It all started when my best friend moved away. I house-sat for her mother a few weeks later, and in a tearful bout of nostalgia I snatched everything out of the fabric closet (that held so many memories of our childhood growing up and learning to sew) and re-organized the whole thing.

It took about three hours, and by the end I had a pile of old crocheted lace and linen table cloths that had doubtless been contributed by my friend's deceased godmother, a woman with a powerful penchant for old textiles. Her spirit lingers around the house, and before I knew what was happening, the pile of old white lacy things was all over my dress form.

And this dress was what emerged. It i constructed from an ivory jersey bodice with a pointy crocheted lace collar encircling a boat neckline. The delicate linen table cloth is draped around the bodice. It has a scalloped eyelet hem that is collected at the back. Either side of the dress has a channel sewn between the tablecloth overskirt and its lining with two ribbons so that the sides of the dress can be gathered up with a bow or left long. The dress invisible zippers up the back.

This is an absolutely one-of-a-kind garment. It is dripping with character, from the upside-down cameo at the front to the subtle stains of Thanksgiving dinners past. The linen is delicate but has been reinforced and aggressively starched for added sturdiness.

I have a fantasy of making such a dress out of a bride-to-be's actual family heirlooms and assorted antique linens. Are you looking for a wedding dress drenched in your family history but tailored to your own taste and figure? Let's get started.

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