Who else has been sewing up a storm?? I definitely have! I keep thinking of things I would like to sew before Christmas. My list is getting longer instead of shorter. Aaaugh!! I can do it though; I’m not worried. The trick to my holiday sewing success is to pick patterns that are easy and fun! There have been years past when I made more complicated gifts. That only made me stressed out and turned my sewing projects into a chore, instead of a hobby. So, here are Top 3 Tips to Get Through Your Holiday Sewing List!
- Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Realize that you are not capable of making a ton of gifts at the last minute. There simply isn’t enough time in the day for that. Just pick one or two gifts that are manageable and go with that. And then plan to make more gifts next year by starting earlier in the year. Don’t wait until December! I have a friend who makes one small Christmas gift each month of the year. That way she is not pressed for time in December.
- Choose simple projects. Don’t overcomplicate things. People that don’t sew will be so impressed that you made them something, they will truly not know if it was a simple pattern or a complicated pattern.
- Budget your time. Set aside 30 minutes to an hour a day, at least, to sew your gift projects. Don’t tell yourself that you will just sew all day on Saturday and be caught up. We all know life doesn’t always go as planned. If you manage your time well, you will probably be done way before Christmas! (And then you will have time for those holiday parties and get-togethers!)
I have currently finished three quilts on my Christmas gift-giving list. (Fingers crossed my friends aren’t reading this. Ha!) I have approximately two more to piece, quilt, and bind and one more to quilt and bind. And then I will be done with the quilts. After that, I will move on to ornaments. I am planning on making a few of the JMinnis Designs Christmas ornaments. (You can read all about those here and get links to the patterns.) I am also going to make some of the Christmas tree ornaments that are found in this past blog post. They’re adorable! And they make great package toppers and look so cute on the top of a wrapped gift.
What Christmas gifts are you working on? As always, we love to see your projects here at Nancy’s Notions! We pick two projects a week for our Sew & Tell and Quilt & Tell features! Have you considered submitting a project? Learn more about that here.
‘Til next time and happy holiday sewing!!
Beth
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