Look who’s here for Christmas is a cute softie pattern by Natalie Ross.  Measuring 41cm (16 inches) high, it would be a lovely Christmas decoration to hang on your fireplace.  There’s still time to get sewing before the festive season starts!

Christmas will be here before you know it, so you may like to use the Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2011 issue for some ideas for your Christmas knitting projects.

This issue explores various styles, from mature and sophisticated to fun and funky; from colorful kids’ projects to elegant home décor. Dabble in the rustic with Log Cabin Knits; get luminous sophistication with All Lit Up; play with toys in Playthings; try your hand at ornate detail in the Victorian-inspired A House With Gables; get folksy with the holiday décor of Folk Craft. And finally, Made For Fun brings home those colorful, simple knits that make such great gifts.

Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2011 is available now.

Countdown to Christmas by Sweetwater is a fun Christmas fabric collection from Moda fabrics.  In traditional reds, greens and snowy whites, it’s a Christmas fabric collection that contains pieces for the festive season and others which would work at any time of the year.  There are designs with words, numbers, trees, stripes and dots.

Petit Noel by Rosalie Quinlan contains 9 delightful, simple Christmas sewing projects. Many of the projects have been designed as little gifts which work well as Christmas gifts for friends and teachers etc.

Projects include:

• Scandinavian Angels
• Woolly Snowmen
• Stitchery Hearts
• Folk Heart Stitchery
• Strippy Hearts
• Flying Angels Table Runner
• Mini Festive Bunting
• Christmas Patchwork Box
• Birdies on a String

I know that Summer is only just arriving, but this year’s Advent calendars and Christmas Stocking panels from Makower are in stock and already selling.  Some people are getting very organised with their Christmas projects!

The 2011 advent calendars are probably my favourite designs to date.  Firstly there is the train advent calendar:

and for the little girls, a beautiful angel advent calendar:

Each advent calendar is easy to construct with pockets to sew on to store treats and sweets for each day. Instructions are printed on the panel.

And even easier to make is the Christmas stocking, using this panel piece.  You can either make one stocking with the Santa one side and the snowman the other, or two stockings, each backed with some different Christmas fabric.

We have several Christmas themed quilt patterns, all small enough to sew quickly in time for Christmas (or maybe next Christmas!) and turn into a wall hanging or perhaps a cushion.

Gingerbread House by The Birdhouse which measures 13″ x 13″

Use up those scraps and selvedges with the Raggedy Tree or Vintage Memories Tree.

There’s also the simple and stylish Christmas Forest piece which measures 13″ x 8″.

The Christmas Forest

Have you seen the latest Melly and Me pattern – Snowflake the snowman?

Snowflake by Melly and Me

Or what about these cute reindeer in Natalie Ross’ pattern Look who’s here for Christmas

Look who's here for christmas by Natalie Ross

There’s also Nundle the Christmas Angel by Rosalie Quinlan:

Nundle the Christmas Angel by Rosalie Quinlan

And of course, good ol’ Rudy

Rudy by Melly and Me

I don’t about you, but I find fat quarter bundles irresistible and of course, very useful to have in my stash.  That’s why we’ve put together lots of Christmas fabric fat quarter bundles.  The bundles have either 4 or 5 fat quarters in them and we hope that we have put together combinations for a variety of tastes and Christmas projects.  Visit the website to browse through them all and choose your favourite combinations.

If you’ve been thinking about making some new Christmas decorations for the coming festive season, but are worried about not having much time, then how about this idea for a banner that could be hung over the fireplace or in the hallway?

We’ve cut out squares from the Christmas Eve Christmas labels fabric and sewed them together to make a sort of pocket.  Slip a piece of cardboard into the pocket and sew up the opening, making sure that you include a looped piece of ribbon which you will use to hang them.  You might need to put a stitch or two through the ribbons to hold the labels in position on to the cord.

And a close up:

We have four different designs of labels for sale in the shop (click the pictures for more details):

My Mum’s been busy on her sewing machine and she made this Christmas Tree wall hanging for the shop.  I’ve hooked it over the top of a door.

I think that the simplicity of it, makes it more effective.  It’s just made up of diamonds in different greens for the tree and a plain background.  The little lights were something she picked up at the craft show at Westpoint, Exeter back in September, but you could thread glass beads on to some thin ribbon to achieve something similar.