The Holiday Season is my absolute favourite time of year. It’s a time of joy… love… family… friends… and… ME-MADES! There is just something about this season that makes me want to sew all the things and wear all the things! I’d say I wear the most me-mades around Christmas time. That means my wardrobe is filled with good stuff that can easily transition into holiday outfits. So in this blog post, I’ll be sharing 10 of my favorite Love Notions makes that look great all year round.. but can really shine in the Holiday Season.
If you feel inspired by any of my makes.. NOW is a great time to go running over to the Love Notions website to shop. Our annual 40% off sitewide sale is happening this week plus you can use my code ISLAND10 for an extra 10% off, giving you a whopping total of 50% off. If you know anything about Love Notions patterns, they all come with so many different options to sew.. that 50% off is a crazy steal of a deal!!!
Let’s start with my most recent make.
Saltwhistle Top & Dress pattern
You’re probably wondering… how on earth does a Spring/Summer pattern wind up in a holiday season roundup right? Say hello to my hacked Saltwhistle Sweater! It is literally the cutest little square neck sweater with cuffs and a banded hem made up in a gorgeous, very holiday season appropriate, lightweight Sweater Knit. I didn’t need to make many changes at all and I kept my original size too.
Here’s what I did:
- Lengthen Bodice pieces by 2″
- Straighten front hem
- Narrow Facing piece to 1 ⅜”
- Stabilize neckline using the facing piece to cut a ¾” strip of fusible interfacing
- Topstitch facing ⅜” away from the edge so it mimics a knit binding
- Cut the ¾ Bishop sleeve and add the ¾ sleeve cuffs from the Rockford Raglan pattern
- Add the hem band from the Arlington Sweater Pattern
That’s all folks! Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Look for the Salt Hack highlight bubble on my IG page to follow the entire process!
Rockford Raglan
I am specifically drawn to the asymmetrical view of the Rockford for this time of year. I love the idea of sprucing it up with a sparkly contrasting fabric on the asymmetrical piece. In fact, I did just that using plain black velvet for the body and a sparkle velvet for the asymmetrical piece. I love how it isn’t the traditional Christmas colors but still screams Holiday Season! I have a full review of this make on my Blog if you want further details. I promise.. it’s a good one!
Arlington Sweater
I think this goes without saying. This pattern was made for the cooler months. My black and red leopard print sweater knit version with the cowl is something I would absolutely wear to Christmas lunch. My green polo hack, also made in a light sweater knit, is just perfect for Fall and the holidays. The color and the style especially paired with my black checked skirt – it’s giving Clueless holiday episode! For the polo hack, I transferred the placket and collar from the Men’s Dockside pattern. Pretty cool huh? Check out my YouTube video for the tutorial.
Boyfriend Cardigan
In my climate.. cardigans tend to only see the light of day at year end when it is much cooler. Last year I busted out my gold and black Boyfriend Cardigan and got so many compliments! I think it is such a unique piece and definitely a conversation starter. I did the mid-thigh length and my fabric is a poly-blend rib knit that is gold on one side and black on the other. As you could tell, I used the two sides to my advantage. If you’re stuck trying to decide on a Cardigan pattern to buy in the sale (really I think you should just buy all) I have a post comparing the Boyfriend and Canyon cardigans and it includes a fun video of me twirling in 4 makes. So many found it useful when shopping last year’s sale!
Willow Wrap Dress
If you are a long time follower, you already know my favourite knit dress pattern is the Willow! I hacked it to have double hem flounces, and since then I can’t seem to make one without them. For Christmas last year, I sewed a red cotton spandex version with little white and black dots. The white dots look like snowmen, don’t they? This fabric was destined to become a holiday dress and I can’t wait to pull it out again this year. The twirl factor is A-one! If you want to learn how to add the double flounces or any flounces for that matter.. watch my YouTube video tutorial. I always go back to that video when I need to reference how to calculate for adding flounces.
Tessa Sheath Dress
Holiday events? Office parties? You know how it gets at this time of year. We suddenly have places to go and need pretty outfits right? The Tessa is such a classic silhouette that is perfect for holiday events. It is a simple style.. which means you can use it to show off a bold fabric. The yoke gives the opportunity for color blocking or adding contrasting prints. So many fun things you can do with Tessa. I made a stunning blue velvet version with complimentary glitter mesh details. My green tie front hack with bishop sleeves is a perfect sassy little number for those holiday parties! Want to replicate these ties? My guest post on the Love Notions blog can get you hacking!
Breckenridge Henley
Let’s tone it down a bit because when you get home late from that holiday party.. I’m sure you just want to get comfy and jump into bed. My all time favorite holiday pjs were made using the Breckenridge Henley pattern! Red and black buffalo plaid has Christmas written all over it. This is a soft and cozy cotton spandex and I 100% copied some Victoria’s Secret pjs I saw! The plain red backside of the fabric, on the placket and cuffs, adds some visual interest too. You can watch my YouTube video for a full review of this make!
Sloane Sweater
Speaking of coziness… if you haven’t sewn a Sloane hoodie to snuggle up in when it’s cold.. what are you doing??? My Sloane and Resolution Bottoms lounge set is literally the dreamiest snuggle-uppey thing ever! My fabric is a super soft brushed sweater knit. It is supposed to be leopard print but my hubby thinks it looks a little cow-ish and has named this set “moo-leopard”. I made mine a little oversized for even more coziness. The kangaroo pocket is perfect for hiding chocolates… shhh! This is my go to set for couch potato-ing and binge watching all the Home Alone movies. For reference.. my shorts are shortened Resolution Joggers.
‘Sybiladonna’ – Sybil Skirt x La Bella Donna
This dress has got to be one of my most loved mashups. It turned out exactly how I envisioned it in my head when planning this make. Sybiladonna was born at a time of body image insecurities. Can you believe it? When I made this dress, I was really battling emotionally from weight gain. I wanted to accentuate my hips and bum while disguising my ‘problem areas’ (and I use that term very lightly). With that said, I knew I wanted a more fitted bottom but loose enough to skim over the tummy, and a blousey top. I sized up in both patterns for that skimming fit, and then cinched my smallest part with elastic. I absolutely adore this batwing dolman situation of a dress and love that I was able to channel my emotions through creativity. The coraly-red rib knit was a perfect choice and will make a great Christmas morning service outfit. This is probably one of the most comfy dresses in my entire closet! My blog post about pattern mashing includes the instructions to sew a Sybiladonna!
Sonata Dress
Sonata is such a special pattern because you can make it casual or dressy depending on your fabric choice. For last year’s Halloween, I made a very dressy version and styled it up to look like a Cleopatra inspired dress. But really, without all the dramatic makeup and jewelry, it is a pretty normal dress suitable for a nice holiday event. The bodice is black stretch velvet and the skirt is champagne plisse fabric, lengthened to a maxi. The exposed facing option was perfect to add some bling – I chose bronze sequined mesh. If you are planning to sew Halloween costumes… I have a video on the Love Notions YouTube channel with fun ideas for easy costumes you can still wear after Halloween! If you want just my review of this Sonata Dress, there’s a blog post for that too!
So there’s my round up of 10 makes that can easily transition to your holiday season wardrobe! The best part is that I can wear most of them throughout the year as well. I hope you feel inspired by at least one make. And if you thought you were done shopping, I hope I’ve made you add just one more pattern to your cart that you didn’t pay attention to before! Have you started sewing for the holidays? Let me know in the comment section below!
*Use code ISLAND10 for an extra 10% off any Love Notions purchase and remember any order during sale week grants you a chance to win a Babylock Serger! Woohoo! Happy Shopping!
Toodle-loo
Keira
