pin back (google for tutes on this), make a unique belt, a man's vest, miniature quilts...just a few ideas. Satin is wonderful matched with other luxurious items such as lace, velvet, brocades, gimp, ribbon, cording, beads etc., Looking at Victorian decor may give you more ideas. Just have fun!!!

This dress is simple classic floor length. Around here the super long dresses are popular this year, especially if it's something that fits into the "Great Gatsby" theme. This is plain, no sequins or sparkles etc so it really wouldn't fit into any trends. A cocktail dress would have been more to my liking but i may not be young enough to pull that off anymore.
It would be nice if i can find somewhere to donate it too. I quick search online only showed places that are very far from me.

Thanks adamae! More great ideas. I forgot i was full of knowledge that would help me out.

Years ago i made a ton of christmas ornaments out of a pair of ripped velour pants. They were paper folded german bells that i covered with the fabric. Those ornaments are just about unusable. I think there was another ornament shown on this board somewhere with folded fabric that looked like quilted stars.

So many great ideas for when im at the thrift store shopping for recycled fabric. I love to buy clothes that won't sell because of things like rips and stains. The guy that runs our local shop knows what i'm there for and he makes sure he puts things out on the racks even if he doesn't think anyone will buy them. I might. :)

Make your self a satin pillow case. They are great for saving the hair-do.

Head over to a Local High School and talk to the Guidance Office to see if there is a gal who might need a Dress. Make sure its been cleaned. and offer to adjust it if the gal needs it to fit better... This is prom season.

Or perhaps used as a costume at a local theater or school drama department. It seems a shame to try to think of things to do with pieces of a dress when lots of girls could probably use a whole one.

I agree with this lady completely! It is important to add that this fabric takes a little special handling because it is ravels and it requires knowledge of pressing and needle or thread requirements other than regular fabrics for a nice result. I recommend you do a little reading and your project will come out like you want it to. No matter what you decide to make.

That is like putting clothes in a yard sale that have stains or tattering or worn spots. If you wouldn't wear it for those reasons why would you expect someone else to wear it. If it isn't something that can be remade into an updated style then let little ones use it for play or use it in a crazy quilt.

Theater idea is great. They are always looking for material or other donations to help with costumes.

I agree. One night covering my body has pushed this dress beyond it's limits. I am still looking into fixing it up and donating it but as of right now i cant even find a place in my area to have it cleaned. I don't understand how there's no dry cleaners here!

I have 3 girls who were 17 months apart. When they were young, they loved Barbie dolls. I made wedding dresses out of scraps of my wedding dress for them one Christmas--my dress was hand made by my aunt. They loved them. They even had a train. Back when they were playing with the dolls, I think they were pretending to be the bride. By the time they did get married, they already knew who was going to be maid of honor for each and about 25 years later that is how they did it.
Sue