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Trash To Treasure

Grandmothers wedding dress

19 years ago

Hello everyone;

I have been trying to think of a neat way to display my Grandmothers wedding dress. My heart was set on an old dressmakers form, but I haven't seen a single one! What else can I do so I can enjoy my treasure??? :-)

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Comments (10)

User
19 years ago
I typed in "keyword" mannequin on ebay and you can buy these relatively cheaply. They even have a "hanging one" for under 10 dollars.
User
19 years ago
By the way....the old dressmaker's forms are also listed...a little pricey though!!!
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Where's Your Wedding Gown??
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Comments (35)
Very interesting tradition of the Amish wedding dress. My great-grandmother was a Seminole and they had different tradition. If you look at the woman on the left in the photo I've linked you'll see that she wears a large collection of bead necklaces. Upon birth a Seminole female would receive a bead necklace, and over the years she'd add more necklaces. At middle age she would start removing them one by one until at her death she would be left with the original necklace she received at her birth. Seminoles also had their own version of the birthing room. If a death occurred in the confines of their village the would abandon the village and find a new spot to set up camp. Infant mortality was quite high in those times and in order to keep from moving constantly they would set up a small shelter just outside the boundaries of the village as a birthing shelter. Here is a link that might be useful: Seminole Women boiling cane sugar
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What to do? Mother's wedding dress (pic heavy)
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Comments (28)
DLM, I think that you will never be sorry to have kept them. To keep them from being seen as "clutter" after you're gone, get them them properly packed and stored and then pick the right person to have custody of them for the next generation. It may be one of your DIL, or if you have nieces or nephews, perhaps one of them. I'd choose someone who appreciates family stories, and who would be a good - and generous with access -custodian of shared family history. In my DH's family when I got engaged there was a small family gathering,(mostly female) and the wedding dresses and some other family wedding memorabilia were sort of the organizing theme for the party. It was a great way to meet my some of my in-laws-to-be and feel included in my new family's story, Since my engagement diamond was re-set from an family piece, everyone wanted to see it in my new ring. It was a lovely tradition and I plan to do it when my nephew finally settles on a bride - even if it seems a bit old fashioned. What else is an elderly aunt for? Many times I hear people express a bit of envy that in my family and in my DH's we have so many "heirlooms" from generations gone by. Some things have by sheer old age have now become valuable, but most still have only modest monetary value. But they all tell the stories of the family - sometimes in modest circustances and sometimes not. Each succeeding generation chose to take care of these items and pass them on,probably always at some cost of in terms of time, trouble, or even perhaps the forgone value of selling them. This speaks volumes about the values cherished and passed down in our families. And that alone is worth the effort preserving these things as totems of the clan. Anyone can start one's own chain of family hierlooms, today. It has to start somewhere. L.
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And then the bride tossed the bouquet....
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Comments (26)
My folks just celebrated their 50th anniversary. Mom had her wedding dress and the little satin Juliette cap she'd made; AND my aunt still had her bridesmaid dress. Mom hung them both up at the reception. It made me think about whether I should keep my own dress, and headband, etc. I think I will. Thank goodness it's not that large--just a tea-length party dress, really, only in white silk dupione. Mom also has my grandmother's wedding dress; it was sort of nice to see it 15 years ago, when I was planning my own wedding. I used the sash from it to tie my bouquet (and now I can't remember where it went!! I'm hoping it's in the closet with the wedding dress itself). I have some extra fabric from my wedding dress (we made it, and I bought plenty in case I changed my mind and wanted it floor length), and I think I'll keep that. I used some of it to make a baptism gown, and I might want to make another so each of my kids can have one to hand down.
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And speaking about dresses.....Pippa's wedding dress!
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Comments (47)
I heard on tv somewhere that her dress was silk cotton lace - that sounds soft and lovely to me. I can't get enough of the pictures of the entire wedding party and guests LOL, not sure why it has such a fascination to me. I also remember being entranced with Diana at her wedding and afterwards when her babies were born, I just never got tired of seeing them. I also fondly remember following Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Eisenhower when they were married, and I even took a day off from work to watch Tara and Phillip get married on All My Children (that was pre-vcr recording days)! I'm sure when I put my mind to it I'll remember some more weddings that fascinated me. Oh right, Jenna Bush Hager just popped into my head. And Katie Couric's second wedding looked lovely! I guess I could keep going!
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nonacook
19 years ago
Have a frame made and put it under glass--hang it on the wall!
hallngarden
19 years ago
Entwife, I have two wedding gowns on my wall in the family room. I have each of my grandmothers and have them on a padded hanger and placed the veil above the neckline and let it fall over the top of the dresses. I do have one extra, I have both of the wedding pictures for each beside the dresses. For years, I had them protected in a box for safe keeping and one day just decided to get them out for display. Both have been on display for over 5 years and I get them down and run through the cold cycle on my dryer ever so often. Noticed no damage to them, and I sure enjoy having them out. Both of them date back to about 1910. Just enjoy them whatever way you feel comfortable.
Hallngarden
JoJo_Ohio
19 years ago
My wedding dress 28 years ago was a long cotton dress that had lace at the neckline and a lot of detail at the cuffs. I hung it on a padded hanger and placed it on the door of a spare bedroom that is decorated in victorian. Over the years it has faded and yellowed. It really does look antique now.
joelke
19 years ago
On a craft forum, a lady needed a dressmakers form and just made one. She put on an old tight fitting tee shirt and had a friend put duct tape all over it while it was on her. Then they cut it up the back so she could get it off. She then stuffed it with fiberfill packed as tightly as she could. She then made a muslin cover to cover up the tape. It would be light weight and could be hung or stick a post on a base up the middle to stand. Ever since I read that on the forum, I have been planning to try it. Good luck. You have a wonderful keepsake. Joyce
GrassIsEvil
19 years ago
I'm wondering. If you took the duct tape base and covered it with papier mache? You would have a lightweight shell and wouldn't have to fight with the stuffing.

Ray
babblingbetty
19 years ago
What a wonderful treasure! The idea to "make your own" sounds easy, BUT....in my case...who wants all those humps and bumps in another wedding gown...much less hanging on the wall!
avyona
18 years ago
Why not have the dress made into a quilt? I perform this service professionally for a price ranging from 100-250 depending on the dress and whats involved. I have outlined the detials and answered commonly asked questions at my ebay auction. The link is below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wedding Dress Quilt
honey_pott
18 years ago
avyona,
No advertising is allowed in any of the forums. this is one of gardenweb's rules. In case you didn't know, this is a forum for some very talented people to share there projects and ideas with the not so talented (like myself). Your quilts are very pretty, however, this is not the place to solicite sales.
Lesley

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