1930s Christmas Jumper & Grey Wool Skirt

1930s Christmas jumper & grey wool skirt

Outfit Details

1930s Christmas Jumper Made by Betty Sparkle’s Vintage Knitwear
1930s Red Beret – Made by Me
1930s Grey Wool Skirt – Made by Me
Black Lace-up Knee High Boots – eBay
Red Drop Earrings – Made by Me

1930s red & white jumper with pom poms

This outfit, which I wore on Christmas day, is pretty much the style I’ve lived in over the winter. A cute 1930s jumper and skirt, a matching beret and lace-up boots have become my uniform, but this is definitely my favourite.

The jumper was beautifully knitted for me by the wonderfully talented Amanda at Betty Sparkle’s Vintage Knitwear. I’d wanted a stylish 1930s alternative to the god-awful novelty Christmas jumpers that everyone seems to love wearing over the festive period and, when I spotted the pattern for this on Etsy, I just knew it was the perfect one. It was originally from the September 1933 edition of Stitchcraft magazine and was proudly shown on the cover in exactly these colours. It was just what I was after.

I bought my pattern from Pamoolah Vintage as a PDF for just £3.60 and quickly forwarded it to Amanda. She came back straight away with yarn suggestions and I headed online. The one she particularly loves working with, Cascade 220 Fingering, amazingly did a colour called Christmas Red. It was like fate!

1930s Christmas jumper with pom poms

The 1930s style crochet beret I made myself in Cascade 220, which is an Aran weight, and is in exactly the same Christmas Red. I embellished it with the same buttons that I used on the skirt to really tie the whole ensemble together. The pattern I used was from a project I have been working on with Kristen from Verity Vintage Studio, but I will wait until my next post to tell you all about that.

1930s red & white jumper with pom poms

The original jumper pattern had quite tiny pompoms on the ends of the neck tie, but unbeknownst to me at the time, Amanda decided to make much bigger ones. When they jumper arrived I squealed rather a lot at the size of them, because I looooove pompoms. I even had a pompom Christmas back in 2016!

The sleeves are rather unusual as the bodice part is created with magyar (grown on) sleeves down to the top of the arm and then the sleeve is attached to the end. This means there’s no awkward armhole shape to easy the sleeve head into, but rather an opening that is the same length on both. I’ve seen this in a few 1930s sewing patterns as well and it’s typical of its time where they made garments look complicated but were actually easy to construct.

1930s Christmas jumper with pom poms

1930s top stitch pocket

The skirt was made from a flecked grey wool I’d had in my stash for many years. In fact, I remember making a pair of wide leg trousers out of it back in the late 90s. I used my old faithful 1930s Simplicity pattern as a basis and then created my own little pocket. I’m a little bit obsessed with top-stitching at the moment, so I decided to add five rows to the pocket and one to the tab for interest. Expect to see more top-stitching in the future because I’ve just invested in a rather nifty sewing foot that helps to keep the lines straight.

Along with my 1930s winter coat, the boots you can see in the first image have been one of the best purchases I’ve made just recently. I’ve been after a pair of knee high lace-up boots for so, so long and I found a beautiful brown pair for £14 on eBay back in November. They have a great 1930s look but have slightly higher heels than what would’ve been worn back then. It didn’t bother me though, because at 5ft 3″ any extra height is a bonus.

Then just before Christmas I came across another pair on eBay, this time in black. (They’re like buses, aren’t they?) When I looked at the listing I realised that they were exactly the same boots as my brown one, exactly the same size and from exactly the same shop. Of course, I pounced immediately and on the Saturday before Christmas Day they arrived. I have lived in both pairs ever since as they keep me so toasty and warm.

Cate

Just a vintage gal suffering from the Golden Age syndrome. A lover of all things old, especially the 1930s, seamstress, crocheter, maker of hats and enjoys rummaging at flea markets.

23 Comments

  1. So beautiful! Your sweaters really make me want to learn to knit or crochet.

    • Aw, thank you! This one, although not made by me, is pretty special. xx

  2. I LOVE your skirt and the jumper! How lovely to have one custom made for you!!! 🙂 You look fantastic in this outfit, Cate!

    • Thank you Emily! Amanda did an amazing job of this and was very reasonably priced. I’m already planning on what I want her to make me next. xx

  3. Wow,I never would’ve guessed that you were 5′ 3″ !! In pictures you always look like about 5′ 8″ or so. Go you for being so well proportioned. Sorry if this sounds a little weird. I really enjoy your posts.

    • Hehehe, no that doesn’t sound weird! It’s funny, you’re not the first to say it. People who have come across me online and then met me in real life tend to say that a lot too. It’s clearly clever photography 🙂 xx

  4. I’m 5’3″ too and yes, I too thought that you were taller! Lovely jumper and vastly preferable to the horrible so-called Christmas jumpers. And you can wear it all through winter, not just at Christmas. Love the big pompoms! And indeed what a coincidence that you found another pair of lace-up boots after searching for so long! xxx

    • Oh funny, I thought you were much taller than me! Clearly the camera adds height. I’m so glad I found both pairs of those boots, they really have been so comfy and warm over the winter. xx

  5. Lovely outfit – brilliant idea to have a special Christmas jumper. I thought of 1930s skiing pictures when I saw you – great look

    • Thank you Norma! I would a pair of 1930s ski pants to go with this, that would be so cool! xx

  6. Ahhh this is brilliant! Im doing a happy dance that it looks so great & that you’re happy with it. Many thanks, Amanda x

  7. I absolutely adore the pocket on your skirt! I’ve been looking at pictures of 1930s skirts with interesting pockets. It’s a fun way to spruce up a simple pattern while still keeping things neutral. The jumper is fantastic too!

  8. Oh wow, that jumper is a triumph! What a clever lady your knitter is, especially making that decision to supersize the pom-poms!! I really like that skirt too, it’s a charming outfit and while the jumper could be styled a bit Christmassy you can see how it would also work at other times of year (with navy trousers might look a bit nautical?). xx

    • Thank you Sarah! The pompoms are fab, aren’t they? When I’m wearing it I can’t stop playing with them! xx

  9. Fabulous outfit. I love the top-stitching and button detail on the skirt pocket, it really makes it! xx

    • Thanks Elaine! The skirt definitely needed an extra pop of detail, it looked quite plain and boring without it as it’s quite a flat looking fabric. xx

  10. Amanda did a great job on that lovely jumper. It looks great on. Love the pompoms.

    • Didn’t she? It’s such a great jumper, and yes, the pompoms are fab! xx

  11. I love your topstiched details on the pocket of the skirt! And, yes it seems that once you find one pair of shoes (after searching forever) suddenly you’ll come across more! They look like a good purchase- I can see them pairing well with almost everything.

    • Thanks Nicole! Yes, I generally wear both pairs of boots most days, no matter what I’m wearing. I’m so glad I found them. xx

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