Christmas cards are so fun to give and to receive, but where to put them all when they start filling the mailbox like snowflakes falling during a blizzard?
This festive Christmas card keeper features three large pockets perfect for showcasing holiday cards and photos, making it a handy Christmas card organizer. And with four panels highlighting your embroidery, you'll have a fabulous holiday home decor item as well.
Jolly jingle bells, bright fabric, and of course, your favorite embroidery designs will make this card keeper personal and unique.
Read on for project instructions to make one for yourself and one for a family member or friend!
Supplies & Materials:
Supplies Needed:
**3/4 yard sturdy fabric (for back pocket and back; I used twill)
**1/2 yard sturdy fabric (for front panels and inner lining)
**1/4 yard print cotton fabric (for trim)
**Small pieces of stiff felt (for tree topper)
**Medium weight cutaway stabilizer
**Temporary spray adhesive
**Air-erase pen
**Large piece of paper or tag board (for pattern pieces)
**Small plastic or metal ring (for hanger)
**Small jingle bells
**Large piece of paper or tag board (for pattern pieces)
**Straight edge
**Needle and thread for some hand sewing
Designs Used:
I used designs from the small size of the Fancy & Festive Ornaments Design Pack.  Designs from Trim the Tree in Fancy , 'Tis the Season Tidings , and the Christmas Frolicking Friends  design packs would also make a holly jolly card holder!
Finished Size: Â 25" wide by 37" high
The designs used in this tutorial include:
Gather Materials:
First, prepare the fabric for the four embroidered front panels (working from the bottom to the top). For the bottom piece, draw a 27" wide by 7 1/2" high rectangle on the fabric (I used twill) and cut out the shape.
Measure and mark in 3" along the top edge starting at the top corners. Draw a line connecting the marks with the bottom corners and trim the fabric along the lines.
Create paper templates of the designs by printing them at full size using embroidery software. Position the templates on the fabric how you want them. I positioned the templates with about 5 1/2" between each center point and about 3" from the outer edges of the outer designs and the side edges of the fabric.
I left about 1 1/4" in between the bottom edges of the designs and the bottom edge of the fabric. Using an air-erase pen or other marking tool, poke holes in the templates and mark the fabric. Also, mark the horizontal and vertical axis points.
Remove the templates and draw lines connecting the marks.
Start Embroidering:
Spray a piece of medium weight cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive and smooth the fabric on top. Hoop the fabric and stabilizer together for the first design by aligning the marks on the hoop with the lines on the fabric.
Attach the hoop to the machine and load the first design. Move the hoop so that the needle is directly over the center point on the fabric and embroider the design.
When the design has finished, trim away the excess stabilizer on the backside of the embroidery. Repeat the hooping and embroidering process for the remaining designs.
To prepare the fabric for the next front panel (second panel up from the bottom), draw a 22" wide by 7 1/2" high rectangle on the fabric and cut out the shape.
Measure and mark in 3" along the top edge starting at the top corners. Draw a line connecting the marks with the bottom corners and trim the fabric along the lines. Position the templates on the fabric how you want them, and mark the center points and axis points as you did earlier.
Remove the templates, hoop the fabric, and embroider the designs as you did earlier.
To prepare the fabric for the next front panel (third panel up from the bottom), draw a 17" wide by 7 1/2" high rectangle on the fabric and cut out the shape.
Measure and mark in 3" along the top edge starting at the top corners. Draw a line connecting the marks with the bottom corners and trim the fabric along the lines.
Position the templates on the fabric how you want them, and mark the center points and axis points as you did earlier. Remove the templates, hoop the fabric, and embroider the designs as you did earlier.
To prepare the final front panel (the top panel) draw a 9" wide by 11 1/4" high rectangle on the fabric. Measure and mark the center of the top edge by measuring and dividing by two. Draw lines from the center mark down to the bottom corners and cut out the shape.
Position the template on the fabric. I positioned the template centered side to side (measure equal distances from the side edges of the design and the side edges of the shape).
Also, I allowed about 1 1/4" from the bottom edge of the design to the bottom edge of the shape. Mark the center and the axis points, remove the template, and draw lines connecting the marks. Hoop the fabric and embroider the design.
To prepare the back pocket fabric and the back fabric for the bottom panel, first place the embroidered bottom front panel on top of the inner lining/back fabric (I used twill).
Pin in place and trace the shape of the sides and bottom only. Place a straight edge along each side and measure 3" up from the top corners.
Draw a line connecting the top of the lines you just drew. Cut out the shape and then pin the shape back onto the fabric, trace it, and cut out the shape for a total of 2 pieces.
To prepare the trim, cut seventeen 3 1/2" squares from the print cotton fabric. Cut the squares in half diagonally.
Next, pair up the pieces by aligning them together, right sides together. Pin in place and sew a 1/4" seam along the angled edges only. Leave the long straight edge open for turning.
Trim the seam allowance at the point, turn the fabric right side out, and press the seams with an iron. Top stitch a 1/8" seam along the outer angles edges only.
Arrange seven of the trim pieces along the top edge of the bottom front panel, right sides facing up. Allow the pieces to overlap about 1/2" and also allow about 1/2" of the end pieces to extend past the outer edge of the panel. Pin in place and tack the pieces in place with a 1/4" seam along the top edge of the panel.
To prepare the fabric for the inner lining, pin the panel on top of the fabric, and cut around the shape.
Align the inner lining piece on top of the panel, right sides together, pin in place, and sew a 1/2" seam along the top edge only. Flip the inner lining to the back of the panel, align the pieces, flip the trim over to the front, lay it flat, and press in place.
Lay the back pocket fabric flat with the right side facing up and align the front panel on top, right side facing up, with the bottom edges aligned. Align the back fabric on top, wrong side facing up. Pin in place and sew a 1/2" seam along the side and bottom edges only. Leave the top edge open for turning.
Turn the fabric right side out and press the seams.
For the next panel (second panel up from the bottom) repeat the process of cutting the fabric pieces and assembling the panel as you did for the bottom panel, except arrange a total of six trim pieces across the top of the panel and sew a 1/2" seam along the side edges only. Leave the top and bottom edges open. Then, turn the fabric of the bottom opening in 1/2" and press.
Insert the top edge of the bottom panel inside the opening about 1/2" and center the top edge of the bottom panel side to side. Pin in place and sew a 1/4" seam along the folded edge.
Lay the top piece over the back fabric, right sides together, pin in place, and cut out the shape. Sew a 1/2" seam along the side edge only. Leave the bottom edge open.
Turn the fabric right side out and press the seams. Insert the bottom edge of the top piece inside the opening of the top panel about 1/2" and center side to side.
Pin in place and then pinch and fold the top corners of the top panel in about 1/4" to align the sides of the top panel with the top piece. Sew a 1/4" seam along the side and top edges of the top panel.
To prepare the tree topper, cut strips of the stiff felt to about 1/2" to 3/4" wide by about 9" long. Layer the pieces over one another to create a star shape and stitch the pieces together in the center.
Place the topper at the top of the holder and stitch it in place.
To add the hanger, using needle and thread, hand-stitch a small plastic or metal ring at the top point of the holder on the back.
Lay the holder flat and tack the center top of the bottom two pockets to the back of the pocket to prevent them from sagging. Hand-sew the jingle bells in place at the bottom point of the trim pieces.
Showcase your beautiful holiday embroidery, and have a fun and festive place to show off your cards and photos with this holly jolly Christmas card keeper. It will be a keeper for you and your family for years to come!
