September 9, 2010

When I See Wedding Dresses I Think Fabric!

Yes, lots and lots of fabric!  

The Community Thrift had a sale on wedding dresses at 50% off their already low prices.  They ended up costing between $2-$4 each!  How could I pass them up.  OK, you should have seen the people stare at my cart heaping with dresses.

All I can see is yards of netting. 


Appliques



Buttons

 This one still had the tags.  I hope it was "Her" that changed her mind!



Lace



Silk hand made flowers and more buttons.



Maybe I could make pillows with beautiful lace.



Or more wedding stools







Do you think this is maybe tooooo thrifty?  Am I the only one looking at dresses, tablecloths, or sheets and thinking fabric?



Happy Crafting,
Carol
Have I told you lately how much I appreciate all of your comments?  I do!  No one in my real life gets what I do, I would never show them the dresses, they are hidden in  my closet. 

39 comments:

Michelle said...

Wow! Great score, Carol! I look at dresses and sheets, etc. all the time as fabric sources. Can't wait to see what you create from them! :)

Linda @ A La Carte said...

No you are brilliant! Now I will look at wedding dresses and think, lace, buttons, appliques and more!

Jo said...

I get it! and yes I have done the same thing, my dining room drapes were tablecloths - everyone is shocked when I tell them. I buy things for the buttons and lace - usually cheaper than buying new Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

They are so lovely. I can see why you were inspired! I can even imagine one being displayed on a mannequin.
Happy creating!
Roselle

Connie said...

I think you made a fantastic haul, sugar! WOW. I'd love to have gotten those just for the embellishments alone.
xoxo,
Connie

Francie...The Scented Cottage Studio said...

LOL that's what i see too and the same with bridesmaid or any fancy dress...I also see rosettes and fabric strips and purses oh my! I have never found such great deals though. You are the shoppin' queen !
(())
Francie

Mosaic Magpie said...

What a great find. Lucky girl, you can never have too many wedding dresses.
Debbie

nannykim said...

Wow what wonderful buys and what a great idea!

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

Carol. I am so with you on this!! I use tablecloths for the fabric on my victorian crafted pieces. I get beautiful damask tablecloths and spend a fraction of what i would be spending at a Fabric store!
I just posted two of the sets I made using tablecloths as the fabric.

Hugs,
Debbie

Sissie's Shabby Cottage said...

Nope you are not alone in this one girlfriend! I am forever looking for prom and wedding dresses for that very reason....all that lucious, beautiful fabric and trims. Everytime I find one I really love, I end up saving it for just the perfect project. Next thing I know my closet is full! LOL!

hugs
Sissie

Anonymous said...

Wow! You got a great deal. I see the potential in the fabric when I see wedding dresses and such too. You can't buy what you get from one dress for what you pay for a vintage dress...and just using the word vintage in your description of an item that you make from them makes them more desirable to potential customers. It is a win win situation!

Unknown said...

I feel the same way!! Just the other day I bought a vintage beat up hat so that I could rip off the gorgeous silk flowers and use them in my art..ha,haaa!

Sandy xox

Debbie said...

Too thrify?? Is there such a thing? I can't believe that you got those for less than five bucks! There is no telling how much money you saved on lovely trims and laces.

BTW, I gave you a shout out on my blog for inspiring me to print my own fabric on the home computer. I just linked to your home page rather than that particular post because EVERYTHING you do here inspires me.

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

OH I SO get this, Carol! What a fabulous find!!

Bring Pretty Back said...

What a GREAT idea!!!! How much fun you can have with all of these dresses!
Have a pretty day!
Kristin

GARAGE SALE GAL said...

Hi Carol,
Blogland is awesome and the few "friends" that I have don't know about my blog...I so understand and never thought about wedding dresses...I need a bigger house!
The garage sale went pretty good and tomorrow I'm dropping off some stuff at the thrift store..oh no...NOW I must go inside and find a wedding dress!
Happy weekend.
Warmly,
deb :)

Debbiedoos said...

That is awesome Carol. I had to pop over and comment, even though I still am not feeling great, I may miss this post. What a great deal, the possibilities are endless. YOu are going to have some fun with these dresses.

Nelly said...

Oooh, you really lucked out! I always look for wedding or bridesmaids dresses also for all the dreamy embellishments and tulle, especially. Have fun with them.

Nelly

Holly Lefevre said...

Everything = fabric to me! What a steal!

Brenda said...

I would love to find a find like that. What wonderful laces, buttons and trims for crazy quilting projects.

Debbie Sews Rweto said...

Carol,
I see fabric potential in everything. What a great price you got on those dresses. I am so envious. OOOOH-the wonderful things you are going to be able to create!!.

Lemon Lane Studio said...

Wow, Carol. I would have never thought of wedding dresses for such a great score. Great, another reason to head into the thriftstore! I GET IT!!!! Patty

Laurie Brown said...

Oh, what a score! *envy*

I find old prom dresses at yard sales and buy them for the fabric, but they are usually just cheap satin with no lace etc. Old wedding dresses go for $50 to $70 at the thrifts here, so imagine my happiness when I found a silk dupioni wedding gown, with LOTS of beady, sequiney appliques, for $10! It's got a lot of stains on it- it appears to have been used as a Halloween costume and dragged through the streets- but there is a TON of good fabric to be cut out of it.

I look for fabric everywhere. Everything can be repurposed...

Anonymous said...

Wow love them your so lucky! Blessings,
Happy Pink Saturday

Anonymous said...

When I look at clothing at the thrift store (on discount day, of course) I call it "fabric shopping." I may buy an item for the buttons or trims and figure out what to do with the left overs later.
I almost did a similar wedding dress shopping spree at a theatre group costume sell off. But the people I was shopping with said I'd have to walk home. (They can be no fun sometimes.)

La said...

Carol, I look forward to seeing what you will make with your new wedding fabric. La

Debbiedoos said...

Carol you are kidding right? on the leaf plates? OK the frame is OPEN barn wood, NO glass, put your hand through it Hello you with me:) You are so funny!!~ I am staying away from these crummy boys too...no kisses from me!

Pamela Kellogg said...

Carol, first, thank you for the kind comments you left for me on my blog. Honestly, the loss of appetite didn't bother me in the least! It was the aversion to eating that scared me. I'm at a point now where I can make light of it to a certain point. I just tell myself I'm eccentric, not crazy. LOL!!!

Now I want to tell you that your thrift finds are amazing!! Yes, I too buy wedding dresses when I find them for dirt cheap. I cut them up for the fabric, the lace and the appliques. Wish I could get them at my thrift store for under $5.00. They're usually about $40.00 so I wait until I see them at garage sales and pick them up there for only about $5.00.

No, I see dresses, tablecloths and all sorts of things and say, wow, look at all that fabric!

I just bought a ratting old beaded purse the other day for 94 cents. The fabric on it was good so I cut it off and will use it on a crazy quilt. Perhaps on my Marie Antoinette quilt!

Anonymous said...

what a steal you got on the dresses Carol. I often see the beautiful dresses in the thrifts and think some new bride could really save some money by buying her dress there. (but then that's just me). Loved the rosettes on that one dress. I have a gorgeous dressing gown from the 1920's that is satin and lace and about a size sub 0. I can't bear to cut it up so I use it for photo shoots. Hope you have a wonderful week! xoxo Lynn P.S. The star is now back on my tree....used E6000. I am so excited about it I may put it up for Halloween! LOL...luv ya!

Debbiedoos said...

Oh Carol there you go again.....OK have you heard of Buffalo, NY? That is where I am from:):) Perhaps I need to clarify that in my post....I do not want to mislead anyone lol!~

annieg said...

Hi Carol. What I see when I look at those dresses are possibilities.............lots and lots and lots of possibilities. What a find!!
ooxxx, Annie

gail@My Repurposed Life said...

wow! great resource for fabric!
did you know ??? you are a no-reply comment? That I can't email you when you ask a question?
You asked "do you have a store" I wish! I try to sell stuff on craig's list. Some days are better than others. :)
take care,
gail

The Polka Dot Closet said...

Test, blogger has been so temperamental lately someone said they could not reply....Just testing

Aunt Peaches said...

Oooooo, I am so jealous! I LOVE buying up old dresses to use for projects but I can never find them under $20 (my limit on foofy stuff!)....for some reason I never thought about them as a source of appliques until I read your post...hmmmm...new appliques are always synthetic but I bet I could find some old ones that could hold dye. Uh oh, Carol, you may have sparked something fabulous!!!

Lucy - By the Hill said...

Yummy cool! They are just fun to look at! All that lace beaded appliques..Yum!
Can't wait to see you use some of that fabric.

Mary Albrethsen said...

Hi Carol,
Not only do I buy old evening gowns and wedding dresses, I collect the trimms off of gowns when they are altered. I had a friend that altered wedding dresses for one of the huge bridal stores in B'ham. The bottoms where they shortened the dresses, they may cut 3-6 inches off. That is silk and satin already trimmed to make folded roses. They were throwing the stuff away. It had next to no stains or anything, just going in the garbage. My biggest problem is I save everything. When I worked at Hancock Fabrics I had the bridal dept. The dupioni silks ravel so bad that I started just trimming the loose threads (not cutting any fabric, just threads) and put the threads in a ziplok bag. I use them to embroider with in crazy quilting. 'Nuff said about my crazy doings. Have fun. I wish I had hit that sale.
Mary

Barbara Jean said...

Nope. You are not the only one looking at those things.

I am sooo enjoying all your posts. I have read everyone to here, and going back for more.

blessings

barbara jean

Rona Gregory said...

LOL! I have definitely found a kindred spirit! ha ha all I ever see is fabric ha ha! I felt real guilty the other day when a, fairly 'new', friend offered me a look thru her 'throw outs' and as i squeeled and 'ooohed' she looked puzzled and said "but Ro, they won't fit you" "Oh no" said I, "I'm going to cut them up!" we are still friends, she sorta understands me I think ha ha!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.