Mu'umu'u for the Mama

My dad is part Hawaiian, and I myself am an eighth Hawaiian (no, Oma, I'm not discounting the larger portions of Dutch in me!), so when I finished this dress, it reminded me strongly of a Hawaiian mu'umu'u, although thankfully it's less baggy.

I bought the fabric at the Aloha Swap almost 7 years ago when I was last in the islands (boo hoo, getting homesick!), and I intended to sew matching shirts for Handyman and I. Well, I forgot about that, and when I remembered my idea, by then I had too many children that would need matching shirts and not enough fabric to cover them decently. Although they have part Hawaiian blood running in their veins, it wouldn't be appropriate for their half-naked part-Hawaiian bodies to run through the supermarket.

So, I appropriated the fabric all for me, hee hee! I used the same pattern as the last dress I sewed, and I think it actually came out a bit better this time. I got the entire thing cut and sewn in about three hours. I'm sooo happy with the way it came out; it fits beautifully, the fabric is so light and comfy and drapes nicely (sometimes lighter fabrics tend to bunch in the wrong spots, namely hip and thigh areas, ick!), and I don't feel self-conscious wearing it as I so often do in hand-made dresses.

(The reason for the self conscious part is all completely my own fault, as I cannot leave well enough alone. Instead of sewing a normal outfit, I have to make so many matching accessories and parts that the overall effect screams "I'm Handmade!")

I have almost a 3/4 yard of fabric left, so guess what?

I'm going to make a matching tote bag. What did I say about over-doing it?

(You know that magazine called Real Simple? They need magazines for people like me called, "Real Complicated").