Crocheting my wedding dress

Written by Madeline from @ofbooksandhooks

I wasn’t even going to crochet my wedding dress until my now mother-in-law asked me if I was. It was just a casual question, but for some reason I took it really seriously. For the next week, I slowly convinced myself that crocheting my wedding dress was going to be the best decision ever.

I figured there were several reasons why this would be a magical decision. After all, none of my family could attend the wedding as it was in the UK and COVID-19 has them stuck in the USA. Having a handmade dress would be special and add some flair to a wedding that already felt half-empty without my people.

Also, I’m tall. So custom clothing almost always sounds like a better idea than store-bought. I don’t have to worry about if it will be long enough when my hook and I control the length. Seemed like it was really a great solution to all problems.

It turns out that planning to crochet my own wedding dress may not have been the best idea - but we aren’t at that part of the story yet.

First, let’s talk about what I actually planned to make.

The Pattern

I contacted Hailey almost immediately after seeing the Dove Dress on her Instagram feed. It just seemed like it had the perfect mix of elegant, drapey, but simple. Just what I wanted for my dress.

I reached out and told Hailey that I was getting married and that I’d love to use her pattern for my dress. She’s a really great human and crafter, so she was so kind as to say yes and pass along her pre-published pattern! (Which, by the way, if you haven’t purchased yet, you can snag here).

Hailey loves working with customizable patterns. Don’t be scared if you’re a beginner - it’s actually easier this way! It works completely off of your measurements, and that’s part of the magic. You don’t have to worry about size or fit yourself into a box. Making this dress truly feels like it’s one of a kind, just for you! And that’s because it is!

The simplicity and beauty of the stitches as well as the customizability really charmed me when making this dress. I feel like I could get 100+ combinations out of the pattern and never run out of ideas. You can even make it into a nice top if you want! The possibilities are endless.

Which is probably why I had such a hard time choosing…

The Yarn

Such a beautiful, custom pattern like this deserves the perfect yarn. I knew I wanted drape and silky texture. Crochet is beautiful, but it can be a bit chunkier than even knitting at times, especially when you’re not using a fine-weighted yarn.

That’s why I needed something that would bring in elegance with fiber so that I would be able to dress it up for my special day.

It didn’t take me too long to figure out that I wanted to use the Go Handmade Tencel Bamboo Double yarn. The fiber combo was bound to give me that perfect flowy feel, especially in the skirt. Combined with a soft, silky texture, I knew it was a good fit.

But the color?! Oh, I was lost for a bit. Literally every shade had me hooked and I wasn’t sure which one would be best for my desired look. But there was something about the sage that I just couldn’t shake, and so I eventually went where my heart led me!

And boy was I happy I did! Because it turned out sweeter than I imagined.

The Result

If I had to describe the vibe we were going for in a word it would have been: simple. We wanted things to be as stress-free and good-vibes as possible.

We had our stresses without my family, with COVID, and with visas, too. But at its core we wanted this day to be about us.

That’s why this dress was really perfect for the occasion. It was frills-free and made me feel as magical as the scenery around me!

The Go Handmade Tencel Bamboo Double yarn was PERFECT. Completely airy, perfect drape - I really couldn’t have asked for a more luxurious yarn to bring this vision to life. And I’m lucky enough to have some leftovers that I’m anxious to put to use!

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Madeline from @ofbooksandhooks is a crafter who loves pairing her two passions: crochet and books! You can see her latest work on her Instagram, and find her patterns on Etsy.

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