The Wedding Gift

Home made cushion for a Wedding Present, using hand-printed fabricWhen I receive a wedding invitation which requests that attendees “bring no presents”, it invariably translates in my head to read as “bring a handmade gift”.  The only quandary in this recent situation was what to make? Especially because the bride in question is widely known as an accomplished designer and maker of lovely things.  The answer was to use some rare and unique hand printed loveliness from another clever lady, and to keep it simple.hand printed fabric made up into a cushionNow you will notice that the colours are rather subtle, even though Melly herself is very much into ‘bright’, but that was my cunning plan.  Melly’s decor is rather more restrained than her designs, and this will hopefully blend in, and still allow her creations to be the stars in her own home.Wedding Cushion Back

I thought it would be only polite to her lovely groom, Scott, to be a bit gender neutral as well.  I’m pretty pleased with how it all turned out, especially with an invisible zip and a feather-and-down-insert, that has just that perfect amount of squishiness.M & S tag on the "wedding cushion" which includes the wedding date.To commemorate the reason for it’s creation, I added this little tag to the cushion, featuring the initials of the bridal couple, together with the wedding date, skating close to the edge of nostalgia but hopefully not tipping right into shmaltz.  If you notice the date, you might realise that mid-September in Victoria can be quite chilly.  That being so, I was pretty pleased with the outfit I put together.Claire and Luke dressed for a weddingNot only was the dress lovely (IMHO) but it was from Target, (so quite affordable) and went perfectly with a vintage, toasty-warm coat that I have.Wedding outfit with vintage coatThe coat was my Grandmothers, and possibly belonged to her sister Verna before her.  Verna was very stylish, and was married to Cleg, who had a well know fabric store in the centre of Melbourne, which still bears his name.  The coat is British, I’m guessing it is from the 60’s and it is marked with the Royal Warrant!Royal Warrant on a Aquascutum CoatSo I was nice and warm for the ceremony, which was outside on a deck, overlooking the vineyards and surrounding countryside.  As a final touch, I took another vintage item, this one belong to another of my Grandmother’s sisters, Rita.Vintage Lucite HandbagThis was Rita’s lucky handbag, one of my most prized possessions.  It is made of Lucite, and I believe it would be extremely collectible.

I would love to share some photos of the stunning bride, bridal party and venue, but that would scoop the bride herself.  Stay tuned to Melly’s blog, because it was all stunning.

Do you make handmade Wedding Presents?

 

7 thoughts on “The Wedding Gift

  1. Claire – what a lovely present for a ‘no present’ occasion! I have some Maze & Vale fabric that everytime I look at it, I think – must make into cushion for couch! The tag idea is gorgeous! What did you use – a special pen? You two look spiffing for the party – the special coat and bag tops it off.

    • Thanks Bronwyn

      I used a Zig Millennium pen which is marketed for Drawing and Scrapbooking, but because it is a pigment pen it is great for drawing on fabric.
      Quilters use them for quilt labels.

      I have been much quicker at making nice cushions since I got an “invisible zipper foot” for my machine.

  2. My mum in law loved shopping at Cleggs, she would go into Melbourne on the train a couple of time a year to get her fabrics for the next season. She sewed everything for her family, usually copying a design she had seen in a shop window. She made her own patterns, very clever.

    • Hi Sarah,

      I know it is quite a destination for sewing enthusiasts of all ages, and that makes me feel pretty happy to have a family collection.
      My Mum taught herself to sew at 16, and used to work there for a holiday job.

      It is lovely to have such clever people in the family.

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