My $20 custom made dress

Last year, I asked a number of moms where they bought modest dresses for their pre-teen/teen daughters.  Tabby needed something  to wear to church and it seemed all we could find (that was affordable anyway) were "hoochie-mama" type clothes.  Really.  First there are very few dresses/skirts on the market for pre-teen girls.  Second, the ones that are there, are are ultra-short and clingy fabric stuff and tiny straps.  Yuck.  At the opposite end were the modest but frumpy looking bag like dresses.  Another problem is she's at one of those in-between ages - she's now 13.  Some things look too babyish on her and other things way too mature.

I know, I know, there are some nice things out there.  But Tabby has a really awkward build right now and it renders the few decent looking things hopeless.  (She has very broad shoulders and wide hips yet she's super skinny.)

OK.  I didn't mean to get into a lament, though I will say - if you have a daughter who loves to sew - there is a market out there! for modest but stylish clothes for pre-teen and young teen girls!

We solved Tabby's dilemma by pairing some skirts and tops, found at thrift stores.  She altered some herself.

American Goldfinch - photo by Tabby

Some friends told us about a website for a company in India called eShakti.  This mother and daughter bought dresses from them and spoke very highly of the company and how they worked hard to make sure their clients were absolutely pleased with anything they purchased.

So I took a peek and loved what I saw.  Many of the clothes have the vintage flair I like.  Think ModCloth but made to order in your exact size.  ;)

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - photo by Tabby

I needed a dress this spring/summer so after combing the thrift stores and not finding anything, I decided that I was going to get a dress from eShakti.  By signing up on their website, I got a $25 off coupon from them.  I also learned that I could get my first purchase altered for free.  (It's normally only $7.)  I found a dress I liked  (wow that was hard - so many cute ones!) and selected what style of sleeves I wanted (I picked cap sleeves) and what length.  I typed in my measurements.  Then checked out.  Lo and behold there was also a spring time sale going on so I got an additional 35% off!

Bottom line was, the dress only cost me $20.  Plus $10 shipping from India.  It took 3 weeks to get here, and as definitely worth the wait as it fit perfectly.  How often does that happen with clothing today?!

Here is the dress - I can wear it with the tie, or without.  I have some red flats that match the buttons perfectly.

I didn't realize the photos didn't turn out good until I loaded them.  And well, I'm too lazy at the moment to re-do them.  But you can see a good picture on the eshakti website here.  :)  So, I definitely recommend eShakti!   (www.eshakti.com)  I've since met several other people that have ordered from them and were pleased.

On a completely different note, yesterday Solomon observed Frank was wearing a hat as he mowed the grass.  Solomon asked for a hat so he could go out and "mow" on his battery powered tractor.  Tabby took these cute photos: