…mama made Christmas…

It is a long standing tradition around here, that I make the children a Christmas themed outfit.It’s such fun sourcing the fabric and narrowing down what the children would like me to sew them, and getting stuck into getting them made up. It is never far from my mind, though, that the days of getting all four children in matching outfits is rapidly coming to a close. Our eldest is 15, and even as a homeschooler out of the high school loop, matchy matchy mummy made clothes are firmly in the Uncool camp. He is a deadset legend though, and has cheerfully agreed to be part of the crew once again, so I am determined to prioritise the outfits this crazy Christmas season, because it could be my last chance.

The boys are easy. They always request a vest, so it’s my go-to pattern – Art Museum by Oliver + S. I simply upsize for Mr 14, mainly in length, split between the bodice and the arms to balance it all out. I often leave off the back belt’s on the Christmas waist coats – they are mainly worn to church, and only two or three times at most, so they don’t need to be a formal style, and it saves time when I’m rushing to a finish.

Miss 11 was a trickier one. Every year since 2017 I have made her a dirndl style outfit, inspired by her daddy’s German heritage (and yes, I know they are technically Bavarian not German, we have that conversation every year, but man, it’s a whole lot cuter than the traditional dress of Mr Barefoot’s home state!). This year, however, she isn’t as keen – she’s going through a phase of not liking dresses. They impede her ability to climb trees, you see, plus it’s easier to play tip at church if she doesn’t have to worry about flashing her knickers at the entire congregation if she falls over or her skirt flies up. Can’t fault those priorities, to be honest.

We had a bit of a poke around, and in the end, we settled on the Clover Shorts by Mouse House. They are a really sweet style that is dressy enough for church to keep me happy, and hits the right note of practical and girly for Miss11.

All four outfits will be sewn up out of this cute Camelot Fabrics print – Black Rustic Holiday from Reindeer Lodge, that I picked up from Wattle Hill Fabrics. Isn’t it funky? I figure if we are going Christmassy, we may as well go all out with the novelty prints. I will also make masks for all six of us – as at the time of writing, masks are still required in church for singing. We do have last years masks as well, but if there’s one thing I like, it’s full matchy matchy! My favourite is the Tea Rose Home pattern, which has become my go-to over the last almost two years.

Before all that though, my 1920s dress has to take priority, as it is needed for Thursday evening. I have it all cut out, so tomorrow’s job is to have a big day at the sewing machine and get it sewn up. I’m not sure why I bother packing the sewing machine away at this time of year, to be honest. All systems go with two point five weeks left to get it all done, and a list growing by the day. Oh well, it makes life interesting, doesn’t it?