Sankta Lucia

 {Project Run & Play Season 5 Sew Along ~ Week #5 (Fall) Holiday Wear challenge}
For the Holiday Wear challenge we were invited to choose a fall holiday and let it inspire us to create an outfit. I chose Sankta Lucia (also known as Santa Lucia, Saint Lucia, or Saint Lucy) which is a Swedish holiday December 13th, taking place before the first day of winter, so officially a fall holiday. Watch a short video and read more about this special occasion. Traditionally Sankta Lucia wears a very simple white cotton long sleeve to the ankle dress with a red cotton sash tied in a knot at the waist. She also wears a green wreath on her head with lit candles.

 I absolutely love the gorgeous dresses from the movie "Emma" (one of my all time favorite movies) based on the book by Jane Austen. They are regency era dresses with empire waists, simplicity at it's best. So I decided to do a Sankta Lucia dress a la Jane Austen.

 To add some texture to an all white dress, I did some ruching on the front of the bodice, and used my very scientific method of 'scrunch it up & iron it down'. As much as I love to stare at those dresses in the movie "Emma", I discovered I don't necessarily fancy  sewing them. It would have been OK if it weren't for those dreaded set-in sleeves !  I added belt loops, one on each side to hold the double sided red satin ribbon bow which is extra long to make a super long bow which goes all the way down to the just below the knee hem. The back of the dress features 4 buttons and large pleats for gathering the skirt.

 I also sewed a traditional Sankta Lucia doll outfit for Baby Emma (that is the name this doll came with, a Corolle doll from France, this is Baby Emma's 2nd appearance, see her 1st appearance here). It is 100% cotton, double layered, with bias tape trim, it also has velcro closures in the back so my daughter can get the outfit on and off her doll easily. The doll also has a simple red cotton sash tied in a knot.

 Instead of a wreath with lit candles to wear on top of the head, I decided to design a headband and it was inspired by lingonberries. The headband has a branch of green wool felt leaves with red ball buttons. The red ball buttons remind me of the little red lingonberries which grow in Sweden, oh, how I love eating lingonberry jam (from IKEA) on warm pancakes or waffles! In this photo she is writing a letter to Tomte, then she put her letter in a special mail box where all the letters are sent to Tomte :)     

 So there you have it Sankta Lucia meets Jane Austen.
I'll be back after PR&P season 5 is done with more details how I created this look & a tutorial on the headband.
Be sure to check out all the fall holiday sew along looks in the flickr group.

 Fast facts
:: A fourth of my daughter's ancestry is Swedish
:: Fabric: white matte satin (fully lined with a high quality white 100% cotton)
:: Inspiration: Sankta Lucia, Swedish holiday December 13th
:: Detail inspiration: gorgeous dresses from the movie "Emma" based on Jane Austin's book
:: Font: Jane Austen
:: Photo shoot location: American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. These photos were taken on Oct 7th and guess who was at the American Swedish Institute on Oct 6th??? Their Majesties the King and Queen of Sweden!! Wouldn't it have been absolutely fabulous if I could have gotten a photo of my daughter in her Sankta Lucia dress with Their Majesties the King and Queen of Sweden!?!

PS If you are curious about Sankta Lucia or looking for additional ideas, visit my previous posts about Sankta Lucia:
:: knitted crown
:: crown/wreath centerpiece
:: children's program
:: smorgasbord
:: choir concert