Elizabeth Goes On An Adventure

When Mia was going off to college, Elizabeth gave her this piece of advice, “Never say no to an adventure”. Elizabeth was going on an adventure of her own and wanted a new dress for the occasion.

Elizabeth spotted this dress in my pattern collection. Yes, Elizabeth lives in Southern California, but, I have an app on my phone that stores and categorizes all of my patterns. The app allows you to share access with other people, so she can get on her phone, and look at all of my patterns whenever she wants! It’s convenient for me too. I can search, for instance, “aprons” and all of my apron patterns pop up.

Here is the dress that Elizabeth spotted. Since she has scoliosis and a curvature on one side, she thought this dress would be perfect for her. This dress is gathered on the side, and her “Eagle Field Fly In” dress was also gathered at the side. (See previous blog post, “Elizabeth, Edna, and Eagle Field; Part Three.) This style worked well on her before, so we both agreed that it would work again.

Elizabeth decided to order special fabric. A dress for an adventure needs to be made out of special fabric! She picked out this “Tango Red, Tencel Twill” fabric from Mood, and had it shipped to my house.

If you are familiar with the TV show “Project Runway”, you’ll recognize the name Mood. It is where they take the contestants to buy fabric for each sewing challenge. There are only three physical stores, one in New York, one in Miami, and one in Los Angeles.

I was a little nervous to sew with “fancy Mood fabric” but Elizabeth’s Eagle Field dress was also made from fabric she ordered from Mood. Plus sewing for Elizabeth adds a degree of difficulty.

I started to lay out the pattern.

The bottom, back of this dress had a vented slit.

Elizabeth chose the long sleeve version of this dress. It was going to be cold where she was going.

The bodice front had all the markings for the side darts. I knew from past experience that I would have to arrange these darts, or possibly add more to get the right fit for Elizabeth.

Just for fun, a different angle. Stitching coming out the back of the machine.

Skirt darts.

Now it was time for the fun part. Putting the dress on Edna, Elizabeth’s dress form. I had to pin everything very precise for a custom fit! It was a little easier this time to adjust the dress to Elizabeth’s form. Maybe I’m getting better at it! Although in this picture, it looks like a mess!

Neck facing time, I was getting closer to being finished.

So if you’ve been wondering what kind of adventure Elizabeth and her dress would be going on, wonder no more! Elizabeth took her custom dress all the way across the country for a night out in Washington DC!

I think the White House is a perfect location to showcase this dress!

Fun facts about the White House. George Washington picked the site of the building. By the time it was built, he was no longer President so John Adams was the first President to live there.

John Adams wrote this to his wife Abigail the next night after he moved in; ” I Pray Heaven Bestow the Best of Blessings on This House and All that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but Honest and Wise Men ever rule under this Roof.“

Blog photo shoots usually have lots of help behind the camera. This time it was Elizabeth’s cousins, Bailey and Tessa who pitched in to help! I couldn’t have this blog without the help of friends, family, and extended family. I appreciate everyone who takes time to help out!

What’s that I see? The Washington Monument!

Elizabeth was practicing her speech skills, and with a custom dress, everyone is sure to listen!

Posing like the statue of Albert Gallatin, in front of the Treasury Department. He founded New York University and served as United States Secretary of the Treasure.

This statue was dedicated in 1947. The inscription on the front base reads;

“Albert Gallatin

Secretary of the Treasury

Genius of Finance

Senator and Representative

Commissioner for the Treaty of Ghent

Minister to France and Great Britain

And Steadfast

Champion of Democracy

1761-1849″

Elizabeth and dress looking great while walking down the street in DC.

The dress looks great paired with her tights, boots, and jacket.

And she was right, the side darts work perfectly on her!

Time for dinner at The Hamilton. Cheers to a job well done with her photo shoot, and cheers to a custom dress!

Elizabeth didn’t just run around doing a photo shoot. She also visited Ford’s Theater where President Lincoln was shot. As well as visiting The Smithsonian museums, she took in many of the historic monuments around our Nation’s Capital.

I love it when my creations get to go out and about to exciting places. I love it more when someone gets to go out on an adventure! I’m glad Elizabeth takes her own advice!

I can’t wait to see what adventures my creations go on next, either with Elizabeth or someone else!

As for me, onto the next!