Family Reunion Dress for UVA Graduation

This past weekend my husband graduated from medical school. Woohoo! In honor of the occasion, I made Louisa a blue and orange UVA dress. Wahoowa!

This is the oliver + s Family Reunion Dress in size 5 with no alterations.

The fabric is from Jo-Ann, from their "premium quilt fabric" collection, which appears to be significantly higher quality than their regular lines. This is DS Quilts Collection Meadow Lark Circle Tile by Denyse Schmidt. The solids are Kona Cotton in Navy and Tangerine.

I was going to make piping, but for time and simplicity's sake, I used "flat piping"—i.e. bias tape—around the neck facing.

The buttons on the front are antiques that my grandmother gave me from her collection. I used vintage snaps that she also gave me for the back closure, because I couldn't find buttons that I liked well enough—and Starsnap fasteners are apparently "fully guaranteed to be 100% perfect." Can't beat that!

Three contrasting orange stitching lines along the orange hem facing, and I was satisfied.

Louisa got lots of compliments on her dress, and—as usual—she received them all graciously and made sure to credit me with its creation... "Thanks, my mom made it!" :)

Of course they usually then asked if I made my own, which I did not. It is a Brooklyn Industries dress my dear friend Meredith found at a thrift in New York and let me borrow for the occasion.

The University wide ceremony is always held on the Lawn in the morning, but the Medical School diploma ceremony was that afternoon at the Paramount Theatre on the Downtown Mall. Happily, we scrounged up enough tickets for my parents to come, too.

Graduation was exciting, and relieving, but Match Day back in March was perhaps a bigger deal, because that is when we found out he got his first choice for residency—another five years at UVA!—so we don't have to move. With the exception of a lot of interview traveling in the early winter, fourth year has been an easy one for us, and I've gotten used to having him around a lot. In just a few weeks when he starts as an intern, I'll have to get used to not having him around much at all, so this time is a little bittersweet for me. But it's a great achievement for him and we are so proud of our Doctor Daddy!

The name of this dress pattern was particularly appropriate for the occasion, because so many dear family members traveled to celebrate with us... including AJ's sister and her new baby—who arrived ever-so sweetly in the Geranium Dress I made her in March...

...and, their uncle from California, which is always special.

I'll be back with another post about the coordinating tie that I made Leo for the occasion. He was quite sick all weekend and only made it out in his t-shirt for a quick appearance on the Lawn.

Luckily I was able to bribe him into a photoshoot with it this week. :)