This was one of my kcwc creations, but I didn’t get around to sewing the button on and photographing it that week. I have a non-sentimental friend who was going to throw away her wedding dress. THROW IT AWAY!! Unheard of! I am such a hoarder and memory-keeper that I actually envy her totally non-sentimentality. I could just never throw away my wedding dress.
So she decided to be a little sentimental and asked me to turn it into a little tiny white dress for a future baby girl. I should note that she left the dress with me last August, so it’s been well over a year. It’s really hard to cut into a wedding dress, even if it’s not yours! But thank goodness for kcwc for giving me the motivation to just do it.
She had a few requests for the dress, a sash that ties in the back, long enough to cover the feet, etc. So that’s what I did! The bodice is self-lined and the back closes with a little bit of ruffle elastic and a shiny button. The hem is the hem of the wedding dress, it has a little sparkle on it, so I preserved that.
It really didn’t take much fabric to make this tiny dress, so now I have a ton of wedding dress left over.
Did you know it is an old tradition to turn the train of a wedding dress into a christening gown for the first baby? Maybe I could cut into just my train, but probably not! Could you ever cut into your wedding dress?
So cute! I borrowed my wedding dress… I fall into the non-sentimental category. No chance of cutting into that! :)
What a neat idea! I love how that turned out. Simple and sweet. I’m very unsentimental, too–I would cut into my wedding dress in a heartbeat. Well, I might be scared to do it myself. But I’d let someone else who is more talented at sewing than I am cut into it. Great job!
In my possession is the family blessing (christening) dress. My great-grandmother made it from the underskirt of her wedding dress in 1912. It’s a farmer’s version. The only lace on it is hand-tatted, because she made it herself, and the only other “fancy” decorations are drawn work and tiny, tiny pintucks. Two years ago, I was ironing it in preparation for use with Lizzy, my sister’s little girl, and I discovered that Great-Grandma had left the gathering stitches in the skirt of the matching slip. Suddenly, I was *connected* to her, because I can’t even count the number of times I’ve forgotten to pull out gathering stitches. I can understand why she left them–it was in the slip where it would never show and she was a busy farmer’s wife. She died when I was small, so I don’t remember her, but in that moment, I knew her because of a then almost century old garment.
And more intimidating than cutting into any existing garment is washing and ironing one that’s seen a hundred years of babies blessed in it. I researched for *months* before I dared wash and iron it! (It’s now sitting with it’s matching tatted lace hat wrapped and carefully stuffed in acid free paper in a special box in my sewing closet, waiting for the next baby. I carefully wash it after each baby and pack it away again.)
What a beautiful story of rich history! What a blessing to have something so special :)
Hi, Kate
This is a lovely dress.
Pretty. And I’ve thought about cutting into mine but I probably won’t ever.
Gorgeous, but I could never cut up my wedding dress. I like to put it on each year on our anniversary. After 9 years, it still fits! This year my 4 year old daughter also tried it on, just for fun. It made for some really cute pictures!
Kate I just did that same thing past summer for a friend but I used her First Communion Dress (which was a little easier to cut into than a wedding dress!). It’s here:
http://thatsmyletter.blogspot.com/2012/08/c-is-for-christening-gown.html
It makes it so much more special knowing it was ‘passed down’ from the mother to the child. A nice way to make memories.
I sold my dress right after the wedding.. so I am unsentimental too I guess! I do have a piece of the train that we cut off in alterations though, in case I ever come up with something clever. That little dress is adorable though! Stephanie
This is beautiful! We got married 5 days after we got engaged (he’s Air Force and they said we HAD to get married ASAP…so we did!). I still have the little white sundress I wore at the courthouse, but never use it anymore. I could absolutely see myself turning the dress (since there is no train) into a christening gown. I actually like that idea, since I know I won’t actually wear it again.
I don’t think I could cut my wedding dress. I want to use it for a photo shoot for my girl, hopefully next year. I got the idea off Pinterest, and something similar to what Pam (comment above) did. Photograph my girl at 3 years old in my wedding dress and that photo will be placed at her wedding, should she choose to get married that is.
My son wore an outfit that my husband wore when he was baptised. I had my grandmother make a gown for my girl, which was pretty cool since my grandma is also my godmother and I am the only girl godchild she has. She actually made two dresses one sort of short like a party dress and the other a longer traditional gown. I used the long one. And I will keep it for future grandchildren should I be blessed with them as well.
I fully planned on using part of my wedding dress for a blessing dress for Ruth and a baptism dress for Grace…but when the time came to make Ruth’s dress I just couldn’t chop into it…Crazy, but I just couldn’t do it. I’m waaaaaaay to sentimental.
-liZ
I can’t decide if it’s the sentimental part of me or the “THAT COST ME $600 of blood sweat and tears….I cleaned toilets, worked retail, and telephone surveys to get that thing!!” part of me that wouldn’t let myself do that! My sister in law had our aunt (who is a talented seamstress like you) do it to her wedding dress and it was beautiful.
Very cute, you did a great job!
How special!! Pretty sure I couldn’t ever cut into my wedding dress. I’m a hoarder, memory keeper, too.
you cant do your wedding dress because of the lace…so don’t even consider it, but maybe a dress like this.
Nope, couldn’t cut into my dress either! My sis wore my dress in her wedding too, so I guess part of the memories are hers too. I do envy your friend though, that’s amazing that she was just gonna toss it! Glad you could help her out, and you did a fantastic job!
I’m actually wanting to get some photos retaken in my wedding dress. That was 12yrs ago and the photography wasn’t all that great. I’d love some pretty shots like I see today. Maybe someday soon!
I’m hoping my lil girl would like to wear mine one day. If she wants to alter it to her needs, I think I would be OK with it then :)
I have thought many times about cutting into my wedding dress but keep stalling purely because I want the project to be for something special. I just haven’t found that something yet.
I have no issues with cutting it up mind you. It was handmade for me and while it holds special memories, I will never wear it again and that is what the photos are for right? To keep the memories of the day. I hope that someday I will be able to make a prom dress for my daughter from it.
That is ADORABLE! Nice job! I’m with you though…I could never cut into my wedding dress (even if it is just stuck sitting in a box)!
My mother turned her dress into a Christmas tree skirt. There wasn’t enough fabric to make one for me and one for my brother so she alternated peices of the lace with green velvet. It is stunning and wonderful to be able to take it out and admire it every year.
Oh what a sweet, sweet dress! I could never cut into my dress either, but I love that she had YOU do it! ;)
So beautiful! You did a great job!
I recently did a wedding dress to baptism dress. check it out if you want http://moniqueysboutiquey.blogspot.com/2012/11/from-wedding-dress-to-baptism-dress.html
I made my own wedding dress back in the nice simple ’70’s. Almost narrow empire waist sweet heart neck, you’ve all seen that pattern. When my daughter got married we took the skirt portion and made it into the petticoat for her to wear under the royal blue silk she had chosen for me to make her “Irish dress” style Renaissance style gown. Her mother in law supplied the veil from her first wedding and everyone felt “included.”
Too bad for us, her husband is an agnostic so we didn’t get to do any kind of blessing.
My mom made her wedding dress almost 50 years ago, and she did turn hers into a christening/baptism gown and coverings for the cradle she had all of us in. I bought mine 22 years ago, and I still have it totally whole. However, I do have my sister’s dress somewhere in one of my cupboards too. My mom made this one, and after the wedding went sour, I was the one who ended up with it. That one definitely will be cut down in the future. There really is a lot of material in it, and sometimes it’s why not cut it down….
You did it!!! Yay! Maybe now I can convince my Mom to do it to my dress now.
Yay, you did it! Looks great! Maybe now I can convince my Mom to cut into my dress.
I kind of hope one of my daughters might wear mine – perhaps with some alterations.
I designed my dress and had someone make it for me. My seamstress gave me all the scraps from my dress to make a blessing dress for my first girl. The girl part has yet to happen, but I thought it was a wonderful idea! I don’t think I could ever cut into my dress!
My grandmother’s wedding dress was made into a baptismal gown and jacket that has been worn by several of her grandchildren and now great-grandchildren, as well as a pillow that has been used at some family weddings. I think they pulled out the dress in the late 70s when one of her daughters was getting married and discovered it had some stains that made it unwearable. I guess that makes it a lot easier to cut into!