Many of us have warm Christmas memories from when we were youngsters. Decorations surely feature in these recollections, perhaps the wreath on the door, garland over the fireplace, or an heirloom nativity scene. Or maybe your parents grew up in the 1950s and have always insisted on smothering the tree with tinsel “icicles.”
For Angela Clayton, her Christmas nostalgia was tied to an angel her family had on the tree when she was a kid. The angel was clothed in an ivory dress trimmed with gold that had twinkling lights to make it glow. Naturally, she always wanted a dress like that of her own. Now that she’s an expert DIY maker of clothing and costumes, she was able to make it happen. “I decided to make another Christmas costume, I made one last year and it really got me in the festive mood. I love how Christmas contradicts all the things that winter represents, it’s a celebration and involves warm colors, lights, and cheery things in general.”
Clayton needed organza, several dozen yards of tulle, some gold ribbon, wreath mesh, glittery garlands, fabric poinsettias, and several strings of LED Christmas lights. LEDs were a good choice of light since they generate virtually no heat: the last thing anyone needs is a dress fire! The battery packs for the lights were cleverly hidden in pockets near the rear seam and hidden by a tulle train. Assembling this skirt was a lot of work, particularly since it had to be built up layer by layer. The only serious glitch was a mishap involving a spider that was trapped between two layers!
How did you like the festive end result of Angela Clayton’s work? Impressed by her design and dressmaking abilities? Let us know in the comments at Facebook. Be sure to like and share: you might inspire any friends you have who are handy with a needle and thread!
