What is the best Christmas fabric for patchwork and quilting?

The best Christmas fabric for patchwork and quilting is 100% cotton quilting fabric. It holds a crisp crease, keeps its shape when pieced and washes well, so festive quilts, runners and cushions look neat for years. Polycotton is a cheaper alternative for bunting and crafts that won’t be washed often.

Quilting cottons are woven more tightly than most dressmaking cottons, which helps seams stay accurate when you’re cutting lots of small pieces. Many of our Christmas prints come from established quilting fabric houses such as Makower, so they coordinate well with the plain and blender fabrics in our patchwork and quilting cottons.

If you’re planning a bigger project, buy all your festive fabric together so the colours match. The Cheap Shop cuts by the fat quarter, half metre and metre, so you only buy what you need.

What is a Christmas advent panel and how do you make one?

A Christmas advent panel is a printed piece of fabric with a backing design and 24 numbered pockets, which you cut out and sew into a reusable advent calendar. Most panels need only basic straight-line sewing, which makes them a popular festive project for confident beginners.

To make one, you typically cut out the pockets, hem their top edges and stitch them onto the backing. You then add wadding and a backing fabric, bind the edges and sew a hanging channel or loops along the top. Our basics and craft fabrics include wadding and plain cottons for the back, and ribbons and trims are handy for hanging loops.

Advent panels sell quickly in the run-up to December, so it’s worth ordering yours early. Browse the panels in The Cheap Shop’s Christmas range above.

How much fabric do I need to make a Christmas stocking?

To make an adult-sized Christmas stocking, you usually need half a metre of standard-width fabric for the front and back, plus another half metre for the lining. A single fat quarter is usually enough for a small or child-sized stocking, or for the contrast cuff and hanging loop.

Standard quilting cotton is around 110cm wide, so a half-metre cut gives you room to place a stocking template twice side by side. Cotton and polycotton are both easy to sew. A thicker fabric, or a layer of wadding between the outer fabric and the lining, gives a sturdier stocking that holds its shape when it’s full of presents. For a fluffy cuff, take a look at the faux fur in our fabric range.

Choose your main print from our Christmas fabrics, then pick a coordinating plain for the lining. The Cheap Shop sells most Christmas prints by the half metre, which suits a stocking project well.

What can I knit or crochet for Christmas?

Popular Christmas knitting and crochet projects include festive jumpers, gonks, tree decorations, stockings and chocolate orange covers. Small makes like decorations and orange covers use only small amounts of yarn and work up in an evening, which makes them ideal for gifts and craft fairs.

Our Christmas range includes patterns from King Cole, Wee Woolly Wonderfuls, Rico and James C Brett, and many of them are written for double knit yarn. You’ll find more festive designs across our knitting patterns and crochet patterns, and every pattern we sell is a printed leaflet or booklet.

Once you’ve picked a pattern, choose your colours from our yarns. Shop the Christmas patterns online or pop into The Cheap Shop in Tiptree to see the yarn colours in person.