As 14-year-old Hollie sews her first dress with her mother, she faces the decision all Mennonite girls must make as they reach adulthood. Will she put on the dress and become a full member of the Mennonite church and assume her role as a mother, or will she join the wider world?

At the Mennonite store, as Hollie sorts through the fabrics to look for colors and patterns that appeal to her sensibilities, her voiceover reveals - with a certain trepidation - the life that she envisions for herself. At home, Hollie spread out the fabric and pattern with her mother, to prepare for cutting of the shapes and panels that will form her first dress. Her mother Deborah recounts how different it was when grandma helped her cut and sew her first dress. Through the story of Hollie's first dress, the mother passes to daughter the family values and community traditions that shape the girls' anticipation of their future roles as wife and mother.

SWO Connection: Hollie Lives in Southwestern Ontario