To all who mourn in Israel, He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory. Isaiah 61:3

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Christmas Card #2, A Swing Coat, and Mrs. Claus!


Right then! Today was a "there is nothing going and nowhere I need to be" day, so I took advantage of the nothingness of the day and asked my sons if they would do a photo shoot with their old Mom.  They said they would and the following photos are the result of that agreement!  I do apologize for the exposure of the images however.  A lovely man at The Bishops' House fixed Mom's camera so that more light would be let in during inside shoots, and we of course have totally forgotten how to make it go back to how it was before.  Major editing on Picasa was used to get me to look like I hadn't just seen the back of God's head (think Moses on the top of Mount Sanai...)

Anyhoo, here they are!  I am so loving the versatility of all of these pieces that I made for this project as there are so many different outfits that can be worn and I'm not even done with all the pieces!  Huzzah!!!

Christmas Card #2


Thankfully I had a little Christmas tree that I was able to decorate like the lovely one on the card.   I used all vintage ornaments that had belonged to my Grandparents and Greg's Grandparents when they decorated their trees in the 1950s!  What fun!


Source:  Etsy



Another shot of the front of the blouse.  I used Butterick 4826 for the blouse and Vogue 8687 for the skirt.  The skirt was a pain.  There I said it.  It is actually on backward as the front of the skirt has about 10 darts that cause the waist to fit into the waist band.  A really great idea....on paper.  When I got it all sewn together and the zipper inserted, I tried it on and....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!  Those fabulous little pleats that were supposed to look so good (cause it does on the drawing on the front of the pattern) looked ridiculous on me.  Maybe if I were 4 months pregnant, it would have looked fine, but I'm not. I was totally disgusted and despondent when I happened across this image from Tuppence Ha'penny Vintage!  Thank you Lord!!!  There was a pleat in the front of the bottom middle skirt!  There was a pleat in the back of my skirt and when I twisted it around to the front, it looked exactly like the one from the catalog!!!  Hot Dog!!  So, I am wearing my skirt backward and all is well with the world!!


Vintage Swing Coat Look
(With newly made pillbox hat!)

Another look I get from the separates is this way fun swing coat look.  Not sure if that is a proper term, but I am using it.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE this coat and am so happy that it did not become an Edwardian toque, muff and stole!!  I searched Pinterest for some fun Vintage advertisement and magazine poses that the models struck and so that is why I look like I do in the images below!  Hahahahaha!!  The people driving by in my neighborhood kept slowing down and waving.  I'm sure they didn't know what was going on!




 



This pose was inspired by this pose.  As was the hair.  I was thinking of how I could do a quick hair do when I came across the image of the lovely lady in the latte colored coat and red hat.  It appeared as though her hair was pulled back in a bun, just like the Christmas Card girl!!  Huzzah!  I can so do a bun!!!!


Mrs. Claus

While I was trying on the pencil skirt with the blouse, I added the black belt I made for the Christmas Card outfit and much to my delight, I realized that the outfit made a perfect Mrs. Claus outfit!!  What fun! I borrowed the Santa hat from my youngest.  I ran upstairs to get some gloves saying, "Santa wears black gloves right?"  Colton yelled back, "No!  He wears white gloves!"  White gloves it was!  The Christmas stocking is a vintage one I found years ago at a thrift store!
 


 


 

Another silly 1950s pose.  Love 'em!

Well dear friends, I am afraid that's all that I am going to get done before the New Year.  The Coat and bolero will have to wait until next year.  I have put away the sewing machine, the ironing board, the iron, the fabrics and the patterns.  I have vacuumed the floor and tidied up the sewing space in my room.  I hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas!  I pray for peace, joy, contentment and for you to feel the happiness that this season brings!!



Luke 2:8-14

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.  And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you:  you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men!"


Love and blessings to you all from me!!!

g

15 comments:

  1. Eeeeeekkk!!! You look SO cute!! Your outfits are absolutely lovely. I especially love the skirt and blouse!! I'm so glad you were able to salvage the skirt! Whatever works, right!! I've had that unwanted maternity-skirt thing happen to me before too, but my solution was to turn it into a UFO. I like your solution much better!!
    Scrumptious coat and hat and everything!!
    Gorgeous job, and congratulations on getting them done in time for Christmas!!
    Merry Christmas, Gina!! :) God bless you and your family!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Esther! I too am happy I was able to salvage that skirt! AGH!! I am happy that I am not the only one who has had that issue! I think I am going to have to start wearing that coat for every day wear or maybe just around the house, it is so awesome! Although it weighs a ton!!
      Merry Christmas to you Esther!
      Blessings!
      g

      Delete
  2. I love your clothes and the wonderful poses! You've got the season nailed. That jacket is a treasure.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so very much Carol! The poses were so fun to do!
      Blessings!
      g

      Delete
  3. More fabulous outfits, I especially love the Mrs Claus pictures. And your description of the exposure problems on the indoor shots was wonderful!

    Merry Christmas to you and your family, Gina!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much BT! The only thing I could think of when I saw my glowing face was what the Israelites must have seen upon seeing Moses! It was super fun channeling Mrs. Claus!
      I hope you had a fabulous Christmas!
      Blessings!
      g

      Delete
  4. Love the idea of making outfits from old Christmas cards. Each dress and the coat look perfect!

    Merry Christmas!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Isabella! When I saw all the fabulous Christmas cards, I knew I had to make some of the fashions. I have wanted to make some Edwardian ones, but they are so fussy I just never gotten around to it!
      Blessings!
      g

      Delete
  5. Chic, elegant, completely beautiful holiday look. I adore (!) that we were both channeling none other than the very admirable Mrs Claus this holiday season. You really, really look spectacular, sweet lady.

    Have a beautiful Christmas and a joyous New Year!
    ♥ Jessica

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Jessica! I thought the exact same thing when I saw you were channeling Mrs. Claus! Great minds think alike yes!!
      I hope you had a very grand Christmas and I pray for a very happy New Year for you!
      Blessings!
      g

      Delete
  6. I am so, so glad you didn't give that coat the chop either because it is so gorgeous!! Your Christmas outfits really are too cute this year~ and the vintage card inspiration really is a fabulous idea. *✬ ❤ ✬*

    xox,
    bonita of Lavender & Twill

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much Bonita! Next year, I plan on making more Christmas Card Dresses! These were just too fun! And yes, the saving of the coat was a great thing!
      Blessings!
      g

      Delete
  7. You are just adorable!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you so much Mary! This was a super fun project and it also helped that the pieces went together so much quicker than Victorian/Edwardian ones! I hope you had a marvelous Christmas!
    Blessings!
    g

    ReplyDelete