Let’s Have A Vintage Christmas Dress Link-Up This Year!
Hi Ladies!
For several years I’ve thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be fun if there was a holiday party where everyone wore vintage Christmas dresses they made themselves?” Usually at holiday parties I’m practically the only girl in a real, full blown dress, and I get tired of that sometimes. I mean,do we really all have to wear a pair of jeans and a sweater, and possibly one of those over-used scarves as “festive attire”? Isn’t part of the joy of the holidays tossing on those special outfits that we only get to wear once a year? Personally I can’t wait for each December to roll around, because it means I get to don my cranberry shantung suit with the organza ruffles, the burgundy damask skirt and ruffled ivory blouse, my green velvet frock or plaid 1950s dress, or even that white fur cape that only looks appropriate during the holidays.
Thankfully I have seen evidence online the last few years that there *are* other grown women who also make themselves a new Christmas dress every year and share the results on their sewing blogs. So while there may be hundreds of miles between us which unhappily prevent us from all getting together for a holiday party in real life, let’s have a virtual “online Christmas dress party” this year where we all share the results of our holiday sewing in one blog post!
Here’s my plan: we will all sew our individual dresses from whichever era we choose, and have our pictures taken and ready to share by December 23rd, if possible. On that day I will put up an official Christmas dress party blog post, along with pictures of two over-the-top holiday frocks that I will have photographed in a festive location. (Just like this one from last year.) Then each of you can add a comment that gives a description of your dress plus a link to your dress pictures – ideally if you have a sewing blog that would be perfect, but even if you just add the pictures to Pinterest or share on your Facebook page and make the images public, that would be great, too!
I look forward to seeing what you all come up with! I think it would be amazing to see everyone’s creativity represented in one place. Whether you prefer to sew Regency reproductions, Victorian gowns, 1940s day dresses, or 1950s party dresses, you are welcome to share any era in the dress party link-up, so long as it has a definite holiday look to it. (It does not have to be just red or green of course!)
I have created a Pinterest board with a flurry of festive frocks here that will hopefully be good inspiration! I’ll be adding to it over the next few weeks, whenever I’m not sewing like crazy to meet my holiday sewing goals!
So if you haven’t started sewing this year’s Christmas dress already, Ready, Set, SEW! 🙂 (Oh, and please feel free to add the Christmas Dress blog button from my sidebar to your blog if you so wish.)
Happy sewing!
Katrina
I love this idea! I *try* to make myself a Christmas dress each year – I missed a year in there somewhere, and I didn’t have one for last year, but I think this year is a good one to re-start. I just got some new vintage patterns, too, so I have no excuse!
That’s fabulous, Lauren! I look forward to seeing what you will create! 🙂
Oh that sounds like so much fun! Last year was my first time to sew a Christmas dress (link here: http://ajoyfulhandmaiden.blogspot.com/2013/12/1930s-vogue-christmas-dress.html) and loved putting it together.
With being back in college and away from my sewing machine, I won’t be able to join in this time, but I’ll look forward to seeing what everyone else makes!
Hi Cheri!
I totally understand the time issue! And I love the dress you sewed from last year – thank you for sharing pictures!
Happy sewing,
Katrina
Ooooh I am sew excited! 😉
I am about to start my 1850s ruffly, red and white Christmas dress. I will be sure to link it up!!
Hi, Esther,
That sounds spectacular! I can hardly wait to see it. 🙂
Happy sewing!
Katrina
Oh, I so want to do this. I immediately had a pattern in mind, and now I even want to do two dresses! I have knitting and sewing for gifts and projects “due” in December and January already, so I do not know if I can, but oh, this looks fun. I certainly hope you can make this a regular Christmas tradition!
I love your green velvet dress! While I don’t have any Christmas parties to go to, I do have a friend’s dance recital, and my niece’s party. I’m planning on making my own version of the green velvet dress to wear to these two events. I’m starting sewing today! Hand sewing the bodice and most of the dress, excluding the skirt seams. 3 weeks left! Wish me luck!
Hello, Rachel!
I’d love for you to join us! I totally understand about having lots of previous projects, so don’t feel badly if you can’t make it. However, you could even just sew a skirt and wear a purchased sweater with it or something like that if it would faster to make! 🙂
Happy holiday sewing!
Katrina
Yay, Taylar! That sounds wonderful. Good for you for sewing a fancy dress! And hand-sewing, too – wow. 🙂 I look forward to seeing your pictures!
Happy sewing,
Katrina
Katrina,
What a fun idea! Luckily, I’d already started a dress that entirely qualifies for the party. You’ll appreciate it, I’m sure. Here’s the link to my blog post introducing the project and my dress:
http://quinnmburgess.wordpress.com/2014/11/26/virtual-christmas-dress-party/
Happy Thanksgiving!
Quinn
Hello, Quinn,
Thank you for sharing this on your blog! How sweet of you. 🙂 And that dramatic Vogue pattern you are using is stunning! I can hardly wait to see how it turns out. (Love the Baroness Schraeder reference, too, of course!)
Happy sewing!
Katrina
What a great idea! Since I take part at a (german-language) christmas- dress-sew along (you will find that at http://memademittwoch.blogspot.co.at/) with a 1900 skirt-blouse combination I really come to your party (and it would be a good motivation to add a little bit english text to my blog). The only things I´m not shure about: Does a combination of blouse and skirt qualify as dress? And: I´m not shure about the “definite holiday look”. Do silk and lace qualify?
Hi, Frl. Notter!
Welcome to the blog party! Yes, you can certainly wear a skirt/blouse combo! There are no rules about fabric and colors, so just make whatever feels festive to you! 🙂
I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Happy sewing!
Katrina
What a fun idea! I’m remaking a red velvet 1970s dress into a early 1960s style Christmas dress this year! I’ve wanted a red velvet holiday frock for ages, so I will be excited to actually have one!
-Lauren
Sounds elegant, Lauren! I’m sure the dress will be marvelous. 🙂 Look forward to seeing pictures!
Happy sewing,
Katrina
This sounds like so much fun. I have 3 yards of a beautiful fine wool Stewart tartan that I want to use for my Christmas dress but have not settled on a pattern yet. I was thinking of perhaps a sleeveless sheath. Any other suggestions on a style would be appreciated. I am open to any time period.
Hello, Lynette,
Oh, that sounds lovely! I like your idea of a sheath dress, since plaids really lend themselves to more tailored styles. I have a similar fabric that I plan to make into the pleated skirt of a dress for my mother this Christmas. But I’m sure anything you do will be fabulous!
Happy sewing,
Katrina
[…] you might be expecting, I wore my Christmas dress and took pictures for Edelweiss Patterns’ Virtual Christmas Dress Party. The original inspiration image is in this post. The dress is made from rayon and lined with […]