Tree Skirt Number Two

This is my second holiday tree skirt made from a wedding dress. Giving a nuptial dress new life and function after the wedding, is a current interest of mine. The tree skirt starts as a quilt, three layers: the first cotton, the second a thin cotton batting, and the third a textured dress crepe. I machined quilted through the layers in a meandering free motion design. By dropping the feed dogs on the sewing machine and using a darning foot, you can guide the layers at will. Next, I dismantled the dress bodice and cut apart the best features: center front, sleeves, and large bustle bow. These pieces were hand mounted to the tree skirt at the quarter hour positions. The center front bead work was three dimensional due to the bust. To accommodate the extra fabric I stuffed the breast cavity in a trapunto style. I created flower rosettes in a yo-yo fashion and covered the closure with dress lace and beading. These flowers were hand mounted on the tree skirt in between each dress piece and at the center front neck line. Lastly I edged the entire tree skirt with 1 inch faux fur. The tree skirt's radius measures 34 inches and it is true white in color. The entire project has about 10 hours of labor.