Victorian Christmas by Kim Beamish

It’s been said that one of the best things about Christmas from a stitcher’s point of view, is the deadline that it imposes – you know the saying, if it wasn’t for the last minute, nothing would ever get done!

Maybe if we start planning our Christmas stitching project in June, it will give us ample time to avoid the last minute all-nighters and enable us to enjoy a leisurely stroll towards the festive season as we create a beautiful set of sewing accessories designed by Kim Beamish.

Victorian Christmas is from our Handpicked range, meaning it doesn’t appear in any of our books or magazines, but rather is available exclusively as a pattern in both print and digital.

You can also purchase a Ready-to-Stitch kit for this project which comes with the printed instructions included in the price.

There is so much to love about Victorian Christmas, but for today we’ll focus on three main areas, theme, practicality and technique.

THEME

Holly is such an iconic symbol of Christmas. As soon as you see that trademark cluster of small bright red berries nestled in the centre of jagged green leaves, you’re humming carols!

In Victorian Christmas Kim has created the most delightful sprigs of holly and used them to great effect by liberally placing them throughout each piece to form different types of garlands, as well as forming ornate centrepieces.

While the holly is classic Christmas, the beauty of Kim’s delicate design makes it suitable to use all year around.

PRACTICALITY

This needlework accessory trio features a needlebook, pincushion and scissor fob, covering off all the essentials. Whether you create just one piece or all three, this is a Christmas project that has a real practical application.

The pincushion measures 8.5cm x 5.5cm wide x 2.5cm deep (3 ⅜” x 2 ⅛” x 1″) so it’s a nice usable size, the scissor fob is more on the dainty side at 4cm x 3cm wide (1 ½” x 1 ⅛”) and the needlebook is all business measuring 11cm x 8cm wide (4 ⅜” x 3 ⅛”) when closed, providing ample space for a range of needles and featureing two handy storage pockets as well.

TECHNIQUE

This is the fun part. All three accessories use the same combination of threads, stitches, motifs and finishing, giving you more confidence and experience as you progress.

Starting with placing your tacking thread in position, you follow the charts supplied and, using whipped back stitch, create the outside border. Next the holly is worked, then pulled thread chequer filling stitch is used to create the wonderful diagonal filling patterns.

We love the detached blanket stitched loops that are added after construction, along with the glistening gold beads that finish the accessories beautifully.

All in all, this is a wonderful project, be it thanks to the Christmas theme, the usability of the finished pieces, or the fact that it’s nice to have a counted thread project that involves construction for something different.

Whether you choose to stitch this as a Christmas gift for a special fellow stitcher or wrap it under the tree as a special gift for yourself, it’s going to be a very merry Christmas for someone!

Make Your Own Victorian Christmas

Option 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Victorian Christmas by Kim Beamish is a set of pretty sewing accessories embellished with delicate pulled thread work and festive holly.

Option 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit with Printed Pattern Included

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Victorian Christmas includes everything you need to re-create this dainty accessory set: Fabrics (unprinted), interfacing, fibre-fill, embroidery threads, beads, needles and printed instructions.