The Best Christmas Sewing Projects I’ve Made & Loved
Christmas sewing is some of my favorite sewing. There’s just something about pulling out handmade quilts each December that makes our home feel ready for the holidays.
Over the years, I’ve made several Christmas quilts—including two that become my kids’ holiday bedding every year—along with smaller projects that are perfect for gifting. I thought I’d gather a few of my favorites in one place in case you’re looking for a Christmas quilt pattern or a smaller holiday sewing project to add to your list.
Below I’m sharing four Christmas quilt patterns I’ve made (including one I loved enough to make twice!) plus a book sleeve that makes the cutest reusable wrapping for gifting books.
1. The Christmas Quilt I Loved Enough to Make Twice
A Christmas Quilt Pattern for Holiday Bedding
This is one of those quilt patterns that looks completely different depending on the fabrics you choose—which is probably why I ended up making it twice!
My first version is a classic red and white. I love how traditional it feels for Christmas without relying on novelty Christmas fabrics. I made it in a twin size specifically to use on my son’s bed during the holidays, and now pulling it out each Christmas has become part of decorating their rooms for the season.
An Easy Idea for Coordinating a Quilt Back
One of my favorite details is actually on the back. I used a flannel sheet from my son’s holiday sheet set as the quilt backing. It was an easy way to make the quilt coordinate perfectly with the rest of his Christmas bedding—and it made the whole bed feel intentional without needing to hunt down coordinating yardage.
Tip: If you’re going to have it professionally quilted, you’ll need a sheet that’s at least 4″ larger on all sides of the finished quilt top. Since my son has two twin size beds in his room, I was able to purchase two sets of twin bedding and pieced the two flat sheets together for one large backing piece. But you may want to buy a full or queen size set to make sure the backing is large enough.
I made this quilt for him when he was just three years old and even now, at eleven, he is so excited when it’s time to get it out each year. I hope this is one he will never tire of and keep always.
The Same Quilt in Colorful Christmas Fabrics
I liked the pattern enough that I eventually made a second twin-size version for my daughter’s bed. This time going in a completely different direction with a mix of colorful Christmas fabrics.
That’s one of my favorite things about a good quilt pattern: changing the fabric can make the exact same design feel like an entirely different quilt. Her’s is a mix of traditional Christmas patterns – nutcrackers, gingerbread men, ornaments, trees, snowflakes – with some non-traditional colors thrown in. Those hot pink cornerstone blocks and nutcrackers on a soft pink background are her favorites.
Anyone else have trouble deciding on block layouts? I probably went through a dozen versions before finally settling on an ombre effect starting with the lightest pink blocks at the top and ending with the darker green in the opposite corner.
Lots of questions about this design wall – I used these panels to cover the whole wall outside my studio door and hung them with velcro command strips.
I also had her’s professionally quilted but opted to use a soft, neutral minky for the backing. She has a Christmas sheet set like my son, but she begged for a fuzzy backing and I was happy to make it happen. It really is one of the softest, snuggliest quilts to use each year.
I’ve made this pattern twice, both times in twin size.
2. A Free Christmas Star Quilt Pattern
A Classic Christmas Star Quilt Using a Free Pattern
Not every beautiful Christmas quilt requires purchasing a pattern. This holiday quilt was made using a free star quilt block pattern, and I love how well a traditional star works for Christmas.
Depending on your fabric choices, a star quilt doesn’t have to be Christmas-specific at all—which also makes this a great pattern to save and use again in another color palette.
I made this one using Art Gallery fabrics for the front and backing. It has washed up so nicely and gets softer and softer every year!
3. The Christmas Ornament Quilt
A Modern Christmas Ornament Quilt With Curved Piecing
This ornament quilt might look simple, but there is one skill to know about before starting: the ornament blocks use curved piecing.
If you’ve been wanting to learn how to sew curves, though, this could be a really fun project to try. Once the blocks are pieced, the oversized ornaments create a lot of visual impact without an overly complicated design.
The pattern designer just rereleased this pattern with additional tips for sewing curves. The updated pattern is also compatible with the curve templates she sells, which should make this an especially helpful option if curved piecing is new to you.
4. A Smaller Christmas Sewing Project: Book Sleeves
A Handmade Christmas Gift Idea for Book Lovers
Of course, not every Christmas sewing project needs to be a quilt. If you’re looking for something much quicker, these book sleeves are one of my favorite smaller projects I’ve made.
The book sleeve itself isn’t a Christmas-specific pattern—you could make one in any fabric and use it all year long. I made mine in Christmas fabrics because I needed a fun way to package books for my kids’ school book exchange.
Instead of wrapping the books in paper or putting them in a gift bag, I tucked each book inside a handmade sleeve. The book was the gift, but the “wrapping” became something the recipient could keep and reuse afterward.
I love this idea for Christmas book exchanges, but it would also be cute for gifting a favorite novel, cookbook, devotional or children’s book. Choose fabric that fits the recipient instead of Christmas fabric and it works for birthdays, teacher gifts or book-club exchanges throughout the year.
5. Large, Statement Pattern in Christmas Fabrics
A Quick Make if You’re Short on Time
This is one of my favorite patterns to make when you want to highlight the fabric or need a large quilt in a short amount of time! It’s not specifically a Christmas quilt pattern, but the star design combined with the right holiday fabrics, make it the most satisfying quilt to make for Christmas.
I chose Rifle Paper Co. holiday fabrics because they are whimsical and the perfect color combo for the holidays. The larger scale prints are perfect for this patterns since the blocks are so large.
6. Charming Christmas Tree Blocks
Foundation Paper Pieced Blocks for Endless Projects
I’ve made a few of these blocks but haven’t sewed them up into a project yet. I think they would be so cute as part of a quilt in all sorts of fun colors (like my colorful quilt above) or sew them in rows to make a table runner. You could even use them as fabric for the book sleeves or for a tote. The options are truly endless!
One of my favorite things about handmade Christmas decor is that it comes back out year after year. The quilts especially have become part of our family’s Christmas decorating—I love making the kids’ beds with their Christmas quilts and holiday sheets each season.
If you’re planning some Christmas sewing of your own, I hope one of these gives you an idea to add to your list. And if you’ve made any of these patterns, I’d love to hear what fabrics you chose!
Which Christmas Sewing Project Should You Make?
| If you’re looking for… | Try… |
|---|---|
| A Christmas quilt for holiday bedding | Christmas Joy – My twice-made quilt |
| A free Christmas quilt project | Star quilt |
| A project to practice curved piecing | Ornament quilt |
| A quick Christmas sewing project | Book sleeve or Lottie |
| A handmade Christmas gift | Book sleeve or Tree Farm Blocks |
| A quilt you’ll use every December | Either twin-size Christmas quilt or Lottie |
