And I have been busy sewing . . . . want to see my Christmas outfit? I don't usually make something specifically for Christmas Day, but I love that other people do it, so I thought that I would give it a try. As you have probably read, I have been embracing Lagenlook and using Tina Givens Patterns - and this was to be no exception. The skirt is the Patricia pattern, the tunic is Cara and I used a Simplicity pattern for the cardi/jacket. Here are my changes and info!
The pattern itself has a shaped yoke and then a skirt gathered onto it with a band around the bottom that draws in the fullness. As I do not have much of a hip/waist ratio, I cut the yoke piece as a straight rectangle - no other changes made. I love the gathered strips on the side seams - it adds a touch of fun and is somewhat unexpected! The fabric is a cotton/hemp (55%/45%) mix and is heavier than linen with quite a loose weave. I also made a plain nylon (?) jersey petticoat to wear underneath - I can't stand clothing sticking to my legs or stockings. This meant that I didn't need to line the skirt. I've made a couple of others out of a dark chocolate brown and a plain black as well. They are from linen so they are a little more drapey.
Here you can see the petticoat in action (above)!
My attempt at Merchant and Mills photography . . . . . !
Just a little hemline action!
Tunic - Cara
I love this tunic - It is a fun and comfy make! For this version I added pockets in the side seams and sewed a small scrap of spotty black lace and a gathered frill to the neckline. I bound the neckline, arms and bottom with 1.25" bias strips, folded in half, and triple zig-zagged to enclose the exposed seams. Very quick and easy.
Jacket - Simplicity 1318
I've seen this jacket made up a few times and thought that it would be a fun one to make. I was going to make during the summer with a lightweight georgette but never got round to it. When I started thinking of a Christmas outfit, I thought that this pattern would work perfectly - black linen with lace sleeves. So that is what I did! I made an adjustment to the upper back of the jacket to accommodate my rounded upper back as well as adding a small triangular shape to the ends of each sleeve so that inserting the sleeves and sewing the side/sleeve seams would be more smooth. And that was it. Quick and easy right? Nope. Not for me. I managed to attach the two front pieces the wrong way round, so the jacket looked more like a man's shirt tails. Grr. I didn't realize until I was ready to sew the side/sleeve seams and had to unpick lots of top-stitching and overlocking. It was worth it though as I love the look of this jacket. I think that it finishes off the outfit nicely and it will work with lots of other outfits that I have. There is quite a lot of hand stitching - the inside of the front bands and the sleeve bands, but it gives a lovely finish. If I was to make this again - and I probably will, I will attach the inner bands first, then turn under the seam allowance for the outer bands and top and edge stitch them down.
I think that the outfit has a somewhat Victorian/gothic look due to the colour of the fabrics, but I rather like that!!
And finally . . . . I got some new shoes for Christmas . . . . and they work perfectly with my new outfit:
So, how about you? Did you make an outfit for Christmas?
