· 2015 Christmas Outfit ·

My festive outfit this year has a couple of new things going on that signal a few personal changes this year.  Nothing deep and of life-changing import (ha!), just the fact that I made a circle skirt after swearing them off years ago. ;-) They are the ultimate in impracticality in windy/gusty climes such as the midwest, so I previously avoided them.  I'm throwing caution to the wind this year (agh... how do I always come up with unintentional puns?? pretend that didn't happen...) and embracing one just for the fun of it. ;-)  After all, if you're doing a 1950s appliqued skirt.... it had better be a full circle.  Also, my mexican skirt did a fair share of weakening my defenses. ;-)

The other way this year is different is that I've now relocated from the gusty midwestern plains to... the Windy City.  I am just doomed to wind, I guess.  It's a temporary change, but I'm enjoying the experiences of an urban location. :-)  Naturally, taking outfit photos downtown is a must, so off to find lighted trees we went!

I've already posted about my ornament skirt in my tutorial post, so I won't elaborate on all the details involved with the applique process...

My partnership with Riley Blake Fabrics' Stitch n' Kitchen Christmas Blog Tour was such a great opportunity to make another Christmas-themed novelty outfit. :-)  I do love a good novelty print, but this time I did something a little different and appliqued novelty designs!

Initially, I wanted to get a festive photo setting for the tutorial photos, but I was rapidly running out of time before my deadline and actually, the skirt was in a remarkably unfinished state for that post!  You'd never know it, but the back of the skirt wasn't completely appliqued, there was no waistband, and no zipper.  Well, I'm pleased to report that this skirt is absolutely and completely finished now. ;-)  There are no secrets this time!

See?  Bragging zipper photo!  Unabashed back shot!  I must be all finished!

The waistband is from a 1950s skirt pattern that we've had for ages, but I just never got around to using.  This project seemed like a good time to fix that. ;-)

The skirt has pockets on both sides as well as a side zipper.  It was a little tricky figuring out how to insert a regular zipper underneath an on-seam pocket, but it all worked out in the end!

Ahh, the infamous waistband.  The story is far too long for sharing here, but suffice it to say that this unassuming little piece was the source of the most agony of the entire outfit- all due to the Postal System.  Sigh.

However, it still remains true to my original design, so all the ups and downs leading to this point can now fade away. ;-)

It wrinkles a bit, as expected, but overall I'm pretty pleased with the way it's behaved.  Time will tell whether I'll have to come up with a different interfacing plan after washing, but I'm hoping it holds up.  This waistband is much wider than any I've made so far, so I'm still anticipating some learning curves in getting it just right!

Also, waiting a couple weeks to take these photos meant that I now have a new sweater to wear!  This fun sparkle confetti sweater is from Kohl's this year- altered to a more vintage style using this method.

The glittery gold cord, ornament tops, and star fabric got the wheels in my brain turning, and inevitably led to another project....

... Because when one is pushing the limits of a deadline, one should start unnecessary-but-"boy-that-sure-would-be-a-nice-touch" sorts of things, right?

Thus, I have a brand new gold dotty blouse for the occasion. ;-)

The blouse is made of the leftover scraps from my Gold Dotty birthday dress.  I love, love, love that I was able to fit 2 projects on this fabric!!!

The blouse portion is just made from my self-made bodice sloper, while the collar/bow is taken from a 1950s maternity pattern that I love!  I figured this would be a great opportunity to make use of it!  The boat neck is a fun change, I love the way the collar is pleated up a bit at the center front, and the tab is a nice touch. :-)

Kathryn was entirely skeptical that I would disrobe down to short sleeves in the winter evening (and I did receive more long looks from passersby...), but after putting that much effort into a blouse that would coordinate *just* right, it seemed only appropriate. ;-)

And besides, I don't look cold in these pictures because I really wasn't. ;-)

And can we just have a moment to say how amazing it is that there was no wind that night in the Windy City??  I was pretty sure a circle skirt was going to be a stupid decision, but it worked without a hitch!  Turned out to be a quite perfect night to take photos, despite the cold and (boohoo!) lack of snow.... What is it with my Christmas outfits not having snow in the photos?? :-P

All in all, it's a delightfully festive skirt that I had a blast designing and making!  And judging by the amount of compliments from a broad range of people, I'd say it's pretty close to being universally admired. ;-)

· Photos by Kathryn! ·