dressing for Easter

This is a couple days late, of course. I couldn't get an opportunity until Easter Sunday to take pictures of my little models in their Easter attire.

One of my favorite Easter memories from my childhood was the year my mom told us that we could find our shoes behind the couch.  There I found a brand new pair of patent white shoes by an Easter basket filled with green plastic grass, Peeps and jelly beans. I was more excited about the new shoes than the candy that year.  We didn't get new shoes all that often, so I was especially excited to get brand new pretty white shoes to wear with my brand new pretty Easter dress.

I find myself getting more and more annoyed by store clerks and strangers asking my kids what they want from the Easter Bunny. That was a never a question asked when I was a kid. Easter wasn't Christmas and we didn't get a pile of Nintendo games and Barbies. We got a modest basket with a few different kinds of candy.  As a child, I was usually asked if I had a new dress to wear. I was thrilled when I could say "yes."

So, I continue this tradition of new clothes on Easter for my kids, for now, because I can. They are still young and I get to decide what they wear. And I'm always looking for an excuse to sew something fun for the girls.

This year, I went with butterflies. I wasn't intending it to be symbolic. I found the fabric and loved it, but I was pleased to be able to use butterflies as symbolism for new life. And to top it off, I found some machine washable tulle to add to the dresses. The tulle symbolizes...uh...the ballerina...in...uh...nope.  I got nothin'.

This pattern I had to make myself, since there was nothing remotely like it in any pattern books. I am pretty happy with how it turned out. The round collar was what I really wanted.

I found a big vintage reproduction button that I had purchased years ago at a button store in NYC.

This little girl had to have tulle on the outside. This was made from a basic dress pattern that I tweaked a little by adding a sash and layers of tulle.

One major thing that bugs me about the basic pattern companies (Vogue, McCalls, Simplicity, and all the other big names), is that the sizes are SO off. For children, they're cut too wide and too short. This child wears a size 4 or 5 in tops and dresses. I cut the dress to a size 3 for width and a size 6 for length and it was STILL too wide for her torso. That's how off patterns are and why I am sometimes better off making my own. The sash pulled the torso in a little, but it was still a bit big. This dress will likely fit her until she's 6. It'll just be a little short by then.

So, there are the girls' Easter gifts this year. Happy Easter!