Perfect Fit

A mother-of-the-bride adds a very special handmade touch to her daughter’s wedding day details.

Written by Emily Welly | Photos by Joe Worthem

A creative at her core, Elizabeth Howorth has been sewing since her mother taught her when she was about 11 years old. Last fall, she took on one of her biggest and most personal

projects yet: the flower girl dresses for her daughter Eliza’s wedding.

“I want to do something really unique and special for this event,” Elizabeth recalls thinking.

When Eliza mentioned wanting her soon-to-be-husband Christian’s nieces and nephew to take part in the wedding, Elizabeth knew that was where she could put her efforts, and she set to work brainstorming flower girl dresses she could make by hand to fit the occasion.

The children involved were Christian’s nieces — Ava and Charlotte Katz and Georgia Patsalos-Fox. Nephew Luca Patsalos-Fox also played a special part in the ceremony, and while his attire was not handmade, he got to don a green-and-white seersucker suit selected to coordinate with his sister and cousins.

Once Elizabeth and Eliza agreed on the project, they began sharing ideas and inspiration.

To complement the October wedding that was to take place outdoors at Rowan Oak, Eliza planned to incorporate gold, yellow, apricot and green in her color palette. She originally envisioned the little girls in white. Also keeping the setting in mind, Elizabeth said she knew she needed to create dresses that fit the “majesty of the location.”

From there, a careful (and monthslong) process of design began.

Elizabeth first acquired some French silk from the Lace Cottage in Collierville to create a simple white bodice that would serve as the base piece for each dress. Then, she found a cheerful yellow netting with a daisy pattern embroidered in it online and ordered it to create skirt overlays.

Those fabrics and the basic bodice pattern were perfect for all three dresses, but to create more custom looks, Elizabeth decided to layer in details to make each dress different and special in its own way.

Ava’s had a peter pan collar and puff sleeves with a sage green sash around the waist. Georgia’s had sage green pleated sleeves with a matching sash at the waist, and little

Charlotte’s had puff sleeves and long sage green ribbons tied near the shoulders and cascading down. The girls wore matching white ballet shoes and white bows in their hair, and they carried dried boxwood wreaths with white bows when they walked down the aisle.

When it came to actually sewing the girls’ dresses, one of the biggest challenges was that the girls did not live in the area — Georgia and Luca live in Brooklyn and Ava and Charlotte in Denver. So, Elizabeth spent time on the phone with their mothers, getting very specific measurements that required them to follow very precise instructions (and keeping in mind small children —they were all under age 5 — grow very quickly).

In all, she spent three to four months making the dresses. And she waited with bated breath to see how they would fit once the girls arrived in town for the big day.

“They were perfect,” she said. “These dresses fit perfectly.”

Elizabeth has done a lot of sewing over the years — from home decor to costumes to clothing — but she said this was the biggest project she’s taken on in the sense of the time frame and the challenge of the girls not living nearby for measurements and potential adjustments.

“I get a great sense of accomplishment and pride out of it,” she said. “And the dresses are in

the family now.”

Perhaps one day Eliza and Christian will have a daughter who will wear them, too.

For a peek inside Elizabeth Howorth’s sewing space, click here.