There is a Cancer org that businesses and regular people donate their leftover dresses to be made into quilts. They are auctioned off in October with the starting bid at $2000. It has been 10/12 years since I made one.
I called them, gave shipping info. and guaranteed freight to and from. They ship you ten dresses, some worn and some with tags still on them, assorted sizes.
First I decided on what size to use for the large center and then the size of blocks surrounding the center. I cut up the dresses using the decorations to make up the blocks into whatever struck my fancy. I put all the blocks together with cancer pink satin strips. It was the most unusual and beautiful quilt I ever thought to make.
I did enter it into the County Fair. They returned it to me dirty and with grease, some of the beads and sequins and pearl decorations torn loose.
Then someone had the nerve to give it a 3rd Place ribbon stating on back of the ribbon how it was not a practical quilt so it could not be used and that it was dirty and torn. I call this obviously stupid.
Now this is what was done to a beautiful one of a kind decorative quilt that was intended for the Cancer Society. Needless to say I would never again enter anything of value in one of these country fairs. By the way, I did enter a lovely quilt in the Ar State Fair in 2000 or 2001 and won both 1st Place and Best of Show on my Christmas quilt.