How to Make Crafts Using Old Wedding Dresses

Crafting with old wedding dresses, whether they are heirloom items or not, can give a touch of elegance to whatever you're creating. Whether it's artwork, something sewn or something memorable, you can use your imagination to make a craft anyone can enjoy. So dig up those old wedding dresses, pull out some sharp scissors and start crafting.

Make blankets, quilts or pillows with pieces of the wedding dresses that you have. Cut gowns into squares and make them into quilts. These can be heirloom items if you're using old wedding dresses from your family. Cut pieces of the dresses and sew them together to create decorative pillow cases. Use some of the embellishments from the dresses, like beading or decorative lace, to add dimension to the pillows. Make the items into a special keepsake by sewing in the date of the wedding as well as the bride's name and groom's name.

Use the dresses to create artwork. Dye the dresses different colors, or paint the dresses. To go for a more traditional look, leave the dresses in their natural state. Then, create abstract art by cutting the dress fabric into different shapes and using the lace, beads and other embellishments to create new patterns. Frame these pieces and display them as art. Glue bridal lace or bead work embellishments around a picture frame for extra elegance.

Create smaller items out of these large and sometimes bulky dresses. Make Victorian-style Christmas ornaments by using cloth ball templates and stuffing them with batting. Use pieces of the lace, beading or parts of the dresses and glue them onto pieces of clothing as appliqued embellishments. Create handkerchiefs for future brides to use as their "something old." Find a dress pattern for teddy bears and use the wedding dresses as the fabric for the patterns.

Create memorable keepsake crafts for future generations out of old wedding dresses. Create a Christmas tree skirt with the dress and use it every year for Christmas. Cut out panels of fabric from the dress to use as a scrapbook cover. Put pictures of your wedding in that scrapbook, or cover an empty book and give it to your kids or grand kids who are getting married. Use part of the wedding dress as the background for a shadowbox that includes other items from the wedding, such as dried flowers from the bouquet, or the guest book.