Wedding memory quilts

There is something timeless and sentimental about a quilt, and quilts can be a great way to capture memories from a wedding. I've made two wedding quilts. A bit of how-to:

Bridal Shower Quilt:

--The bride decided on her favorite quilt colors. I selected light-colored fabrics in a variety of solid and subtle cotton prints and used a rotary cutter and cutting mat to trim the fabrics into large squares.

--At the bridal shower, each guest was given a fabric square and a selection of permanent fabric markers. Participants were asked to write a message to the couple on the squares-- well wishes, words of wisdom, etc... Guests were asked to leave a one-inch blank border around the edge of the fabric square for a seam allowance.

--After the shower, I sewed the squares into a simple patchwork quilt. To add graphic interest I also included a few appliqued quilt squares.

--The end result was great. The couple married in 2002 and still have the quilt, which includes messages from their closest relatives and friends.

Wedding Chuppah:

--After hearing about the bridal shower quilt that I'd made, I was asked to make a chuppah for a friend's wedding. A chuppah is a canopy under which a Jewish wedding takes place. The photo on the right is an example of one used at an outdoor wedding (from 'paperandthreads').

--Large cream-colored cotton quilt squares (cut to 10x10 inches) were mailed out to 30 of the couple's close friends and family. Each person was asked to decorate a quilt square with some kind of memory for the couple, and then mail them back. Participants were asked to leave a blank one-inch border around the square for a seam allowance, so I didn't sew into their designs.

--The completed quilt squares were beautiful! Each one was an individual work of art, some serious, some silly. The squares included handwritten messages, iron-on photos, embroidery, etc....

--I sewed the squares into a patchwork quilt and added a border around the outside edge of the quilt. At each corner of the quilt I added a buttonhole.

--To make the quilt into a chuppah, I purchased thick wooden dowels (approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter) and cut them to an appropriate height. At the top of each dowel I screwed in large metal rings. The chuppah was attached to the wooden poles with ribbons that tied through the button holes and the metal rings. The poles were decorated with flowers and vines for the ceremony.

--At the wedding ceremony, the couple married under this special chuppah, filled with well-wishes from many of their wedding guests. The chuppah is in their wedding photos and is a lasting memory of their wedding and the good wishes people had for them as they embarked on their marriage.

--Joanne-----

Where to Find the {New New} on May 25

This holiday weekend is quiet for the group, but we will continue our rotating residence at the Brooklyn Flea on Sunday.

Representing will be: Fofolle, wabisabi brooklyn, waiszedesigns, loveforever, kpetuck, Ikyoto, Vyphuisdesigns, littletilegnome, MTLopez9, and Luck(x4).

The Brooklyn Flea is at 176 Lafayette Ave in Fort Greene Brooklyn 10am to 5pm.

My Crafty Shower

I have never been one for "the rules" so when my now- husband and I got engaged 2 years ago, we didn’t do anything by the book. I had some very specific ideas of things I didn’t want as part of my wedding: no white dress, no big diamond ring and certainly no dainty, girly wedding shower.
Luckily for me, I have (in my humble opinion) the best friends in the world and they totally get me. The wedding shower they dreamed up fit me to a T and neither of them had to take out bank loans to pay for it!

The shower was on a Sunday afternoon at a local bar. My friends provided snacks and handmade cupcakes.

My friend Margaret hanging up some tissue paper flowers in the backyard


Jen and Lorelei, who threw the shower for me, made lots and lots of Mexican paper flowers to decorate the bar. I liked them so much that I made a bunch more for my wedding party. Here’s a little tutorial for making these festive flowers.

Everyone gets busy making mini-shrines.

I was very against “shower games” but I do like fun activities! We all sat outside on this gorgeous spring day and made mini-shrines from altoid tins.

Pretty little mini-shrines all in a row.

Again, friends donated craft supplies, old books and magazines to use in the craftiness. My shrine has two birds inside but just one on the cover to symbolize my independence even as I join my life with another person.

My shrine is on the left in front of some totally delish cupcakes.

Finally guests were given little rabbit cookies as favors. When my husband and I first started dating, he got a pet rabbit and Potato (and rabbits in general) has become a big part of our lives. It’s kind of silly, but its little things like this that make an event special and meaningful.
Since I had no part in planning this glorious event, I asked Lorelei for a few tips in planning a crafty shower of your own.

- If you don't have the use of someone's big, beautiful home (and who does in New York?), seek out a local cafe/bar with lots of space. Often, they'll let you use it for free in exchange for a promise to buy a punch bowl of the special house drink or other delicacies they might have. They might even open up early so you can have the place to yourself!
-You want a project that even people who can't imagine being crafty can get into. Examples are mini-shrines, barrettes, flower pins, you get the idea. The only caveat is to be sure it's a project the bride will enjoy making. Something that's a nice keepsake of the day is good, too.
- Be prepared to give a small tutorial before the crafting begins. And it's also a great time to talk about the awesomeness of the lady getting married. She can never get enough compliments!
- Lay out your supplies in an orderly fashion so that people know where the ribbon pile is, the paper pile, etc. Have more glue and scissors on-hand that you think you need, it's always good to be prepared. Have them in a central, easy to access spot, and treat it like a buffet line. People can line up and take what they need as they walk past, returning for things they need.

This is me looking rather goofy, but totally happy, in my vintage apron and handmade tiara.

- Bring a lovely vintage apron or something sewn especially for the event for the bride to wear during crafting, especially if there's glue involved. Also, it would be fun to make her a tiara.
- Ask all the crafty people you know to donate supplies to cut down on your supply budget, and tap the crafty ladies who can't attend, they will always want to be involved. Ebay is another great place to get things in bulk, especially if you need a lot of the same item, but be sure to give yourself time for auctions/shipping. Be creative in your sourcing, you never know who has a ream of gorgeous old ledger paper hanging out in their attic!
- Have a craft night devoted to making all your decorations so that you don't feel so overwhelmed. Also good to have one for making the goodie bags.
- As with all showers, it's good to start planning a couple of months before the event. It gives you time to brainstorm gift bags, projects, gather supplies, who will do what, etc.
- Use biodegradable cellophane bags for the goodie bags, and put something edible in there. People do not need more stuff cluttering up their lives, and a few prettily iced cookies in a fun shape are tasty, affordable, and easy to make.
- If you have guests who like to bake, ask them to make cupcakes, it's fun to get a good variety (don't forget the vegans!), and also more affordable, and you don't need utensils to eat them. You can make pretty signs to put in front of each flavor.

Thanks Lorelei!

kayte

thisisloveforever.com/blog
loveforever.etsy.com

knitted bridal accessories and old world wedding traditions

Some traces of the old traditional weddings are still remaining today and are reflected in the wedding tradition itself, the symbols of unity happiness and prosperity; messages that stand the test of time.

One of the most popular and practiced today is the custom for brides to wear “something old, new, borrowed

and blue”. The "something old" represents the bond to the bride's family and her old life; "something new"

represents the couple's new life together and their future hope for happiness, prosperity and success; "something borrowed" from a happily married woman is meant to impart similar happiness to the bride; and "something blue" represents fidelity and constancy.

Wearing white also dates back to Victorian times when Queen Victoria abandoned the usual royal tradition of wearing a silver gown, instead choosing to wear white.

The wedding tradition of the groom wearing a boutonniere originates in medieval times when a knight wore his lady's colors (through flowers) as a statement of his love.

Flowers and bouquets have long been used in weddings.

In addition to adorning the bride with flowers to promote good luck and good health flower meanings allow the bride to express her feelings for the groom. Orange blossoms signify purity, daisies loyalty, violets modesty and red roses signify true love.
The traditional folk costumes embrace traits of the various cultures representing the old traditions beliefs and customs passed on from one generation to another. They convey the skill and inventiveness of native designers – mostly women, who manufactured themselves their outfits of homespun thread (usually wool, linen, cotton, hemp, silk), using traditional tools.

Soy Candles: Natural Choice for a Wedding

The growing trend for brides of today is toward handmade and recycled elements to creatively reduce waste of precious resources. We’ve seen innovative ways to recycle vintage wedding gowns, how to make handmade flowers and containers, creative ideas for wedding and shower favors, and host of eco-friendly ideas to consider for your wedding, shower and reception.

One oft-neglected element is candles. Who doesn’t love them, especially at a wedding? They have deep spiritual symbolism as the guiding light for two people beginning a new life together. They testify to the solemn vows spoken during the ceremony and bring ambiance to the celebration. We feel their presence from the subtle glow that gives the room a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Brides love candles and lots of them. But have you considered the amount of waste in the many candles on your table? What about the smoke and irritants they emit into the air? Did you know that paraffin is classified as a chemical preservative? In addition, paraffin wax is a petroleum by-product, so the candles often emit smoke into the air. Who likes that?

A new up and coming technology is using soybeans as a wax base. It is an exceptional alternative to paraffin. Soy wax is completely vegan and renewable, the candles are long-lasting and clean-burning and also supports the local farming industry The wax has a beautiful creamy texture and also exceptional scent throw, both lit and unlit. An added bonus is the ability to clean the used container with hot soapy water – no scraping and scrubbing!

Marty Vanslette, owner of www.DewOnAPetalAtHome.com provides beautiful handmade soy candles for weddings, showers and parties. After working with paraffin wax for many years, she moved to NYC and left her supplies in storage. When she began reading about soy wax, she took her molds and supplies out of storage and decided to give soy wax a try. She was totally amazed with the creamy texture and superior properties of the soy wax so she began making a variety of candles as gifts before setting up shop on the internet. Unscented pillars, votives and tea lights are her best seller for large gatherings. She also assembles shower and party favors with an assortment of soy candles attractively wrapped. She exclusively uses EcoSoya wax www.NGIwax.com which is guaranteed 100% soybean and carefully selected botanical oils. From their website: “Every ingredient has met with the approval of the United States Food and Drug Administration and Kosher Certification criteria. EcoSoya™ soy waxes are FREE from pesticides, herbicides and Genetically Modified Material”.

Marty hand-pours each candle and tests each candle type to ensure they burn property. In addition, she has a unique buy-back program and will repurchase unused wax to recycle into new candles. What better way to make your wedding even more eco-friendly and guilt-free?

-Marty, DewOnAPetal
Dew On A Petal
Dew On A Petal Home
Dew On A Petal Too

Trend: Trash the Dress

What is more iconic of a wedding other than a wedding dress? Brides are finding more ways to preserve the memories by "trashing their dress." What does it mean, you ask? It can be as subtle as dipping your dress in the water for beautiful beach photos like I did or as extreme as submerging yourself in a pool of water. Take a look at Michelle Megna's Daily News article on my Trash the Dress session and decide for yourself if it's a yay or nay?

Wai Sze
http://waisze.etsy.com

Where to Find The {NewNew} on May 17 + 18

Wow is it ever a busy weekend for the {NewNew}. You can find us scattered throughout Brooklyn Events this weekend.

Saturday is the second Brooklyn Homeshow sponsored by our very own Karin of Better Than Jam at 170 Tillary Street, suite 706 from 10am to 5pm. Go and check out a wide variety of items from handmade monsters, silkscreened shirts and totes, handmade jewelry, clocks, artwork, soap, ceramics and greeting cards and invitations.

While you're down there, stop by for the second weekend of the Brooklyn Indie Market with stylish skirts by Fofolle at Smith and Union Street in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn from 11 to 7.

In Manhattan, you can stop by the Village Crafts and Small Artwork Fair at Barrow St & Commerce St to see handmade jewelry by WabisabiBrooklyn and accessories by Beadscarf.

And then on Sunday we continue our Brooklyn Flea presence with Beadscarf, JTStitches, NordeaSoaparie, BirdinHandYarn, MTLopez9, Dripstick and Better Than Jam. The Brooklyn Flea is at 176 Lafayette Ave in Fort Greene Brooklyn 10am to 5pm.

If that's not enough handmade for you - you can take the L on over to Williamsburg for the Etsy Artist's & Fleas weekend at 129 North 6th Street between Bedford and Berry. And that's both Saturday and Sunday.