These were the first cards I made to take pictures of with the express purpose of putting them on ebay. The material came from the bridesmaid dress I wore in my friend Rebecca’s wedding in 2002.
Initially, I only offered fabric from bridesmaid’s dresses I had actually worn or had been given to me by friends. Then I considered using only used bridesmaid’s dresses. It seemed like I was doing the world a favor! Ha! Anyway, eventually the demand became so great that I simply had to go and buy fabric. The thrift store bridesmaids’ dresses were more expensive than buying the fabric outright.
I’ve always made the hangers by hand. I use a thicker wire guage now, though. I just like the way it looks.
It was two or three years before the first copycats showed up on Ebay. I still think mine are prettier and more consistent. I take time developing my protoypes and wouldn’t send anything that is poorly made to my brides!
I experimented with different kinds of dress silouhettes but settled on strapless because it was the easiest to produce quickly and consistently. The more angles, the more difficult the fabric is to wrap. I do wonder what my copycats use as a base for the dresses. I’m not telling–except to say that it’s excellent for archiving!