War to Bliss was created when one of the designer’s friends came to her with a problem.  She wanted her wedding dress to be made out of something sustainable or recyclable.  After discussing organic cotton or silk with some natural dyeing the idea for the dress evolved.  The hunt was on for a World War II silk parachute.  EBay became the primary source for such an extravagant item.  However, it took many tries before a real Pioneer manufactured silk parachute was located and purchased.

June 29, 1942 was the date stamped in blue ink on the first panel of the twenty-six foot wide parachute.  The stamp was later cut out and appliquéd inside the back of the dress to create an heirloom piece.  The flat pattern method was used to design the dress and cape in a way that incorporated a significant number of the original parachute seams.  The designer faced several challenges during this process.  The first challenge was how to wash a large piece of thin silk that was sixty-six years old.  A large frame was built and lined with plastic to allow the silk to be washed as flat as possible.  Since the fabric was so old the designer had to be very careful when stitching seams so the material would not have to be ripped out as it was very fragile.

The dress features an empire waist with a v-neck line.  Four straps were cut from inside the parachute’s seams to form the spaghetti straps which cross in the back.  The original seams from the sections of the parachute were used for the skirt of the dress to give a taller appearance to the bride to be.  The first layer showing from underneath the ivory was hand dyed with turmeric.  The second and third layers were dyed with raspberries.

This ensemble definitely allowed the bride to have a wedding dress that celebrates the past and sustains the future.