Mexican Dress

I sewed this traditional Mexican dress in one evening.

I embroidered it in four days.

In less than one week, I owned a priceless, fabulous Mexican peasant dress made just for me.

With my easy-to-use, downloadable Mexican dress pattern instruction booklet, you can do this, too!

Price: $5.00 per PDF download

This downloadable PDF instruction booklet includes:

Click for Further Details about My Mexican Dress Pattern »

My instruction booklet is based on an authentic, traditional Mexican dress which came from Oaxaca and is now a family heirloom. I studied in detail the construction of this garment in order to create a set of easy instructions from which I could make more Mexican dresses for myself. Let me teach you how easy it is to make this fabulous dress!

The story behind this Mexican Dress
I'm not a professional seamstress or an expert embroiderer. However, I learned sewing basics from my mother who was a professional wedding dress designer for many years. Like most women, when I know the hot summer months are coming, I start thinking about my wardrobe, trying to come up with a brilliant plan for dressing in a way that will be both cool and lovely. Temperatures really do skyrocket here in California and this makes it all the more frustrating that every year, there's an absolute shortage of pretty, comfortable cotton dresses available to buy.

I don't know who's wearing all the polyester and nylon dresses in the department stores, but I can't think of any less breathable fabric choices for hot weather clothing. Pure cotton is our perfect ally from May-September, but even if you're lucky enough to stumble upon a cotton sundress at the local mall, chances are, the generic fit of it won't exactly fit you.

I've always been fascinated by folk clothing. Our neighbors in other countries know that the best garments promote a comfortable body temperature, ease of movement and a graceful appearance when working or playing. And, when it comes to staying breezy when the sun is shining, the women of Mexico have long cherished a garment that I call the ultimate sundress: the traditional Mexican peasant dress.

Made of cotton batiste or muslin, nothing could be simpler or smarter for summer. This gown consists of 5 easy pieces that are all basically rectangles that are a cinch to cut out: a yoke, front piece, back piece and two little puff sleeves. I cut out and sewed my Mexican dress in about 4 hours one evening. The yoke and sleeves have a wonderfully dainty, elegant appearance, and lower fall of this dress is so roomy, you can run in it! No hobbling. No restriction. In this dress, you simply glide!

The traditional Mexican woman's dress is embellished with colorful embroidery. Never embroidered before? It's easy and amazingly fun. Choose gorgeous hues and incorporate symbols that have a special meaning to you, or simply follow the embroidery guidelines included in my downloadable Mexican dress pattern. I took my cues from nature, and have created a scene such as you would find around a cool, woodland pool. Wildflowers and the soaring blue swallows that are so beloved in Mexico adorn my dress and make me feel refreshed.

If you can cut out rectangles and operate a sewing machine, you can make this dress. If you'd like a chance to create something of rare beauty and superior usefulness, you'll have a ball embroidering your Mexican dress so that it becomes a one-of-a-kind treasure. Everyone you meet will want to know where you found such a fantastic gown. It may even become a family heirloom, like the special, traditional dresses of Mexico.

After months of searching the Internet for a reliable source for these fine folk garments, I came up empty-handed. This is what drove me to puzzle out this pattern for myself, and now I own a dream of a dress and have the satisfaction of having made it myself. I want you to have this pleasure too and can't wait to hear from you when you've sewn your own Mexican dress that is completely unique - like you!

NEW! - My Mexican Dress has been featured in Craft Magazine. Read all about it.