Crocheted Wedding Dress

[SaxDragon]

I got a last minute fill-in job to play a wedding and reception. The bride was wearing her great grandmother's wedding dress, all homemade in Spain circa 1920. The bodice overlay was thread crochet with real perals worked into the necjline (small ones from a brocken necklace, the big ones were made into earrings she was also wearing). Beautiful. Can't imagine the hours it must have taken or the care to keep the dress in such wonderful condition for nearly a century (she did change out of it before the cake and dancing). True family heirloom :-)

[Christina92786]

That's so awesome! I would love to have an heirloom dress like that to wear someday! No such luck though! My mom's wedding dress looks like its from the 70's, which it was, but not in style right now!

[italianchildhood]

That sounds absolutely wonderful, what an amazing thing, and to keep it all that time, as you say. I would love to have seen it.

[Miss Crochet]

I'm looking for a pattern for a crochet wedding dress. I've Googled it and seen the ones that are available online (mostly vintage stuff) but I find it a bit dated - yes, I know it's vintage but there is a point where something old-fashioned looks cool to you and these designs have reached that point for me yet.

Any hints / tips / resources / directions?

Many thanks!

[Auntie Kellie]

I would love to see a picture of the great grandmother's wedding dress. It sounds beautiful.

 

Miss Crochet, you could do what I did. Grab a few sewing patterns and work on designing your own. I'm still working on it and hubby can't complain about the constant need for more white.

 

Hugs and Cookies

Auntie K

[RoseRed]

I wish you had gotten a pic of it.

[coolhockeymom]

sounds beautiful

[MaryPat]

I'm looking for a pattern for a crochet wedding dress. I've Googled it and seen the ones that are available online (mostly vintage stuff) but I find it a bit dated - yes, I know it's vintage but there is a point where something old-fashioned looks cool to you and these designs have reached that point for me yet.

Any hints / tips / resources / directions?

Many thanks!

 

I've seen two wedding dresses in crochet books. One in a Magic Crochet issue (don't have time to look right now) and the other in ASN "The Crochet Yearbook" #1.

 

I also saw an article years ago about taking a simple dress pattern for a sheath dress and creating a crochet pattern right down the middle of the front. Sort of a you-choose-the-dress-pattern and then choose-your-crochet-inset.

[ReniC]

That's so awesome! I would love to have an heirloom dress like that to wear someday! No such luck though! My mom's wedding dress looks like its from the 70's, which it was, but not in style right now!

 

Christina- Don't know if you live in a larger area but there are professional seamstresses that change heirloom wedding dresses into what you would prefer. Many years ago my grandmother did this for some of her clients. It was expensive though.

[beautifullyhaunted]

Wow! That's amazing! I cant even imagine the time and love put into that

[Christina92786]

I didn't know that They did that....someday when I do get married I'll have to see about maybe doing something from my mom's dress....It would probably be easier to just find a new one! Mom's is high on the neckline and long in the back, so I don't think I'd be very comfy in it! We'll see someday!

[alibra]

It sounds like one amazing dress, I bet she looked beautiful in it!!

[SaxDragon]

I checked the local papers (at least the ones we get here) and no photo (no mention of the wedding either, so I suppose it is either in another town's paper or not in this week's edition). I was hoping I could link to it or something if she wore the dress for the announcement picture.

 

I could kick myself about not keeping my car keys with me (left them in the horn case durring the performances). I have one of those cheap little digital cameras on the ring. Of course, I have no idea if it even still workds as often as I drop my keys on the pavement :-)

 

I can only imagine that great grandmother's family in Spain must have had some money to have afforded the pearls. The family here obviously has money as well - very large, nice ranch house where the wedding was held. I rode with a couple of other band members (since I had no idea where we were playing), so all I know about the location is that we headed initially towards Mexico, and went right down a county road for about an hour or so - reminded me of hunting season when I was a kid (long drive, dark roads, deer in the brush, etc - the house, though was a world apart from the cabin we had LOL).

 

The dress has yellowed a little with age (the crochet more so than the satin), but not so much that it couldn't still be called white. The bodice overlay was made up of many, many small flower motifs (like a table cloth) which produced a scalloped edge along the waistline and sleeves.

 

I'm so itching to find my steele hooks and thread, yet I know I won't enjoy making any doilies (much less an overlay) uintil I get my bifocals LOL

[SaxDragon]

It sounds like one amazing dress, I bet she looked beautiful in it!!

 

 

She did :-)

 

She wore flowers in her hair rather than a viel (still beautiful, but I wondered if there had been a viel and she chose not to wear it or it didn't survive the years as well as the dress).

 

I've wondered, too, how many women of the family have gotten to wear it. How many more will? At what point will it be too old and fragile? I suppose someday it will be sealed in a keepsake box, maybe one that can be displayed like art. It was art in every sense of the word :-)