The holidays are in full swing!

The weather in South Carolina is always mercurial this time of year and it reeks havoc on my light bill.  Mostly because the kids will NOT leave my thermostat alone.  A couple hours of my time and problem (hopefully) solved with a couple of blankets! 

After Thanksgiving also means Christmas

Planning. On my end that translates to "make sure mom gets decent pictures of the children". Two dresses, a jacket, a cloak and a boys suit done in a month? I got this! 

An aside on details

In a project like this, the details make the look. A lot of the pieces are custom made. The covered buttons, the fan, the attifet and the snood were all hand made by me. I purchased jewlery from the Etsy shop of RecycledRockstah to round out the look.

The Lady in blue.

The drop sleeves were easier than I thought they were going to be. If I ever make this again, I will attach the bodice to the skirt before I attach the sleeves. It was a bit tricky getting everything into the machine properly. I did alter the back by making it a lace up and button closure instead of a zipper to make it a bit more time period appropriate. 

The Lady

My daughter chose blue satin and brocade for her dress. She wanted true drop sleeves so we're using view B of McCall's 5731.

From the bottom up

I altered the pattern a bit to tone down the copious lace. I wanted to use it more as an accent than a show piece. Especially since I went all the way with the jewelry.

The Dame

We're getting down to the nitty gritty!!

This pattern has a LOT of pieces. The skirt alone has 18 panels. I'm using a red and black brocade and a black broadcloth for the accent pieces.