Father Christmas and Holly Elf

My Tall, Dark, and Slightly Neanderthal fellow looks more and more like Father Christmas every year, as his formerly-russet whiskers go white. (This has absolutely nothing to do with my presence in his life, contrary to anything he might tell you.) And, he owns his own FC gear… so he’s a natural choice when someone wants a bit of Christmas at, perhaps, a charity 2-5-10K walk-jog-run to benefit local food banks on Thanksgiving Morning.

The sun is not fully over the Rockies at 8:30 am in November… Also, she does have two legs. The missing one is tucked up in her petticoats, clever girl.

This year, Eldest wanted to go help… so I dug into the fabric stash and found three yards of a vintage brushed twill in a fantastic red (thanks, Mrs W across the street! I found the piece at her rummage sale this summer, and bought it for $1. The Power of Stash is vital, and this piece sang out loud in the chilly June air.) Twenty minutes of draping later, we had a working pattern for an asymmetrical basque jacket and simple box-pleated skirt.

Eldest took charge of making our Thanksgiving cheesecake (her first ever, a Sweet Potato cheesecake with Gingersnap-Walnut Crust, oh my goodness gravy!), and I took charge of making this:

Some days, she manages to stand up straight, too.

Some evenings, I find myself working on a holly-leaf inspired asymmetrical lapel, sleeve appliques, and cuffs, and think, “I may be going just a tiny bit overboard here.”

I have a feeling that the basque jacket is going to become a regular winter wardrobe piece, actually. It’s just funky enough to be suitable for a girl who marches to the beat of her own Fashion Drummer. I mean, really! Who can resist holly-leaf lapels with fat green handstitched details? And brass thistle buttons? And bias buttonholes (which are being re-done by hand, because no matter how gorgeous the sewing machine, bias-angled buttonholes are much more stable when worked by hand by a slightly OCD mother.)

But, maybe I’m biased.

Heh.

(Sorry, you were warned about my pun thing.)

Add some great new striped socks, your mother’s 1860s leather boots, and your own 1850s petticoats, plus Lefty’s “Woolie” blanket with the castle and stars knit into it, and I’d say you’ve got one decent little Holly Elf to go play with Father Christmas, startling little kids and passing out candy canes.

Other Father Christmas activities include having one’s picture taken with gorgeously-blue-eyed and slightly-frosted-over runners in -15* weather… yes, that’s 47 degrees below freezing. Rather chilly.

I must say, Daddy and Daughter had a splendid time, despite the cold. Turning out for a worthy cause, soliciting astonished stares, and looking darn cute in the process is a great way to start the holiday season. Who could resist this sort of Father Christmas?

Of course, elves are known for their saucy behavior, so Father Christmas was not taken by surprise when Holly Elf displayed a distinctly saucy attitude toward the well-meaning paparazzi covering the event.

Said paparazzi is pretty sure Holly Elf needs additional green stitching on her jacket, and possibly also the skirt hem… If the silly Elf will get her own growth under control, and not get taller, she could have an ever-increasingly nifty outfit for years to come! That Elf may need to bribe the sewist with more cheesecake, however.

And now, on to other holiday sewing projects!

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