Wedding Dresses!

[Hannelore N.]

I have read somewhere that Bernina Enews is offering a $1,000 Bernina gift certificate and a featured article on WeAllSew for a wedding dress makeover. That could be a very interesting project. Even if you don't want to slash, cut and tweak the most expensive dress you are ever likely to own, I guess a trip to a charity shop might be an idea, and it would be a lot of fun to repurpose something that's only been used for a few hours.

And I was thinking.... There must be TQS members who can tell stories about what happened to their wedding dresses. In my mother's family it was the tradition for the bride to make a Christening gown for her first baby out of her wedding dress. Unfortunately that did not happen for me because my mother got married in post-war Germany in a dress borrowed from a cousin. And I didn't do it with my dress because I simply didn't have the skills at the time. But my own wedding dress is still very much alive and kicking. After my divorce I ignored it for years, and then had an idea. As a result my wedding dress has become part of a collection of costumes that is used by a fairly large number of theatre companies. Wouldn't it be funny if I'd go to see a play and suddenly an actress appears on stage wearing my old dress?!

But I'm waffling....... Just thought this was a interesting little titbit for our category of 'Everything Else'.

Good night everybody, and sweet dreams!

[Hannelore N.]

I made my daughter's wedding dress and we still have it. The dress is holding out longer than the marriage but she still will not let me hack it up.... I so want to. I cry when I think of all that beautiful fabric trapped in a dress. So want to make a quilt out of it.

Nonnie

[Rita C.]

My wedding dress is hanging in my wardrobe waiting hopefully for another wearer. I bought it second-hand from a wedding dress shop which advertised dresses as 'One Day Old'! My 30 year old daughter tells me she is never getting married ("we shall see" I reply!) and my 17 year old - well it's a bit soon for her yet. I will keep it just in case but I don't hold out much hope. As for making it into a christening robe well I have two antique ones from my MIL so no need to do that. I have been tempted to sell the dress on occasion - only because it just sits in a wardrobe and I would love to think that somebody could get use out of it - but really isn't it the most ridiculous waste of fabric and money for only one day? My mother in law was married during WW2 and she converted her wedding dress into an evening dress some time after that. I have that dress in the wardrobe too. It fits my 17 year old beautifully. I would love her to wear it for her Debs but it is probably not fashionable enough.

[Annis C.]

No wedding dress for me. But we will be celebrating 4o years on the 28th. Our kids are treating us to dinner today. I made my sister's wedding dress when I was 18 and my sister-in-law's a few years later. And I've made my fair share of bridesmaid dresses. I didn't keep any of them though. My daughter's store bought wedding dress is still in my closet almost 9 years later. I was deep into quilting by then and no time for sewing dresses. Although I might have if she really wanted me to. But she saw how much trouble it was for a cousin's mother to make a dress and decided to buy hers ready made. My mother had a blue velvet wedding dress. It was also store bought. I have it now but it will be going to the oldest granddaughter when she is ready for it. She tried it on when visiting last summer. I couldn't even get it over my head.

[Annis C.]

I wore my mother's wedding dress, after altering it to fit me, fortunately she hadn't cut the bust/waist darts as instructed in the pattern. It was originally made by my mother and Gran from a brocade fabric and Gran had embroidered over the rosebuds & leaves down the front panel in pale pinks, yellows & greens. By the way I it is back at mum & dads for storage.

As for a christening gown, we still have the one that was made for my Gran (mother's mother), as well as about 4 baby dresses that were made at the same time. The family tale is that a great-aunt was 'walking out' with a 'traveller in lace' and got hold of some of his lace samples, which included matching insertion and narrow & wide edgings with cherubs as well a quite a few other pieces. The christening dress has been worn by at least 10 babies from my family and is now being kept for possibly another generation.

[Caroline A.]

I've made wedding dresses for both my daughter and DIL. Mine was borrowed from my cousin when we married so I didn't have one of my own. That was 54 years ago. How time flies!

[Jules M.]

My aunt made my wedding dress, from fabrics I chose at Joann's!!! :lol: It is not fancy at all. At the reception, some pink frosting hit my dress and I didn't know that until the dress got to my new home, 2 weeks later. I sprayed it with Shout and thru it in my new washer. All clean!! It hangs on my husband's side of the closet covered w/ a cheap plastic bag from a mall store. :insert much laughter:

My daughter tried it on when she was in jr high and I couldn't zip it. NOT because she is big or bigger than me, just b/c her structure is more like Dad's side than mine. She is a size 2!

I've thought for several years of making a quilt from it but just have not started. I'll have to look up the makeover challenge. I have had ideas swirling for a few years.

Now the funnier part....
Our daughter has her BFA degree in Fashion Design. Before meeting her dream of hat designer/milliner, she is working her tail off as Wedding Gown Coordinator for THE place in Chicago to have your gown preserved. They also do alterations and cleaning & pressing before the wedding. Like major designer level gowns. Many $10K gowns EACH DAY!! She oversees all that activity and makes sure the gowns are detailed correctly, paid, and arrived at the right place at the right time. She's an ol' pro at the top bridal shows at Trump or the Ritz or the Waldorf and does the whole valet parking. (quite the change from the farm girl)

ANYWAY, she had NO idea about gown preservation when she went for the interview (I had to explain it) as she knows where mine hangs. <--that's the funny part. And she is OK with me making a quilt out of mine.

[Betty J.]

I saw that interesting challenge from Bernina. It is very intriguing. But I don't have my dress any longer. My mother crocheted my wedding dress, which was totally lovely. Unfortunately, we had a flood (decades ago) while we were in Canada. The flood was so bad it tore up the street in front of our house, and totally flooded our lower level, where my wedding dress was stored. My dress was totally ruined (as were a lot of other things, including my sewing area). I used to make wedding dresses for people and I have a bunch of delightful scraps (some people didn't want the scraps :shock: ). Someday I'll use them in one or more quilts...won't work for the challenge, but this makes me think I'd like to do this sooner rather than later.

[Hannelore N.]

Have a go. Joyce! The prize is a good one, and even if you don't win, I think the project itself would be a lot of fun.

[Jules M.]

Feel free to send me an email or private message on your thoughts on adding "something blue". :?: :?: :?:

[Jules M.]

My dress was preserved after our wedding in a box from the dry cleaners. I has a window so I can look at it whenever I want. Luckily my 17 yr old likes my dress and has said that she would like to wear it when and if she gets married. If it doesn't fit her, then she has my blessing to have it repurposed into a new dress. But that is many years away. Right now she is looking towards college.

[Jules M.]

My daughter are both better endowed than I was and couldn't fit in my dress. I made one daughter's and altered the other daughter's. I have made more prom dresses than I care to think about.

[Jules M.]

I just sold mine to a friend of a friend. She got a deal,and I went to a spa with the proceeds. I guess I'm not a sentimental as I used to be. Plus, I only have sons.

[Catherine S.]

I still have my wedding dress from 45 years ago. It is in a tote in the basement. I four daughters, all married and all had a dress of their own. I am still saving mine, just because I am a saver and it means alot to me. Maybe one of my 9 (so far) granddaughters might want to wear it. If not that is ok too. They will still be able to see what grandma wore to her wedding. I wonder what kind of dress my grandmother may have worn? It is history and fascinating to me. My husband wore his Air Force uniform. I saved one of those too. Not the one he wore in the wedding though, but one he wore when he retired 20 years later. I all fits in with my love of genealogy, my other passion.

[fiona j.]

Mine is safely wrapped in the loft, along with the spare fabric from when my mum made it! It wasn't a traditional dress but made from a 1928-style pattern and in a bluey-green satin with butterflies woven into the pattern. The intention was to remove the shoulder cape and add short sleeves but I never had occasion to need a dress like that. Twenty four years later, it won't fit my eldest 2 girls and looks like the 7 yr old will be far taller too. Maybe one day I will do something with the fabric. After all, I still have a passion for butterflies!
As for something actually blue, I put blue ribbon bows on my underwear. For borrowed and old, i had a Roman denarius coin in my shoe that my aunt had in her show when she married.
And all four of my children had their own christening gowns so that they can pass them on when the time comes. (Not for years yet, I hope!)