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If you are married then you know better than anyone how special, and expensive, your wedding dress was.  It’s probably still in your wardrobe or in the attic, worn once but never to be parted with as the emotions attached to it are just too important.  You may also have some of your baby’s most special clothes up there too.  You know you won’t use them again, but you have to keep them.  They aren’t items you would feel comfortable sharing with someone else.  

We started thinking about what you could do with these items, to make them a part of your life again, instead of leaving them up there in the loft.  So if you have boxes full of extremely special clothes, see if these few ideas inspire you.

Ok, the most obvious place to start is with sharing.  Whilst you may not be ready to part with any of it, this could feel very different if you have your own children.  At some point, you daughter may choose to get married.  If she does, wouldn’t it be gorgeous to see her wearing your wedding dress?  Of course, she doesn’t have to keep it exactly as it is, most young brides have a very specific style in mind, however she may like the idea of using your dress as a base to create her own.  This is the same with baby clothes.  Fashion tends to come round and vintage and retro is a really cool look.  So if you have some items that scream a certain decade, then it is worth keeping them for your grandchildren.  

If your children have flown the nest and you know they won’t be interested in your old clothes, then a very good idea is to make something with them which you can enjoy in your home.  Something special which holds memories and you can have around you everyday, instead of thinking about it when you head to the attic to grab the christmas decorations.

Wedding dresses, Holy communion dresses and bridesmaid dresses are all, usually, made out of beautiful material with gorgeous lace detail or layers of embroidery.  This means they can be re-tasked and with a little imagination made into something very beautiful.

What about some stunning cushions made for your sofa.  Each one meaning something to you.  Every time you sit down and touch one, you will remember the special days when you wore the dress or when your child wore the clothing.  Layered up with more simple designs, a really dramatic cushion created out of the most detailed part of your dress will be visually stunning.  Plus it is a wonderful conversation piece in the home.  

Or, if you want to make something for the grandchildren, how about a quilt.  Whilst quilt making is extremely hard, you could invest some money and have someone else create it for you. Giving the children something really special which they can pass down to their children and so on.  They could also add something to it as they grow old.  Leaving a sort of family legacy for years to come.

Don’t leave your old items sitting in a box doing nothing.  Celebrate them.