Christmas in July: Fabric!!

Happy Monday!

We're entering our last week of Christmas in July and it's time to focus on FABRIC! Christmas and seasonal fabrics are starting to pop up all over the web and in our favorite shops. Here is a selection of a few super cute holiday collections, plus some useful links for your Christmas fabric shopping.


- Cherry Christmas by Aneela Hooey

I love the adorable illustrations (birdies! cloth line!) and the simple coordinates that could be used in a variety of projects. You can purchase this collection at Fat Quarter Shop and Alewives Fabrics.





Photos from comfortstitching by Aneela Hooey

- Joy by Kate Spain

Kate Spain never fails to please the eye with bold, colorful and modern designs. This little Christmas collection is as joyful as can be! You can purchase these prints at The Intrepid Thread and Fat Quarter Shop.





Photos from The Intrepid Thread

- Alpine Wonderland by Riley Blake

Alpine Wonderland reminds me of vintage story books and old-timey Christmas cards. The designs are so sweet and old-fashioned without feeling dated. I have found this collection for sale at Fat Quarter Shop and Hawthorne Threads.






Photos from Fat Quarter Shop

- Tinsel by Maude Asbury

Deer, mittens, Christmas trees and argyle... Cuteness! I love the greys and aquas. I found Tinsel at Hawhtorne Threads and Fat Quarter Shop.






Photos from Hawthorne Threads

- Brrr! by Laurie Wisbrun

I love how unique this collection is! From the furry polar bears to the Scandinavian-influenced flower designs and lacy snowflakes, these fabrics would make some really original holiday projects. Some prints from this collection are available from Hawthorne Threads.






Photos from Scarlet Fig by Laurie Wisbrun

- Dear Mr. Claus by Cosmo Cricket for Moda Fabrics

Last but not least in this Christmas fabric round-up is the wonderfully retro collection Dear Mr. Claus. The prints looks like wrapping paper from our childhood. Remember those Christmas mornings oh so long ago? This collection is available at Fat Quarter Shop (stay tuned for a giveaway right here this week!!) and Fabricworm.




Photo from Fabricworm





Photos from Fat Quarter Shop

- Gilt Trip Metallic by Dear Stella

I know, I said I was done. But I can't stop before I share this great idea that Keli at Drygoods Design told me: Dear Stella's metallic fabrics would make perfect holiday linens! Wouldn't the navy and gold make a lovely New Year's Eve table runner or fancy cocktail napkins?




Photos from Drygoods Design Online

Some Christmas Fabric Links...

- We gave away one Ardeth's Christmas Bundle, but Alewives Fabrics has more for sale. Love the color combo and assortment of fabrics! Alewives Fabrics also has a nice selection of holiday fabrics here.

- Did you know our sponsor Fat Quarter Shop has an entire website dedicated to Christmas fabric?! We kid you not. Go check out the Christmas Cloth Store. (Seriously, look at all these fat quarter bundles, merry Christmas!)

- You can find seasonal and Christmas fabrics at Hawthorne Threads.

- The Intrepid Thread also has a lovely holiday category in their shop.

- Fabricworm has some GREAT holiday and seasonal fabrics in stock, including several of the above featured collections.

Do you have a favorite Christmas or winter collection not featured here? Did we forget a fabric shop with a fabulous seasonal inventory? Please share in the comments!

Christmas in July: Giveaway from Felt On The Fly!

Hello everyone! I hope you've had a great week. Not sure how my oldest starts school in exactly ONE WEEK, but there you go. This summer has flown by!

I have an exciting Christmas in July giveaway to announce: our brand new sponsor Felt on the Fly is giving away one of their fabulous holiday color stories to one lucky winner! That is 5 sheets of luxurious wool felt in a beautiful combination of colors.

The winner can choose between Holiday Brights (left) and Blossom (right). Each set includes 5 sheets of 8 by 10 inch, 100% merino wool felt, 1mm thick (1/16").



This lucky winner will also receive a copy of the wonderful holiday book Fa La La La Felt by Amanda Carestio, courtesy of Lark Crafts! This book is a favorite around Stumbles & Stitches, and full of perfect projects to craft with the beautiful wool felt from Felt on the Fly.



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How To Enter:

For a chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post! If you'd like, tell us which Felt on the Fly color story you would pick and what you'd make with it.

Please make sure to include a link or email address in your comment so we can contact you if you win. This giveaway is open until Sunday, July 29 at midnight CST. Giveaway is open to all our readers!

We will draw the winner randomly on Monday, July 30. We'll announce the winner here and contact them via email. One entry per person, please! (Giveaway value: $29.95. Void where prohibited.)

Good luck!

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who participated! Congratulations to our lucky winner JoyceLM, check your email!


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You can find Felt on the Fly online here: shop / blog / Facebook / Pinterest.

You can find Lark Crafts online here: website / bookstore / Facebook / Twitter.

If you're new to Stumbles & Stitches, welcome! We hope you'll stick around, browse and subscribe. You can find all our social media links in the sidebar to the right!

We have much more in store for Christmas in July: tutorials, inspiration and another big giveaway! We hope you'll come visit.

Tutorial: Knotty Christmas Tree Ornaments

Hello there!

This is the second year we've hosted Christmas in July and it feels familiarly odd to be working on holiday decorations when it is sunny and warm out. We spend most days at the beach or the park, then in the evening I embroider little Christmas trees... weird! But I know I'll be so glad to have some fresh handmade goodness with which to decorate at Christmas time!

I finished some ornaments yesterday, with a design I had been mulling over for a while. And I thought I'd share a little tutorial so you can make some too! I hope you like them!




I call these "knotty" Christmas trees because they are embellished with bits of felt and French knots...

Things you'll need:

• 1 rectangle of fabric, 6 x 10 inches
• scraps of felt
• embroidery floss in coordinating colors
• embroidery needle
• a small embroidery hoop
• fabric marker
• point turner or chopstick
• handful of polyfill
• hole punch
• sewing machine, thread, scissors, pins

A Few Details:

• You'll want to start by printing out my template (PDF) for the tree. I recommend printing or tracing onto cardstock. Then cut out the tree shape.
• This tutorial is for your personal use and enjoyment only. Please do not sell or copy this pattern, or use it for profit. Thank you for respecting my copyright!
• If you make an ornament or a few with this tutorial, I'd love to see them! Please upload photos to our Flickr friends group!

WIP: Milk and Cookie mat!

Read Between the Lines Pillow: Free Download!

Happy Monday!

I hope everyone is feeling inspired by the Christmas in July posts so far. We've been working on our own Christmas-y projects and can't wait to share.

Today we're sharing another lovely project from the upcoming book Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays by John Q. Adams: the Read Between The Lines Pillow designed by Kelly Lautenbach. How clever is that patchworked Ho Ho Ho?




>>Download the PDF here.

Big thanks to Lark Crafts for sharing this project with us! Wouldn't this pillow look great with the fabric from the Ardeth's Christmas fat quarter bundle assembled by Alewives Fabrics?

Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays will be released in August! Stay tuned for a chance to win the book right here on Stumbles & Stitches.




If you missed our previous free project from this book, you can download the Milk and Cookie Mats pattern PDF here.

Stay tuned for more Christmas in July fun this week: project updates, designer features, ornament tutorials, another giveaway and more!

Christmas in July: For the Weekend!

Good afternoon!

Internet issues and a kidnapped camera left me unable to show you photos of the fabrics I chose for the Milk and Cookie mat, but I will say that a little Heather Ross gnome fabric snuck into the mix! I decided to go ahead and try the traditional piecing suggested by the quilt pattern creator John Adams, time to learn something new don't you think?

For the weekend, I thought I'd re-share the three amazing projects from the Lark book Fa La La La Felt by Amanda Carestio, from last year's Christmas in July. Perfect in case you need a small piece of handwork to take with you on vacation or to the pool!

Below each photo you will find the link to a post featuring the free PDF download for the project.

Layer Play Ornament

Little Birds Ornament and Garland

Felt Flora and Merry Little Ornament

If you need to purchase some wonderful wool felt, give our sponsor Janet at Felt On The Fly a visit! It is a joy to work with this felt, and she has a ton of beautiful "color stories" that would be perfect for ornament making. Keep your eyes peeled for a Felt On The Fly giveaway, too... (Thanks in advance to Janet!)

And don't forget our first Christmas in July giveaway: a fat quarter bundle from Alewives Fabric! Go HERE to enter.

Next week we'll share another project from "Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays" along with some new, original ornament tutorials from me and Jenny! Here's a sneak peek of one of mine:

 

And much more!

Have a great weekend! We can't wait to see what you're working on for Christmas in July!

Guest Post for Shorts on the Line!

Happy Friday!

This is a momentary break in our Christmas in July series to let you know I am guest posting on the blog Designs by Sessa today as part of the Shorts on the Line sew-along. Go check out the cute little shorts I made for Henry and read my pattern review.






I am so excited to have made a clothing item, and it is wearable! And adorable! It is the boost I needed to my confidence. I might try to sew more clothing items in the future! Stay tuned... Big thanks to Rachael for inviting me to participate!




You can see the whole line up for the Shorts on the Line sew-along here. Go see all the fabulous shorts created by all the awesome guest posters! I'm so impressed. You can also visit the Flickr pool to see what the sew-along participants have made.

Are you participating? The list of judges and prizes is pretty ah-mazing, wow!


Stay tuned for more Christmas in July fun. Next week should be pretty jam packed with tutorials, another free download, inspiration, and more giveaways!

Meanwhile, our first free download from the book Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays is available here, and our first giveaway (a fat quarter bundle from Alewives Fabrics!) is open through Sunday -- you can enter here.

Have a great weekend!