Christmas in July. Why?

Kathryn Morgan
Jul 6
4 min read

Planning (Warning: this could involve cake - read on)
Starting to think early about big events in your calendar gives time to plan.
Planning is a big part of sewing and of Christmas so why not do the two together, early?
There's nothing worse than sitting down to sew with a deadline and only to find you don't have the right tools, equipment or requirements. Adequate planning makes the whole process more enjoyable and less expensive (see 3 below)

Inspiration
The fabric companies usually release their new Christmas collections during the summer. Browse the online outlets to see a multitude of new Christmas themed fabrics and get inspiration for the colours you wish to use as well as project ideas for gifts, homeware and decorations.
Christmas themed items are available at shows and/or online and new books are released for our learning and ideas.
Save Money
How often do we suddenly realise we were going to make a gift for someone but the deadline is next week? You've searched the house but as you're now in a panic, you decide you'd best buy more fabric. Searching through your stash without the need to rush suggests it's more likely you'll find what you're looking for. You're bound to have something that's a bit Christmassy even if it's only some red or green plains. Knowing early that'll you'll have to buy supplies helps with budgeting and resourcing best value for money shopping.
Time to learn
If there's a pattern you fancy making up as a gift but you're a little less than confident about the techniques it uses, it's great to have the time to watch tutorials, research techniques, book up a workshop etc. and have a practise before you start using that special fabric.
Head Space
Christmas is a busy time already besides thinking about hand made projects. July is a little early to think about the Christmas food shopping, buying a tree or putting on the sprouts. All that needs to be done nearer the time when all your Christmas makes are finished and you have the head space to do it. Unless of course, you're making the cake - you can do that this month and use the time it's in the oven to sort out your sewing space.
Perhaps you're thinking of visiting family this Christmas or going away on holiday for the festive season? With all your crafting plans in place and your sewing schedule set, you are free to focus on organising life when the time comes, knowing that your gift "shopping" is already done.

So, what's the plan?

Here are a few suggestions:

First make a list...
Start a spreadsheet, you could try something like this:

Or, find yourself a notebook, there are loads of reasonably priced journals out there, and use that for your planning and progress.

Whether electronic or hand written, you'll have a working planner/journal for this year and a great reference and resource for next year.

Get organised
Set yourself time for a little sort out of your sewing "stuff". Make sure your supplies are where you expect them to be. Make sure you have enough supplies - at least starting early means you can buy a little at a time over the next few weeks to help with the budgeting.
Go through your fabrics and if they need a bit of a tidy up and categorising, now's the time to tackle that. I try and keep my fabrics in colour order but that often goes astray when I'm in a rush and don't take my time sorting when I put things away.

Get browsing

There are so many fabric shows going on during the summer months and early autumn. Once you've done your spreadsheet or written some notes in your book, go to a show. If you know what you need to buy and what you'd like to look at and for, you can have real fun browsing. Think of all the inspiration you can come away with, fabric ideas, gift ideas, and maybe a few shopping solutions too.

Browse online. Fabrics, notions, patterns, tuition, inspiration, all to be found right in your front room.
Grab a coffee and cake (you need a little sugar for your brain to function!), your laptop or other device and pick your favourite seat in the house. You are not sitting idle, you are working on Christmas planning - very important!

Get out the patterns you've downloaded, printed and put neatly in a folder, but have not looked at since. We all do it at one time or another, we're full of good intentions but then other life things get in the way. Or, are you the sort of person who fastidiously stores PDF patterns in folders on your desktop? However you store them, they are the best resource and a wealth of inspiration.

Search through your books.
I have a plethora of books about all sorts of soft crafts and techniques, many of which I haven't opened for a while. I'm sure most of you will have loads too and they are so useful for getting fresh ideas or even freshening up old ideas. Again though, something lovely to drink and a little snack (cake) helps enormously with the brainwaves!

Time to get started
Now all the planning is done, get down to it.
There's no rush, this is still July, but once you get started the feeling of achievement is like no other. Knowing that you've made a start will spur you on to do more as you tick things off your list. Make time to update your spreadsheet or write in your journal. Add your secrets and thoughts, it's so cathartic! Most of all, enjoy the process.