More Christmas Wishes: Sewing Ahead for the Holiday! -

Hi everyone! Mary Burroughs-Mayer of Ember Craft Company here, sharing my latest makes for Riley Blake Designs!

Yes, it’s August. Yes, it’s still blazing hot outside here in California. And yes, my kids were willing to dress up in full Christmas outfits earlier this week to get pictures of these fun makes. Bless them. That’s the reality of sewing ahead for the holidays, especially when we’re trying to capture those magical photos before the season sneaks up on us! The best thing though? We are now Christmas card ready and neither grandmother will be able to complain that we didn’t get a photo card out.

The Fabrics

This year, I stitched up coordinating outfits for the kids using the new More Christmas Wishes Collection by Riley Blake Designers (you can find it HERE). This is a beautiful, more traditional collection that features some darling Santa panels along with blenders and several plaids.

We used the Lumberjack Green Plaid and the Lumberjack Red Plaid, along with the Holly Red for the lining to make these outfits. These classic plaids are everything I love about holiday sewing – festive, timeless, and instantly cozy. Plaid never goes out of style and makes handmade outfits even more special.

The Patterns

Emma’s Dress

For Emma’s dress, we chose the Quincy pattern by Little Lizard King (you can find it HERE). This is a darling wrap-around dress with either a plain or tiered skirt AND 4 sleeve options! We chose to make the tiered, long-sleeved version with the large side bow, and I could not be happier with how this turned out.

Now, this tiered skirt was something of a labor of love. There is a lot of yardage gathered into both tiers and it took much longer than I expected. The outcome, though, was 100% worth it and the twirl factor (something infinitely important to my girl) is out of this world!

Connor’s Vest

Connor’s Vest was made with the Benton pattern, also by Little Lizard King (you can find it HERE). This, on the other hand, is a super-fast make. It comes together very easily and can even be made reversible! Can we please take a minute to appreciate the pattern matching on the front of this vest? I’m so proud of myself!!

One thing we did find when taking pictures of Connor in this is that he has definitely grown out of his khakis and white shirt from last year. We are going to have to do a little shopping for that one before the holiday gets here. Please excuse his short pants and the shirt that would not stay tucked in to save his life!

The Bows

The bows were made with the Accuquilt Bow Tie Die by Chris Marchini (you can find it HERE). I have a video up on my YouTube Channel HERE where I show you exactly how to use the die to make a clip on hair bow or kids bow tie. It’s super easy and I’ve many so many of these now, it’s incredibly fun to make coordinating bows for our mama-made outfits.

Christmas Pictures in August Though?

Let’s be real. Between the giggles, the wiggling, and the “Mom, I’m sweating!” complaints (these were totally justified by the way), taking these photos felt like a workout on it’s own. The kids were troopers though, and these pictures not only captured the outfits but the joy of the coming season as well – even if we were melting a little behind the scenes.

I’m so glad to have these done and not be scrambling in November to pull something together for them. So, here’s to sewing ahead, laughing through the chaos, and embracing the timeless charm of classic plaid for Christmas.

Now, I’ve always got some new sewing shenanigans on deck, be sure to give me a follow on all the socials and see what I’m up to next!

Happy Sewing!

Mary Burroughs-Mayer – Ember Craft Company