CHRISTEPHI

Last week was a crazy week.  We drove a total of 18 hours and almost 1500 miles in just 4 days (with a 2-day break in the middle).  None of which was planned in advance! An effect of our out-of-whack week was that I was completely unprepared for Easter!  (Thank goodness I wasn't planning to sew Easter clothes this year! Or do Easter baskets either.)  So even though I had planned to color eggs with the kids, we didn't actually get around to it until the Monday after Easter. I didn't expect it to be so much fun!  The last few times I colored eggs, my stepmom hosted and I think she used the egg dyeing kits.  I didn't remember the colors being so vibrant.  I didn't pick up anything special, so I figured I'd just use regular old food coloring.  I simply followed the instructions on the back of the food coloring package: Mix together 1/2 cup HOT water (it said boiling, but I just used very hot tap water), 1 tsp. vinegar, and half a bottle ...

For Easter this year I decided to make Miss M a traditional Filipino-style dress.  I Google-searched a lot of images before I had fixed in my mind what I wanted the dress to look like. At first I thought I'd make the older baro't saya or blouse and skirt with the accompanying wrap around skirt and scarf (like the one the little girl is wearing in this picture ), but in the end I went with a terno which is what the baro't saya has morphed into in modern times. I was quite intimidated by the "butterfly" sleeves à la Imelda Marcos, but it really wasn't so bad once I got started.  In fact, the whole dress went together pretty quickly!  Fast enough that I was done the Tuesday before Easter and I had time to make myself a blouse too!  I'll post about that later.  It's just a simple A-line design generously flared at the lower hem, with a bodice overlay, and of course those sleeves.  There are two ruffles of netting attached to the lining to ...

Since I have to make a flower girl dress for Miss M for my sister's wedding in May, I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone as they say and make the mock-up be her Easter dress for this year.  I used Simplicity 4337 view A, sort of.  I completely redrew the sleeve so it'll match the style of sleeve on the matron of honor's dress.  I also shortened it and reduced the width of the bodice (by 4 inches!) to fit my petite girl. It'll make a great summertime play dress too.  It's made from a vintage bedsheet and is fully lined with soft bleached muslin.  I'll probably remove the tulle that's currently attached to the underskirt for ease of play and laundering.  I debated even attaching it in the first place, but I'm glad I did because I got a feel for the construction of the "real" dress.  I actually like this pattern and style a lot and I'd love to make a few more for summer.  I can envision one of lightweight denim...