Easter came and went so fast. I can't believe it's been over a week since that glorious day. We kept festivities simple with new Sunday Best and a basket of candy for each kid (minus J - she'll get one next year ;)). I made dresses for the girls and bought Felix pants and a polo. It's kind of unreal how Felix's pants match the fabric I picked out for the girls. I found this great polyester (I'm assuming it's polyester) in the fabric district in L.A. last month. It's very drapey, but with how light-weight it is it's completely opaque. I've had trouble finding fabric with good drape and opacity these days. The print and colors aren't what I would normally gravitate towards, but it's growing on me. I like the little tulips and the unexpected blue. I love dressing girls up in blue. Little known fact: Pink used to be a boy color and baby blue was a girl color because they were the pastel versions of red and blue. Red being viewed as more masculine than blue. I don't think color should be relegated to just masculine or just feminine. I like mixing it up.

Back buttons and pleats for Juniper's dress

For the dresses, I made up the patterns. I drafted both dresses from clothes that Penelope and Juniper already had and fit. I kept them simple with pleats instead of gathers (whoever says gathering is easy is crazy). I wanted them to be simple enough that they could be pulled over, but with some thinking, that wasn't going to happen with a woven fabric. Some kind of fastener had to be involved. Due to the fabric's drape, I decided buttons were the best fit. I hate putting on buttons. Executing the button holes was a breeze. I've got an amazing automatic button hole setting on my machine, so I would set it then let it do its thing while I sat or left the room to take care of something else. It was sewing the buttons on that was a pain.

Front pleat detail for Penelope's Dress

Overall, the buttons add a sweet element, particularly to the simple silhouette of Penelope's dress. Both girls have to have help getting dressed, but closing a button isn't a big deal.

Back button detail for Penelope's Dress

The fabric has been a dream to work with. Now I want something in my size. I'm still trying to decide what to do. I've got about 2 1/2 - 3 yards left so the possibilities are nearly endless. Culottes? Wrap skirt? Pleated dress? Also, I think I have the most beautiful children. I might be a tad biased.