Six year-old Robert’s Christmas vest is finally ready. With dress pants and shoes, he will look very grown up. Initially, a vest was not what I wanted for the little guy I have dressed in smocked rompers and Jon-Jons for Christmases past. Sadly, there will be no more button-on suits for my towheaded boy.
Anyway, his skinny little bird legs don’t look as good in short pants as they did when he was a toddler. That boy needs to eat more gingerbread and pumpkin pie, which he would do happily if he didn’t have to eat his vegetables first.
Robert is no great fan of picture taking, but I did manage to get this shot of him wearing the vest after church on Sunday. Laurel, always cooperative, wore last year’s Christmas dress with the hem dropped. The obvious crease mark is covered by a narrow tuck, bordered top and bottom with a 6mm twin needle serpentine stitch.
Robert is a big boy now and I am somewhat reconciled to the fact that he is growing up. Not completely, but somewhat.
He looks so much like his father did at this age, except for the skinny legs. For Christmas 1980, my own six-year old towhead Ryan wore a hunter green velveteen eton suit with an ivory shirt.  It was smocked with a toy soldier at each shoulder. At the Sunday School Christmas Eve program, he played a piano solo, Good King Wenceslas, while my heart swelled with love and pride. Ahh…the memories. But I digress. Back to the vest.
Robert loves it and said he’d like one in black like the velveteen dress Laurel was wearing. After Christmas, I’ll get right on that. I’m really tired of making him sports tee shirts, so this will be a welcome change in projects for him.
My friend Suzanne, grandmother to four boys, suggested the vest’s front pocket. For several years, she has made vests for these grandsons and likes to add a pocket with a holiday handkerchief.
Of course, boys being boys, the “handkerchief” is just a folded corner handsewn into the vest. This was done so that the handkerchief could be replaced easily for other celebratory occasions.
The embroidery consists of a sprig of holly I extracted from a Babylock Christmas design. His monogram was added with my favorite font in Brother’s PE-Design. So few script fonts have an absolutely vertical presentation. This one, #22, is perfect and can be sized from teensey tiny to gigantic.
The velveteen is the same fabric used on his sister’s dress and will coordinate with Cousin Alastair’s Christmas outfit, soon to be completed.
I can’t believe that I have not yet finished my have-to Christmas sewing at this late date. The patterns for Laurel’s new American Girls doll are stacked on the cutting table, calling to me. I’ve also started knitting a little sweater for the doll in order to have handwork for waiting room time at the dentist, etc.
Are you feeling frenzied? Let me know how you are coming along with your Christmas sewing.***
All this boy chat reminds me…..speaking of boys……..
Alastair, 2, ready for rainy days and floods
Two-year-old Alastair is infatuated with his yellow boots. He insists on wearing them every day and at bedtime last night had them removed by his mother as he kicked and screamed his protest.
I hope he’s over them by Christmas. Those yellow boots will kill the classic presentation of his velveteen pants and ivory linen shirt.
One response to “Boy’s Christmas Vest”