Craft:

Miriam Ellis of The Mexican Dress has created a instruction booklet and pattern for you to make your very own beautiful Mexican dress like the one pictured above. This peasant style dress which origins date back to the 1600's in Mexico has never gone out of style and is fitting with the bohemian look that's popular now. The dress is so easy to sew and is made up of only 5 rectangles! Easy peasy! After you're done sewing, you can embellish it with embroidery and cross-stitch, or add beading, ribbons, patches, whatever you like.

Miriam Ellis writes:

What I'm trying most to share with other crafters is that you can tell a story with your dress, the way quilters tell stories with their quilts. The motifs I chose for the embroidery of the dress tell a little story about the woman who made it. I'm an avid birder, so gorgeous tree swallows are swooping across the dress. Below them, old-fashioned bleeding hearts speak of the struggles I've known, and forget-me-nots remind me of all of the sweet, dear things in life. Another crafter might choose different flowers, geometric shapes or symbols that have special meanings to them, and this is what can turn a simple garment into a valuable work of art. I would love to see my instruction booklet get into the hands of a talented crafting or sewing group, and then see the unique finished result each of the women would come up with, based on whatever is most meaningful to each of them. I plan to accept and publish photos I receive from women who make their own Mexican dress.

Check out the Mexican Dress site and get the pattern for only $5 here. - Link.