I got motivated.

Last Sunday it occurred to me that Easter was only one week away, and I didn't even have a plan yet!  I knew I wanted to make new dresses for my girls.  Last year's dresses are still favorites.   But I hadn't thought about fabric or patterns, etc. for this year.

Enter Pinterest for inspiration!  

This dress was pinned on my board:

Source: one-little-minute.com via Annee on Pinterest

Without a pattern or a tutorial, I was really going to need to use my brain!  Liz suggested I could start with the same pattern she started with when she made a simple A-line shaped dress.  It's Simplicity 4927.  

My good friend Summer had these dresses pinned on her inspiration board, also stemming from the same basic A-line shape (and had successfully copied the middle version.  So I had her help with my second dress):

Source: simplesong.typepad.com via Summer on Pinterest

So those were my inspirations for the two dresses I attempted first:

Both started with Simplicity 4927.  Both ended up with slight variations and hopefully improvements with each go round.  And neither one of these dresses are for Easter!  But they will most definitely get worn over and over again this spring and summer.

This navy blue is so hard to photograph!  Sorry.  For the bow dress you need to add an inch, ON THE FOLD, to the front dress piece.  That way you have enough extra fabric to fashion a box pleat.  Then, behind that pleat I inserted button holes on either side, so that my bow could slide through.  I used a cotton stretch poplin and Ruby has already worn it to school and bike riding, play ground playing, etc.  It passes the comfy test!  

This green one is made out of linen from my Korea stash.  Since I was worried about itchiness, I had to do the lining differently, thus altering quite a bit the way I constructed it.  But still, it's pretty simple.  They both close in the back with a loop and button closure.  

Neither is perfect!  I know that.  They are workable prototypes.  I hope I'll just keep getting better and better with each subsequent dress.  Because the UPS man just dropped off the Easter seersucker.  Do I have two more dresses in me before Easter?!  

I better go take a nap first :)