my (mostly) handmade christmas outfit
I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season! The ice storm here in Toronto last Saturday really put a strange damper on things this year – my parents’ house, which usually hosts a giant Christmas dinner, was without power (heat, hot water) for over 60 hours! The power was finally restored to them on Christmas Eve, so we had just a small dinner with my immediate family. The 30 year tradition won’t be broken though, as the big dinner is just postponed until New Year’s.
My house was very lucky in the storm, no power or heat disruptions. I did manage to take a few photos of the ice before it melted. Pretty, but as the fallen trees in my parents’ yard would attest, destructive!
The storm coupled with our household of horrible flu did give me time to finish up my handmade Christmas outfit.
The skirt is my handsewn Colette Zinnia, which I think turned out quite nicely! I sewed everything with needle and thread and did all French seams. It’s version 2, without the belt loops, and with a slightly deeper hem.
I used a 7″ skirt zipper (instead of 9″ invisible, because it’s what I had) and two sets of hooks and eyes for the waistband. I cut the size 16 and it fits quite well, I think! The brown cotton flannel is super cozy. It’s not the most big-dinner-friendly skirt as the waistband is a little bit on the snug side for eating, but it did just fine.
The sweater is my own design, worked from the top down in Anzula’s For Better or Worsted. Such a beautiful yarn! I used 3 skeins of Teal, 1 of Lapis, and 1 of Seaside. I love the BIG Norwegian stars on the sleeves, and I think the colourwork transition on the body worked out well. I’m not certain whether I’ll be able to offer this one as a pattern, because I chose the colourwork chart based on my particular sleeve numbers, but I’ll see what I can do! The beautiful wooden buttons are from AnnyMay Craft Supplies on etsy.
More handmade gifts to show off soon!
