Wedding Dress Quilt done
 

I am crazy stupid proud of this one.

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The entire quilt except the back is made from her dress (satin). The blue was her back, train, and trim. The embroidery on the blue was a part of the dress. I used silk thread and wool batting.

The design was inspired by the dress and the wedding itself. The idea for embroidering the blocks was because her train was embroidered and I chose images that were reflective of the wedding.

What I did:

1. Cut the squares larger than I wanted and embroidered the white with the wool batting and polymesh stabilizer.
2. Trimmed the squares to size.
3. Basted the blue on the batting.
4. Assembled the top and added strips of wool batting under the sashing.
5. Sandwiched the quilt with a blue broadcloth and stitched in the ditch. I also "quilted" the blue squares by running a couple stitches through different beads (if you can't tell, the white embroidery is enhanced with beading) and also reattaching beads that fell off.
6. Did the binding with the same dress material.
7. Used a triangle method for creating the hanging points instead of a sleeve and I put them top and bottom.
8. Painted wooden dowels blue and put one at the top for the hanging and one at the bottom to keep the shape.
9. Used the laces from the back of the dress to hang it.
10. I had leftover blue material so I made a tube bag (lined with extra white satin) for safe storage.

What I would do different:

1. Add another layer of batting so the back would be smooth. Since its a hanging quilt you can't see it of course but it would have been nicer.
2. Trimmed the blocks differently so I would not have had to put strips of batting underneath the sashing.
3. Done a full sleeve for hanging. I don't like the stress on the triangle points. BTW I found followed this method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB1PBQx6mgM<strike></strike>

What a wonderful project. I think you posted on what to use for the back and I offered a much too cute wedding theme fabric, the blue broadcloth used is different than what the bag is made of?

It's a lovely memento and you should be proud. Plus you learned something to share and for the future. Score for all involved.

Hi Iceblossom - yes, that was me and yes, that fabric you proffered was way adorable. In the end though, I decided just to go with a plain cotton dark blue broadcloth for the back. The bag was made out of strips of the dress's blue satin. I wanted to use as much of the dress as possible.

And thanks for the kudos.

That is a beautiful wall hanging and you really put the dress to it's best advantage. I loved reading the lessons learned part too. I think I would have been terrified to cut into the dress. :shock:

beautifully done

That's gorgeous! Wonderful work :)

Beautiful and such a great idea.

That is such a lovely gift that will be cherished by them for a long time. you took such thought and care into creating it. It is so wonderful!!

I can see why you are so proud of it! Wonderful work and it will be treasured!

You did a wonderful job!

What a wonderful idea and you should be proud of the beautiful work.

What a beautiful and thoughtful quilt. Well done!!!

Stunning!!! You undertook a project that was very creative and succeeded with absolutely great results. Beautiful work!!

Beautiful! What a wonderful idea!

Amazing result for such a thoughtful project. Love it!

That's a beautiful way to memorialize the wedding. And satin! There's nothing saying a quilt needs to be made with cotton. But, satin is so slippery. You've managed it well. I love the matching tube.

You should be proud. That is beautiful and such a great way to commemorate the dress. Would love to see a pic of the dress.

That is way better use of a wedding dress than the standard. The wall hanging is gorgeous! 👍👍

Beautiful finish and a fantastic idea for a memory gift.

It is a beautiful keepsake for the couple. I'm sure it will warm their hearts every time they see it. Awesome job!

I was terrified but my sister did it with me so that helped. I'll have her help me take apart my dress too once I settle on a design.

Thank you. Yes satin was a bit of a challenge. I made sure to practice on satin a lot before I got started. I also way overpinned using very small needles. One thing I noticed though is that I couldn't use my walking foot for top stitching - the rough plastic feet pulled at the satin.

I don't have a picture of the back and the beautiful blue train but here is a shot of the front:

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It's Beautiful. What a wonderful memory quilt to have for future generations as well. I love your creativity too. Well Done quilter.

Great Dress too.