Christmas at Ray Stitch

We aren't here to panic anyone - yes, there are just 2 weeks before Christmas Day but don't worry, we have got ideas for gorgeous gifts and special stocking fillers perfect for the sewists and makers in your life - with no last minute rush to complete everything yourself. Plus read on for inspiration on how to wrap all your presents in the most beautiful and thoughtful ways (and not add to landfill.) We have a huge range of Fat Quarter Bundles in stock - the possibilities of FQB are endless and because of their size, most of these projects are super quick to run up. Perfect for those with a tight deadline. Try a search on google or Pinterest for hundreds of ideas! But these also make great gifts in themselves for anyone who loves to covet fabric (we've got our hands up!) because you get the whole collection to work with. Another option are charm packs or mini charm packs - precut squares of either 5" x 5" or 2.5" x 2.5" - that are perfect for quilters. Used alone they can be made into a cushion cover or in multiples to make a small quilt. Or how about choosing some fabric from our print collections along with a pattern and giving them together to a lucky recipient? Sewing a new project whilst eating all the festive food sounds like heaven to us! It's not all about fabric, we know! And it's the little details that can make a project, or start someone off on their journey of making. Clockwise from top left: Wooden Buttons, Iron-on Patches, Ray Stitch Gift Vouchers for use in the shop or take a class in our Sewing School, Goodie Jars filled with all sorts of loveliness for adults and children, Ray Stitch Cross Stitch kits including letters and motifs, and multi-coloured Felt Rolls. Books are a traditional choice at Christmas and we have a whole library to choose from! So whether you are after an instructional workbook, an inspirational coffee table book, a book of patterns or even a fictional story to get lost in, we are sure we can find the right one for you your giftee! We love scissors! And good tools make a job a joy to work on. We have all sorts of scissors, snips, shears (& even rotary cutters) but woe-betide anyone who uses the fabric scissors on anything else. We aren't sure goodwill to all stretches that far! We have got some seriously luxurious fabric in stock, including sequin tulle, organza, chiffon and crushed taffeta - perfect for party season, or why not bring the bling into your home furnishings? Sumptuous velvet cushions or sequinned table runners anyone? And for the more challenging person to buy for - how about a Maker's Journal? This beautiful concertina sketchbook can be filled with ideas, notes, drawings, pattern references or even swatches of fabric, and can either be used as a conventional book with pages that turn, or pulled out to reveal a linear thought process or narrative. *** So once you've found the perfect present you will want to make sure that it's wrapped accordingly. At Ray Stitch we are passionate about sustainability and using materials as conscientiously as possible - and that goes for wrapping paper too. Christmas wrapping paper is often dyed, laminated or contains non-paper additives such as gold and silver coloured shapes, glitter and plastics which mean it can't be recycled. A lot of wrapping paper has sticky tape attached to it which also makes it very difficult to recycle. 5 million tonnes of paper gets sent to landfill every year in the UK alone! To help combat this problem, you can use recyclable wrapping such as brown craft paper, or why not try fabric wraps this year? These can then be reused and made into something else, or kept for the next gifts. Ditch the sellotape in favour of fancy ribbons, sequinned trim, ric rac, bakers twine, metallic cord or even embroidery thread in contrasting colours. Decorate with dried flowers, bells, pompoms, fabric covered buttons or stamp sets for maximum originality. We have collected all the ribbons and crafting bits and pieces here so click for the most stylish (& eco) wrapped gifts under the tree. *** Finally, we will be closed on Christmas Eve, 24th December and opening again in the New Year on Wednesday 2nd January. Last online orders will be posted on Thursday 20th December so make sure you get in before then to avoid disappointment. We will also be shouting this on our social media channels so you will get warned! Until then, happy sewing and good luck with all your festive prep :)