I am just managing to squeeze in one more finished project on the blog this year.
And since this was my Christmas outfit, I thought it would be more appropriate in the month of December than any other . . . obviously!
This outfit really was a last minute decision, and I am extremely pleased with the outcome.
The blouse was a test run for the dress I planned to sew for Christmas day, but time got away from me, as it sometimes does. But next year, I have plans for that adorable snowman print, and I will start early!
Of course, I decided that I needed a new skirt for my new blouse. My original thought was that a bright red would work best with the cardinal print. Then I happened to place some pink fabric next to the in progress blouse on the sewing table and thought that pink would be a nice alternative should a great red fabric be difficult to source considering the extremely limited amount of time that was left before The Marin Symphony Holiday Pops Concert.
Of course, I couldn't find either of those colors in an appropriate textile at JoAnns, so I got desperate and started looking for greens. This army green is not the hue that comes to mind when I think of Christmas green, but I really like the fact that it is somewhat unexpected for a holiday outfit.
Because I also knew that I did not want to limit the skirt exclusively to holiday wear, the green twill fabric followed me home. But it certainly does have a little holiday flare hiding in the underlining layer of the quilting.
The quilted skirt feels very much like I imagine wearing an actual quilt would feel. It's comfy and cozy, even it it does take up a fair amount of space. Which is sometimes nice in a crowded space because of the built-in personal space buffer! It is easier to maneuver than a hoop skirt because the fabric will collapse when necessary, but still almost as much fun to swan about in.
And if you were wondering, yes, there will be more quilted skirts in my future. Perhaps not the immediate future, but the challenge of creating my own apparel fabric is something that I will be trying again. Perhaps a knee length skirt, maybe in a print? Only time will tell!
Blouse: Made by me, Vogue 8772 & McCall 8358
Skirt: Made by me, Simplicity 8458
Shoes: Royal Vintage "Marilyn"
Utter perfection!!!
ReplyDeleteHow about a quilted long pencil skirt in grey flannel; rustic with a urban sophistication. Pegged just enough to make eyeballs stick, it could support a blouse with enough dark green silk illusion (sleeves and shoulders) to qualify as "tastefully indecent" to the snippy set who might follow you from one event to the next. Of course, you're an old hand at handling such comments, looks, and overheard conversations; aren't ya now???
I also quilted a skirt once and felt elegant wearing it. A "Christmas green" might not have showcased your blouse as well, so your choice of green is perfect. Blouse and skirt are not fighting for attention. Lovely ensemble!
ReplyDeleteLove it -- and thanks for the peek of the holly print!
ReplyDeleteI knew the pictures of the completed outfit would be fabulous, but you outdid yourself with these! My eyes kept bouncing back and forth between blouse, skirt, and shoes -- each is fabulous, but together they are simply amazing.
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