How to make your own Iro and Buba

So Iro and Buba is literally taking over the world one girl at a time. Iro (wrapper) and Buba (blouse) which is pronounced "ee-ro and boo-bah" is typically worn by Nigerians mostly of the Yoruba tribe. Furthermore, it was mainly mothers and grandmothers who donned this style of dress in African lace. In the past, hardly would you ever see young ladies wearing it, but now Iro and Buba has become a must have in every wardrobe of a trendy and stylish lady.

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0he iro and buba, pronounced “ee-ro and boo-bah,” has been part of the West African culture for a very long time. It was mostly worn by the Yoruba people of South West Nigeria but has since spread far into other ethnic groups. - See more at: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/arts-entertainment/160890-return-iro-buba.html#sthash.JOB6CWD3.dpuf

The iro and buba, pronounced “ee-ro and boo-bah,” has been part of the West African culture for a very long time. It was mostly worn by the Yoruba people of South West Nigeria but has since spread far into other ethnic groups. - See more at: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/arts-entertainment/160890-return-iro-buba.html#sthash.JOB6CWD3.dpuf

The iro and buba, pronounced “ee-ro and boo-bah,” has been part of the West African culture for a very long time. It was mostly worn by the Yoruba people of South West Nigeria but has since spread far into other ethnic groups. - See more at: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/arts-entertainment/160890-return-iro-buba.html#sthash.JOB6CWD3.dpuf

The iro and buba, pronounced “ee-ro and boo-bah,” has been part of the West African culture for a very long time. It was mostly worn by the Yoruba people of South West Nigeria but has since spread far into other ethnic groups. - See more at: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/arts-entertainment/160890-return-iro-buba.html#sthash.JOB6CWD3.dpuf

The iro and buba, pronounced “ee-ro and boo-bah,” has been part of the West African culture for a very long time. It was mostly worn by the Yoruba people of South West Nigeria but has since spread far into other ethnic groups. - See more at: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/arts-entertainment/160890-return-iro-buba.html#sthash.JOB6CWD3.dpuf

The iro and buba, pronounced “ee-ro and boo-bah,” has been part of the West African culture for a very long time. It was mostly worn by the Yoruba people of South West Nigeria but has since spread far into other ethnic groups. - See more at: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/arts-entertainment/160890-return-iro-buba.html#sthash.JOB6CWD3.dpufv

The iro and buba, pronounced “ee-ro and boo-bah,” has been part of the West African culture for a very long time. It was mostly worn by the Yoruba people of South West Nigeria but has since spread far into other ethnic groups. - See more at: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/arts-entertainment/160890-return-iro-buba.html#sthash.JOB6CWD3.dpuf

The iro and buba, pronounced “ee-ro and boo-bah,” has been part of the West African culture for a very long time. It was mostly worn by the Yoruba people of South West Nigeria but has since spread far into other ethnic groups. - See more at: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/arts-entertainment/160890-return-iro-buba.html#sthash.JOB6CWD3.dpuf

The iro and buba, pronounced “ee-ro and boo-bah,” has been part of the West African culture for a very long time. It was mostly worn by the Yoruba people of South West Nigeria but has since spread far into other ethnic groups. - See more at: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/arts-entertainment/160890-return-iro-buba.html#sthash.JOB6CWD3.dpuf

The iro and buba, pronounced “ee-ro and boo-bah,” has been part of the West African culture for a very long time. It was mostly worn by the Yoruba people of South West Nigeria but has since spread far into other ethnic groups. - See more at: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/arts-entertainment/160890-return-iro-buba.html#sthash.JOB6CWD3.dpuf

The iro and buba, pronounced “ee-ro and boo-bah,” has been part of the West African culture for a very long time. It was mostly worn by the Yoruba people of South West Nigeria but has since spread far into other ethnic groups. - See more at: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/arts-entertainment/160890-return-iro-buba.html#sthash.JOB6CWD3.dpuf

It's so late in the night around 11pm, I didn't wanna go to sleep and hubby was busy watching TV and the babies were fast asleep. Miss busy body over here decided it was time to make my own Iro and Buba. Two things I have learned on this journey is to never be afraid of trying out anything I might surprise myself and it could be the easiest thing I've ever done. Iro and buba is simply the easiest outfit to make. When in doubt about what to wear and you have no time to sew a fancy dress or go shopping, make Iro and Buba.

So the first time I ever attempted to make one was a couple of weeks ago when someone asked me to make her one for an upcoming wedding. I did and it came out beautifully so much that I couldn't wait to make myself one. As I said, it was the easiest outfit I ever made but yet made me feel so sexy and like a lady...
Below are the easy directions to making the Iro and Buba.

For the Buba (Blouse):

Fold the fabric in the middle

 Measure the length of the edge along the folded fabric and cut.

 

Measure and sew on the sides of the fabric to the size of your choice

 

For the Iro (Wrapper):

The Iro is pretty easy to make. You measure out the yard(s) of fabric, depending on your size (e.g. two yards for me), and hem the edges. Cut out a little fabric to make short straps for easy wear to make sure the wrapper stays put all day. Attach the straps to the fabric on the left and right corner of fabric.And thats it!!!

These are the pics of the finished product. 

Fashion Show at the Lotus & Water Lily Cultural Festival 2014

What an amazing weekend I had. Sometimes my dreams and aspirations scare me but the more they scare me, the more I know God is up to something. So an old friend of mine approached me about a month ago to ask me to participate in a fashion show at the Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in NE D.C. Of course any and every opportunity I can get to showcase my work I welcome. You just never know what opportunity might come knocking. I was a little nervous as I was out of my comfort zone and element. After all, this would only be my second real fashion show but I took it all in stride and grabbed the bull by the horns. Of course not literally but you get the drift.

When my family and I got to the festival, we realized it was a wonderfully diverse crowd with people from all walks of life and there was something for everyone. The place was beaming with culture diversity, from art contests for children, to Lotus tea tasting, to contemporary African music just to name a few. We quickly settled in, prepped for the show and what a success it was. Here are some of the shots from the show. Photo credits goes to mine truly; hubby of life....

Coordinated!!!

My love child had a birthday this past week!!! What better way to celebrate him than to wear matching outfits....
We are becoming those people that I never considered we'd be but somehow I am loving every minute of it. It was on Friday when we were deciding where to buy cake for Sy's birthday celebration for Sunday school. That's when I told my hubby what an awesome idea it would be if we were all wearing the exact same fabric/print. I think he just agreed thinking I'd not go through with it. He was in for a rude awakening because I spent my whole Saturday in the basement with Jo sitting by my side and Sy making so much noise on his drum set.

Hubby went go-kart racing on Saturday afternoon, and by the time he was done I was finishing Jo's dress and starting on my skirt. The tricky part of this was I only had 2 yards to work with but I was able to stretch the fabric for my skirts and the kids' clothes. The fortunate thing is I made Hubby's  shirt a few months back when he needed to wear it for a wedding. It was what they call "asoebi" in Yoruba culture from Nigeria. 

Aso ebi: (Pronounced Asho-Eybee) Nigerian outfits made from matching fabric to be worn by a group of people to a party, wedding, or funeral as a uniform.  Wearing a certain aso ebi identifies the group of people showing sense of closeness and solidarity for the celebrant(s). For instance, at a wedding, all the bride’s friends might wear blue and gold, the bride’s family might wear white and gold, and the groom’s friends might wear black and pink, and so on.

So when I had made the asoebi for hubby there were two yards remaining, which is what I used to make the rest of the family's outfits. By the time I was done with the kids' outfits, I had just enough to make a pencil skirt and nothing else.  Luckily, I had some satin fabric commonly used for lining that I used to make the blouse that went so well with my skirt. Anyways, we made a sewing party out of the evening since the family hung out with me in the basement until I was finished with the project. I pressed the outfits and was ready for Sunday's best. lol!!! By the time Sunday rolled in, my son was so excited at the idea of all of us wearing matching outfits; so much that he couldn't wait to put his outfit on and refused to take it off after church, not until bedtime.

 

 

Please excuse my shocked face... Mummy didn't warn me she was about to shine a bright light in my face...

My dynamic duo Father and son...