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What to do with an old wedding dress?
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Posted by nancedar (My Page) on Thu, Dec 20, 07 at 8:50
| My new DIL has a family passed down wedding dress that 13 brides have worn. She asked me if I could somehow make it into something useful since she was too tall to have me remake it for her wedding. She was not impressed with a covered photo album I had made (and it was quite nice) just not her style. And pillows would look out of place for her decorating style. Any ideas?
Nancy the nancedar |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: What to do with an old wedding dress?
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| Maybe a cloth doll dressed in a wedding dress? |
RE: What to do with an old wedding dress?
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| Make a skirt for a baby bassinet. |
RE: What to do with an old wedding dress?
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salena - no children to play with it and she doesn't "do" country decor (which I think would be adorable, but in MY house)
trudymom - my new DIL is 47 so no need for a bassinet. Nancy the nancedar |
RE: What to do with an old wedding dress?
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| How about sachets for the drawers or to hang on closet hangers? |
RE: What to do with an old wedding dress?
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| Can it be used to make a flower girl's dress? Otherwise, why not store it and keep the tradition going? Are there no nieces or cousins or even friends' daughters that may want or need a gown in the future? |
RE: What to do with an old wedding dress?
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Bedskirt? Padded hangers? A quilt?
Kathy G in MI |
RE: What to do with an old wedding dress?
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| Make a small Christmas ornament or jewelry bag from a piece of it, keeping most of the dress intact. Sell or donate the dress. |
RE: What to do with an old wedding dress?
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| A friend of mine, had dresses made for 5 little Teddy bears out of her Mothers wedding dress. She gave each one of her sisters one of the bears and kept one for herself....It was just a keepsake and she kept it on a bookshelf in her sewing room so it didn't matter if it matched her decor...I know that they all loved the bears because I made the dresses and they all send thank you's to me... |
RE: What to do with an old wedding dress?
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| Since your new DIL has strong feelings of what she doesn't like and what doesn't go with her decorating ideas, I suggest that 'she' draw up a list of things to do with the dress that would suit her. Then you could select something(s) from the list that she likes and that you are able to make. |
RE: What to do with an old wedding dress?
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| Good suggestion, gininmn! I personally do not think a quilt or a pillow would be very comfortable made out of satiny, slippery wedding dress fabric. I like the idea of making some small sachets to give to all the brides who have worn the dress, then maybe making "dress up" clothes for any daughters of those brides? Teresa |
RE: What to do with an old wedding dress?
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| I forgot to mention that after I finished the bears that I did, I still had a handful of scraps and I could not for some reason bring myself to throw away those scraps, so I made a little pillow and stuff it with fiber fill and the rest of the scraps and she used it on the bed in her guest room... I got so emotionally involved in that dress, the bears and my friend and all of her sisters ....it's funny that the little pillow thing came back to me as I was reading this thread. This was about 15 to 20 years ago now... |
RE: What to do with an old wedding dress?
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| What about using the silk to cover the matting inside a picture frame? You could use their wedding photo. I also like the sachet idea. |
RE: What to do with an old wedding dress?
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| I will tell you what I did with mine. When my youngest daughter was ready to make her first Holy communion. I got a pattern for her size and cut it down but didnot change the design except for the long sleeves I made them short. I still have that dress hanging in my closet....she is now married and has 2 girls,One in college and other a junior in High School. I like some of ideas others gave. |
RE: What to do with an old wedding dress?
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| Here's what I'm wondering: If thirteen brides have worn the dress successfully, why not save it for the next bride? Why is your new DIL the end of the line? How is the dress handed down? I'm a sentimental old girl and still have my own yellowed gown, plus the gown and all the scraps from the gowns I made for my own dtr's wedding. No reason to keep them, I just do. Someone should be the proud keeper of tradition in your DIL's family. |
RE: What to do with an old wedding dress?
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| The next possible brides would be my 20-something granddaughters who are even taller than my new DIL, and don't plan on marrying anytime soon, and have no interest in an "old" dress. And, as I said, the fabric is pretty shabby looking, with no hope of remaking it into something pretty for a wedding or communion dress. The dress was handed down in my DIL's family and a few family members. The oldest bride is in her 90's so the fabric is about 70 years old. Many of the brides are no longer with us on this earth. There are no other nieces or nephews of hers for there to be the "next" bride. The silk has held up well and can be washed, (I tested a small piece) but there are lots of shreds of what was lace and organdy hand sewn on. Not much of that can be salvaged and it has yellowed and disintegrated in some portions. I loved ideas from you all. I've come down to three: to use it like a background for a collage of all the brides photos in one large frame for my DIL to display wherever, to make large sachets for all the remaining past brides, and the one my own daughter had, to make it into a tablecloth to fit a card table. The wedding guest book could be displayed on it with all the brides' photos, or used at another future wedding, or for Christmas base for a fake tree - since it in itself is "festive", and decorate the tree with pearl garlands, white bows, and such. Such creative geniuses you all are! Thanks for so much inspiration. I'm going to think on this for a while and let you know - hopefully to post a picture too. |
RE: What to do with an old wedding dress?
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| I made a first communion dress out of my neice's wedding dress for my grandson's half sister.. it turned out really pretty... |
RE: What to do with an old wedding dress?
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| How about making a christening outfit (or two?...girl and boy) to be passed down? The tradition continues! |
RE: What to do with an old wedding dress?
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| A friend took her wedding dress and turned it into a wonderful Christmas Tree skirt. |
RE: What to do with an old wedding dress?
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| I dont know youor DIL's style but you could always "funk it up" a bit and dye it a real bright colour. Or...leave it natural and make a cool appliqued pillow (as the attached picture shows). I know, not sensitive or traditional but....still uber-ly cool! Cheers! :o) |
Here is a link that might be useful: Appliqued Wedding Dress Pillow Idea
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