Woman who ran away from her Amish community at 19 reveals ultra-strict process she had to go through to get dressed for CHURCH as a member – including pinning perfectly straight pleats in her outfit every time
A woman who ran away from her incredibly strict Amish community as a teenager has shared the long process of preparing to join the church as a member.
Lizzie Ens38, from Ohio, fled the Amish lifestyle when she was 19 years old and hasn't looked back.
The former Amish member turned nutrition coach now shares fascinating insights into her childhood with her more than 172,000 followers.
And in a recent video, which has been viewed more than 1.3 million times to date, Lizzie talked about how Amish girls got ready for church — and the exact way she was forced to pin her dress.
A woman who ran away from her incredibly strict Amish community as a teenager has shared the long process of preparing for church while she was a member
Lizzie Ens, 38, from Ohio, who ran away from the Amish community, has revealed the three things that always shock people about how she grew up
And in a recent video that has been viewed more than 1.3 million times to date, Lizzie revealed how Amish girls prepare for church.
'I have a surprise for you. It's time to get ready for church as an Amish girl,” Lizzie said at the beginning of the clip.
Donning an ankle-length blue dress, Lizzie added, “This is the typical dress I wore when I was Amish.”
She explained that the dress was supposed to go “down to your ankles” and that it was in two parts.
Although members wear the blue dress daily, Lizzie notes that you can add an apron and cape for church.
She then showed off the “super tiny” pins she had to use to create pleats and folds in the dress.
As she pinned the dress in the middle, she added, “This is how we would get dressed. We should use straight pins and obviously try not to poke yourself full of holes.'
Lizzie explained that they would then fold the top of the dress under to create a 'collar' and pin it in place.
She then pinned the top of the outside of the dress.
“This is the dress I wore when I ran away,” the ex-Amish member said as she continued pinning the back of the dress.
Then Lizzie showed people how she pinned the cape over her dress.
Donning an ankle-length blue dress, Lizzie added, “This is the typical dress I wore when I was Amish.”
Although members wear the blue dress daily, Lizzie notes that you can add an apron and cape for church
“This seems very complicated, but be patient, imagine getting dressed to go to church on Sunday morning,” she added.
As she draped the cape over her, she noted that it shouldn't go over your shoulder or you'd get in trouble – before adding that she was a 'rebel' so she left it on her shoulder.
Lizzie then folded one side of the cape over the other – making sure they met in a 'very straight line' before pinning it back on.
'The back had to have three folds. You need to make a center pleat. You had to make three pleats: one big one in the middle and then the pleats on the side that go all the way down,” she said.
After tucking the front of the cape into place, Lizzie revealed it was time to put on the apron.
Lizzie pinned the apron to the dress, showing that there had to be space between the cape and the apron, and that they couldn't sit directly underneath each other.
After she finished pinning, Lizzie stood back and showed viewers the finished product.
Lizzie then folded one side of the cape over the other – making sure they met in a 'very straight line' before pinning it back on
After tucking the cape into the bottom part of the second part of the blue dress, Lizzie revealed that it was time to put on the apron
She giggled and said, “Oh my God, that Amish girl who goes to church.”
People flooded the comments, expressing their shock at the amount of detail that went into the preparations.
One person said, “Two hours and 300 pins later you're ready to go to church!”
Someone else added, “Why was Amish God so strict about pleating?”
Another user wrote: 'That's a lot of work. Thanks for showing us.”
“Dressing for church looks so complicated,” a fourth commenter wrote.
Lizzie grew up in a Swartzentruber Amish community, known as the most conservative branch.
Members avoid indoor pipes, milking machines and telephone booths in the community.
People flooded the comments expressing their shock at the amount of detail that went into getting ready for church
They also refuse to adapt to daylight saving time, rely on buggy transport and use only wood ovens for cooking and heating, while windmills and old-fashioned hand pumps are used to secure water.
Women should wear dresses that reach the edge of their shoes.
In the past, Lizzie said they were allowed to date, but they only saw their partner once every two weeks and could never be spotted together in public.
She noted that on traditional dates, the couple would cuddle for hours.
Lizzie initially tried to escape the Amish world when she was 17 years old with her twin sister, but they both returned soon after.
Two years later, at the age of 19, Lizzie left for good, just before her sister's wedding, which she was no longer allowed to attend after leaving the community.