Easter Dresses

Having two little girls has changed the amount of time I get to sew...by a LOT.

I've decided to take the challenge head-on and make them Easter dresses before Sunday anyway!

Though I just started today, I've been contemplating designs and styles in my head for weeks.  I finally settled on something similar to this pattern from Simplicity:

And of course I'm not following the pattern. If you know me, you know that patterns scare me.  They tear so easily.  They have all these markings I've never taken the time to learn the meaning of. They tell me to do things I have to google because I don't know what they are talking about.

I sketched my own, with a little bit longer bodice so that a nice, wide, satin ribbon can run around the waist, and petal sleeves because I feel like all the clothes I make my girls these days have puffy sleeves ('cause they are EASY!).

I cut my pattern pieces out of my usual brown paper. (left to right and top to botttom - back of bodice, skirt piece, petal sleeve, front of bodice):

Because the fabric for my bodice is kind of thin, I needed a double layer, so I cut two of the front bodice piece on the fold, four of the back bodice piece (2 for each side), two of the skirt pieces since there will be ruffles on top, and EIGHT of the sleeve pattern.

Yes, EIGHT. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I didn't want to try to hem the curve of the petal sleeve, so I figured I'd just make it double layered too.  So, that's FOUR pieces per sleeve.  Fortunately, the pieces aren't very big, so it didn't take up very much fabric.

I haven't actually cut the fabric for the ruffles yet, but it is a beautiful sheer, white, pre-wrinkled kind of fabric that I found in my stash.  I made a skirt out of it when I was a sophomore in college a million years ago.  I think it will hang and swish a WHOLE lot better than the dress shown on the pattern packaging...

 The only problem is...I'm out of white thread!  I don't know how it happened!

Okay, I do know how it happened.  I sewed together hundreds of paper eggs to make Easter streamers and suddenly there was no white thread left.

At any rate, I can't get to the store until tomorrow, so the sewing will have to wait.  Bummer, since both girls are asleep right now...