Sewing STYLE for Women this holiday

So Excited to have Emily from My Crafty Little Self here to join us on the blog today with a STYLE feature!!!! 

AND she made the Jenny in STRETCH poplin! 

Do you have a favourite colour to wear around the holidays ? 

Don;t forget to leave a comment on this post, we would love to hear from you!

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Every year, Christmas sewing for myself always winds up at the very bottom of my to-do list. As I'm feverishly finishing a quilt binding for a gift late into the night on Christmas Eve or still sewing buttons on Christmas outfits for my family 30 minutes before the party starts, I realize once again...it's not going to happen.  

But not this year!  I made sewing a new Christmas dress for myself a priority and I'm so glad I did.  This red stretch poplin and the Jenny dress pattern have been sitting in my stash for too long and it was time to use them both. This piece of fabric has moved with us to 3 different US states.  Either our family needs to stop moving so much, or I need to sew with woven fabrics more often!   I added a cropped blazer for style and function--it was 20 degrees Farenheit outside when these pictures were taken.  

The Jenny dress adds a level of customization that I've rarely seen in any sewing pattern. Once your general size is determined, you choose a cup size for your bodice and a waistband height and length based on your torso measurements.  The dimensions for a range of skirt lengths is given, from shirt length to maxi length.  

The finished result is a precise, flattering fit in the bodice and the perfect piece for layering.  This dress will be worn on its own in the summer heat and will be in my rotation year-round.  

I've been reading a book about my great-grandmother's family and was pleased to find out I come from a long line of tailors and seamstresses.  Struggling to make it as farmers in southeastern Idaho, they were as resourceful as could be with fabric.  Coats were taken apart the following year and sewn inside out to make them "new" again, any scraps were immediately pieced into a quilt, and hem facings were often used to leave as much growing room in garments as possible.  

In the spirit of resourcefulness, I used a hem facing (a technique also used in the Judy's Fancy Pants pattern) since I had just enough fabric to keep this dress maxi length but still wanted the wide hem specified in the pattern directions.  

I am headed to a Christmas concert tonight in my new dress and will wear it again on Sunday to sing in the church choir.  What a good reminder that the seamstress in the family deserves a new Christmas outfit every year too.  Happy holidays to everyone!