Made By A Fabricista: Vintage Inspired Holiday Outfit

Wow! Can you believe it's December already? Is it just me, or did this year fly by? I always get excited for all of the fun winter holiday festivities that December brings. In my family, it is a December tradition to watch the movie White Christmas. There’s just something magical about the songs and dances, gorgeous costumes, and 1950s Christmas glam!

Every December, I have big dreams of creating a little Christmas magic of my own through sewing. Making special outfits and handmade Christmas gifts for my loved ones is my favorite way to make magic.

When I saw a beautiful scarlet, evergreen cotton, and polyester plaid twill on Fabric Mart's website in early October, I knew I had to get it! The fabric gave me a vision of my own White Christmas-inspired, plaid holiday dress. I ordered 4 yards of the plaid fabric, and on a whim, I grabbed 1 yard of a soft ivory boucle lace knit fabric. I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do with the 1 yard of lace knit fabric but I had a good feeling that they belonged together.

With my fabric in hand, I started to plan the perfect holiday outfit. I settled on a pinafore dress in the plaid twill fabric. I envisioned a coordinating mock turtle neck with the knit lace to wear under the pinafore.

The free Gambit Pinafore Dress pattern from Mood perfectly fit my vision. The pattern was modeled after the famous dark plaid dress the main character wore in The Queen’s Gambit TV show. I loved the v-neckline, the full-circle skirt, and that the pattern is based on 1950s fashion. This was the first time I’ve used a free Mood pattern, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was happy to have the pattern pieces for free.

The pattern doesn’t include finished measurements and it also doesn’t mention the amount of ease included so I had to pick the sizes strictly from my measurements. I printed out the pattern pieces in a size 12/14 based on the waist and hip measurements and graded the bust area down to the 8/10 size. I probably could have made the whole thing in the 8/10 size though because the assembled bodice and skirt were large in all areas. I wanted there to be some extra room in the bodice to fit tops and sweaters underneath, but it was still too roomy. I ended up taking in the center back seams of the bodice, the side seams of the skirt, and the shoulder seams. After all of these alterations, I was happy with the fit of the dress.

The included instructions aren’t very detailed, and they read more like a blog post and less like a formal sewing pattern. This wasn’t an issue for me, but if you are new to sewing apparel I wouldn’t recommend this as a first sew.

The turtleneck top on the other hand was very beginner-friendly! I made the Seamwork Jenny pattern which has separate front and back yoke pieces perfect for color blocking or experimenting with different fabrics.

With my 1 yard of knit lace, I cut out the long sleeves, front and back yoke, and neckband. I used a solid-colored ivory knit fabric I had acquired during a recent in-person Fabric Mart trip for the main bodice front and back. Using the solid ivory fabric gave the top added modesty and also supplemented the 1 yard of knit lace. The assembly of this pattern is very straightforward and the top came together in under two hours from cutting it out to hemming it.

When the dress and top were finished, I couldn’t wait to try them on and give the skirt a twirl. Is there anything more fun than twirling in a full-circle skirt? I know, I entertained my one-year-old son with all of my twirling! I love my new White Christmas-inspired holiday outfit and I can’t wait to wear it the first chance I get. Once again, Fabric Mart has helped make my sewing dreams come true. May you have a wonderful holiday season full of sewing magic!

SHAINA | @shaina_sews