Elizabeth, Edna, and Eagle Field; Part Three

As you know I was busy sewing for the Eagle Field fly in and dinner dance. My cousin Elizabeth wanted to go, and would need a dress. She chose this 1940’s dress pattern from Butterick.

The pattern called for the use of linen fabric, and Elizabeth said she would seek out and chose the fabric for the dress. She went to a well known fabric store, and bought organic linen for her dress. The fabric store was Mood, the linen was light grey. HA!

If you read my blog post, “Most Sensational, Inspirational, Celebrational, Muppetational; This Is What I Call The Muppet Dress!!”, you’ll know that Elizabeth has scoliosis. Any dress I make for her has to be adjusted to the curvature of her back.

I had previously made a form of her torso, which she named Edna, since I would need to make so many adjustments to any dress I would make for her. Elizabeth lives 4 1/2 hours away, so I can’t do fittings with her.

Needless to say, I was feeling overwhelmed, but determined!

I got to work using Edna to see how to best get the bodice to fit correctly.

The back wasn’t laying right on Edna. The pattern called for two darts at the bottom of the bodice back, but I decided to move the darts to the upper back, and manipulate them to best fit her curvature.

It was time to start cutting out her fancy linen. I was so nervous that I would make a mistake cutting this fabric!

The pattern called for one side of the bodice to be gathered. I used this design element to take in some of the fabric for a better fit.

Here is the bodice back on Edna. The two upper darts that I made helped to give the dress a more fitted look.

The sleeves were lined sleeves. This was my first time making sleeves this way.

The skirt front had an interesting design element. It was two pieces, cut at angles, and then sewn together. I was worried about sewing this but it went together perfectly the first time!

Hand stitching the sleeve liner to the bodice liner.

Elizabeth chose these vintage buttons for the button accents on her dress.

The backs look like this. Since they are a type of shank button, I wanted to make sure I sewed them on really well. These buttons were too beautiful to lose!

Off to Eagle Field the dress, buttons, and Elizabeth went. To finish off her vintage look, Elizabeth bought this 1940’s purse. I think it’s the perfect accessory! The dress was a success!

Some people are just photogenic.

Looking at the airfield while in front of the old barracks.

This outfit wouldn’t be complete without the perfect lipstick. Good thing Elizabeth had her Besame Cosmetics vintage lip stick with her! One must look their best while posing for their cousin’s blog!

We looked so stylish that one of the pilots asked to take a picture with us.

Looking very stylish indeed!

Elizabeth finished off her vintage look with red nail polish, and a garnet ring that belonged to her mother, my Aunt Carol.

Elizabeth shared with us all that day that her grandfather had been stationed at Eagle Field. She had a personal tie to the old airfield. Good thing she was representing her family in style!

I love this picture of the both of us!

But, SURPRISE! My cousin Dana was there too! She looked super cute, I just didn’t have time to make her a dress as well.

And where Dana goes, my cousin Christopher isn’t far behind. Here he is checking out the morse code machine that he won in the silent auction.

The Eagle Field fly in is so much fun! We will definitely do it all again next year, but with new outfits! It really is a great event. This event reminds me to appreciate the things that are right in my own community.

Of course, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy this, or other freedoms if not for the Veterans who came before, and fought for us all.

“At the core, the American citizen soldiers knew the difference between right and wrong, and they didn’t want to live in a world in which wrong prevailed. So they fought, and won, and we, all of us, living and yet to be born, must be forever profoundly grateful.”~Stephen Ambrose

As for me, onto the next!