Irish Crochet Wedding Dress

[A.Kat]

Hi, I know it may sound insane, but I want to make myself a floor length irish crocheted wedding dress. It will be a few years until I marry and I currently have a very boring desk job (where the boss doesn't mind if I crochet), so I think it might be doable.

Has anyone ever seen a pattern for one of these intensely complicated, antique-type dresses? Thanks! I don't ever know where to begin looking. I did a few searches, but couldn't find any patterns.

Thanks, I love this forum. It's such a great resource.

[crochet_hen]

I'm sorry to say I don't have any ideas for you, but I can't wait to see the responses to this...it sounds like an idea for a beautiful wedding dress! You are right...the members here are a fantastic resource and source of support...they always come through.:manyheart

[Shebop]

Good luck, it sounds like an amazing project!
I made a baptismal dress for my daughter this year and it was worth every hour!

[Katchkan]

It is unlikely that you will find a pattern for one of the really intricate dresses. Most were works of art and no two alike. You can find books on the various motifs that you can then arrange to create your own. But I have never found a pattern for a garment persay. Just motifs and directions on how to create your own. This site has many books on the subject. http://antiquepatternlibrary.org (http://antiquepatternlibrary.org/)
Good luck on your Project. I love Irish crochet.

[amdm]

What a wonderful idea! Please keep posting on your progress.

[Ladycrochat]

here is an earlier thread that spoke about crocheted gowns....they are not Irish Crochet, but perhpas you can use them as a starting point and add on flowers, motifs and whatever.....
http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showthread.php?t=52032

[01buckler15]

I have only seen pictures of them, not actual patterns. Good luck on your search.

[Tracey4610]

Well, here's one thing you can do...like Kathy suggested, go ahead and start learning to make the motifs. Begin collecting a bunch of them, making multiples of each. Find a sewing pattern you like for the style of dress you want, cut it out to your size--perhaps a little larger--and cut out some muslin to match the pattern. As you work your pieces, pin them up-side-down on the muslin wherever you'd like them to go--remember, this will be backwards, so the left side will really be the right, etc. If you enjoy symmetry (like I do), make certain you make at least two of the individual motifs so you can make each side of the dress the same. If you prefer asymmetry, then make any number you'd like, putting them wherever on the fabric. when you get enough pieces made to your liking, choose the grounding stitch you think would work best for your style, and stitch around the motifs, gradually working them together. It's a good thing you're starting now, since things like this will take quite a while. During the Victorian era, however, they had a really cool system. In Ireland, it was considered a cottage industry, and each family specialized in one or two motifs, making only those pieces. they sold their work to a middle man, who then took the pieces to people who would assemble them in their homes. This worked out fairly well, and I'd imagine that a dress probably would have taken mere months for several families to make instead of one person taking years to do it. I hope to make one for my dd, or at the very least a veil for her dress. I just need to find some better thread. :hook Good luck! Let us know what you decide to do.

[A.Kat]

Thank you so much! You all have such great advice!