Why I've made the Mexican Dress and created themexicandress.com

My goal is to share beautiful folk clothing with other women who are looking for quality in what they wear.

The tradition of sewing has been handed down to me by my mother. My mother worked for many years as a professional wedding gown designer and creator, and when I was a little girl, she sewed countless garments for my siblings and I. We always had new, handmade dresses every Easter and Christmas and I so loved going with her to the fabric store to choose what would become a beautiful dress for me. I am, so far, the only one of my mother's children who has kept this fine tradition going, and when she bought me my first sewing machine, I felt like I had 'arrived'!

The fact is that the art of sewing is not being passed on as widely as it should to young women like myself - at least here in California where needing new clothes automatically means a trip to the nearest mall. But, the cut and quality of store-bought garments is less than perfect. Finding something that actually fits you can be an exercise in frustration. For my own body shape, I have found it next to impossible to purchase dresses or pants that fit me comfortably. I am a very petite, short woman and most store-bought styles drag on the floor beneath my feet. Even when I do find something that fits, chances are, it will have fallen apart after a year of wear. Eventually, I decided that this is an unsatisfying experience.

Professional seamstresses know that there is no such thing as a generic body shape. Height, weight and bone mass make each one of us different, and many smart women begin sewing for themselves so that constricting or sagging clothing becomes a thing of the past! Both this impetus and the fact that I enjoy finding original, unique garments have led to my becoming a seamstress. It is a source of real pride for me that, by dint of my skills, I can clothe myself in elegant, classic apparel that is one-of-a-kind.

I've found that Folk Clothing is a great answer!
Getting back to the basics, the whole point of wearing clothing is to keep warm or protect your skin from the hot sun. The ability to move about with ease is also essential to any modern woman. Fortunately for us, our ancestors of many different lands used their ingenuity to design apparel that was suitable to whatever climate they happened to live in and which allowed them to work and play without restriction. We have to look to the working classes of the past for what is going to be comfortable now, and the delightful thing is that nearly all folk clothing has a special elegance to it that results in a graceful appearance for the wearer.

I consider myself an intermediate-level seamstress. I don't like fussy patterns. As you can see from this website and from the photos shown here, I have been exploring several different cultures in order to create my summer wardrobe. Garments that take their cues from India are very fine for the warm weather, and I've been enjoying making sets of lovely tunics with flowing trousers. Who knew tunics were about to become so popular this year??? But, popular or not, they are a classic piece that can be worn well by people of almost any body shape. The Mexican Puebla Dress makes this same claim to fame, and it may just be the most comfortable, multipurpose garment you will ever wear. Read the complete details about my easy, breezy Mexican Puebla Dress Instruction book now, or download it here.

Price: $5.00 per PDF download

In addition to sewing for myself, I sew quilts for the comfort of my home. In point of fact, when I wanted to make my Mexican dress, I bought the cotton batiste at my local quilting supply store! Pretty simple. I would like to share some pictures below of a few of the quilts I have sewn and handquilted over the past few years.

My Toast Quilt

My LeMoyne Star Quilt

My Clover Quilt

My Flying Geese Quilt for Fall

I have worked for all of my adult life as an award-winning artist, a graphic designer and a web designer. My love of color, of design, of beauty goes back to my earliest childhood memories and it enriches my life to be able to create lovely things for myself and my family. I feel that we can learn a valuable lesson from all of the women who have gone before us, and for whom sewing was often a part of daily life. When we take the time to plan and sew for ourselves and our families, it is not only an economical, stress-reducing and sensible choice, it is an act of real love.