🎄 The 15th annual 12 Days of Christmas at Pixie Faire!
[Edited 1/6/26] Congratulations to Sharon H. She won the Pixie Faire gift card and has been notified by email!
Christmas is one of my favorite times of year — a season of creativity, generosity, and reflection. This year I wanted to continue to celebrate in a way that’s meaningful, fun, and deeply connected to what we love most: design, sewing, and growing together as makers.
So today, I’m excited to announce the 15th annual 12 Days of Christmas Celebration, inspired by the 15th anniversary of the Design Academy-12 Principles of Design.
Here’s how it works:
For the next 12 days, we’ll be sharing:
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✂️ One Design Academy Principle per day
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💡 A practical Design Tip you can use immediately
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💬 A daily blog comment prompt for you to earn entries in our giveaway
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🎁 A $100 Pixie Faire Gift Card giveaway — announced on January 6th
Each day we'll jump back to this blog post to highlight one of the twelve design principles and invite you to join the conversation by leaving a comment. Every comment is an entry to win the $100 gift card. The more you participate, the more entries you earn!
And there’s more....
These 12 principles are also the foundation of something very special coming in 2026…
✨ Sewing With Cinnamon & Friends 2026 Theme
Design Academy Reimagined: A Year-Long Sewing Masterclass
Twelve principles. Twelve months. One unforgettable year of growth.
In 2026, Cinnamon Miles is opening the vault and teaching the Design Academy like never before—fifteen years after she first published the landmark series that inspired thousands of sewists worldwide. This is a complete, modernized re-imagining, blending Liberty Jane’s iconic design principles with Sewing With Cinnamon’s techniques, challenges, and creative opportunities.
We're bringing the Design Academy into Sewing With Cinnamon in 2026 using the core principles to guide our 2026 topics and this year, there’s even more:
Historical fashion deep dives with guest instructor Shari Fuller. Designer spotlight showcases. Sew Powerful Purse crossover projects. And a brand-new challenge every month.
If you loved the original Design Academy, you haven’t seen anything yet!
Read all the detail of the 2026 overview HERE. Existing SWC members are already in! If you're not a member yet, we invite you to join us, it all starts on January 6, 2026.
The 12 Days of Christmas is your preview of what’s coming — and a great way to jump back into thinking like a designer and getting the most out of your Pixie Faire pattern collection.
Let’s celebrate creativity, learning, and sewing together this Christmas season.
Merry Christmas,
Cinnamon & Team Pixie Faire
🎁 12 Day's of Christmas Giveaway
👉 Winner announced 1/6/26!
🎁 Day 1
Today (12/25) we kick things off with Principle #1: Proportion, and your first entry for the $100 Pixie Faire Gift Card.
💡Design Tip - Proportion: Scale is invisible when it's right and noticeable when it's wrong!
👉 To enter: Leave a comment under this blog post. Comment Prompt:
What’s your best tip for determining scale in relation to the doll you're sewing for?
🎁 Day 2
Today (12/26) we kick things off with Principle #2: Focal Point, and your second entry for the $100 Pixie Faire Gift Card.
💡Design Tip - Focal Point: Choose ONE star of the show. Whether it’s a bold fabric, a special embellishment, a unique neckline, or a pop of contrast — one clear focal point will always outperform several competing ones.
👉 To enter: Leave a comment under this blog post. Comment Prompt: What’s your favorite way to create a focal point — color, embellishment, trim, or fabric choice?
🎁 Day 3
Today (12/27) we kick things off with Principle #3: Rhythm & Repetition, and your third entry for the $100 Pixie Faire Gift Card.
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💡Design Tip - Rhythm & Repetition: Repeat a shape or color at least three times.
Two feels accidental. Three feels deliberate. Four or more creates strong visual rhythm.
👉 To enter: Leave a comment under this blog post. Comment Prompt: “What do you enjoy repeating most in your sewing — shapes, colors, stitching, or patterns?”
🎁 Day 4
Today (12/28) we kick things off with Principle #4: Harmony & Unity, and your fourth entry for the $100 Pixie Faire Gift Card.
💡Design Tip:
Choose one unifying idea and let it guide every decision.
That unifying idea might be:
- A color story
- A mood (playful, classic, modern)
- A fabric type
- Or a design theme
If every choice supports the same idea, harmony follows naturally.
👉 To enter: Leave a comment under this blog post. Comment Prompt: “When you start a project, what helps you keep everything feeling cohesive?” (color, mood, fabric types, themes, etc)
🎁 Day 5
Today (12/29) we kick things off with Principle #5: Color, and your fifth entry for the $100 Pixie Faire Gift Card.
💡Design Tip:
Successful Color Blocking: Highlight the pattern design lines with fabric by color blocking! Keep in mind the design principles mentioned earlier - rule of thirds, repetition, and harmony - Let one color dominate about 70%, repeat colors with added elements like buttons and trims, and pick a color palette that pleases the eye!
Bonus BOGO Promotion happening today too! https://www.pixiefaire.com/collections/trend-watch-color-block
👉 To enter: Leave a comment under this blog post. Comment Prompt: “What color combination do you find yourself reaching for again and again—and why?"
🎁 Day 6
Today (12/30) we kick things off with Principle #6: Fabric Matters, and your sixth entry for the $100 Pixie Faire Gift Card.
💡Design Tip:
Fabric Choice: Match the fabric personality to the design's intent. Choosing the right fabric often matters more than choosing the perfect color or embellishment. Maybe it's time to venture out of your comfort zone and try out a new type of fabric?
👉 To enter: Leave a comment under this blog post. Comment Prompt: “What’s one fabric you love sewing with—and one you tend to avoid?”
🎁 Day 7
Today (12/31) we kick things off with Principle #7: Fabric Matters, and your seventh entry for the $100 Pixie Faire Gift Card.
💡Design Tip:
Surprise is what turns a nice design into a memorable one. It’s the small, unexpected detail that makes someone stop and look twice. Add one unexpected detail that only appears once. It could be: A contrasting lining, A hidden pocket, An unexpected trim or button, A pop of color on the inside rather than the outside. One surprise is charming. Too many dilute the effect.
👉 To enter: Leave a comment under this blog post. Comment Prompt: “ What’s the most fun or surprising detail you’ve ever added to a sewing project?”
🎁 Day 8
Today (1/01) we kick things off with Principle #8: Waistlines, and your eighth entry for the $100 Pixie Faire Gift Card.
💡Design Tip:
Where the waistline sits can completely change a silhouette. A small shift up or down can make a design feel youthful, classic, elegant, or modern.
The higher (Empire) waistline was prominent in the early 1800s Regency era, the natural waistline popular in the 1930s-1950s, and the lower dropped waistline emerged in the 1920s and reappeared in the 1960s/70s.
Waistlines aren’t just structural—they’re visual cues.
👉 To enter: Leave a comment under this blog post. Comment Prompt: “ Do you tend to prefer high, natural, or dropped waistlines in your designs?”
🎁 Day 9
Today (1/02) we kick things off with Principle #9: Homage, and your eighth entry for the $100 Pixie Faire Gift Card.
💡Design Tip:
Homage is about honoring inspiration without copying it. Great designers study what they love, identify why it works, and then reinterpret it in their own voice.
Homage connects design to history, culture, and personal story—and it’s one of the most meaningful ways to create!
Isolate one defining element of your inspiration and build from there.
👉 To enter: Leave a comment under this blog post. Comment Prompt: “Is there a designer, era, or style that inspires your sewing the most?”
🎁 Day 10
Today (1/03) we kick things off with Principle #10: Minimalism, and your tenth entry for the $100 Pixie Faire Gift Card.
💡Design Tip:
Minimalism isn’t about making designs boring—it’s about making intentional choices.
When fewer elements compete for attention, the most important ones shine.
Minimalist designs often look confident, modern, and timeless.
👉 To enter: Leave a comment under this blog post. Comment Prompt: “Do you lean more toward simple designs or detailed ones—and why?”
🎁 Day 11
Today (1/04) we kick things off with Principle #11: Distressing & Embellishment, and your eleventh entry for the $100 Pixie Faire Gift Card.
💡Design Tip:
Today’s design principle is all about adding depth, texture, and personality. Distressing and embellishment bring a design to life—but only when they’re intentional.
The goal isn’t to add more, but to add meaning.
Well-placed texture can elevate even the simplest design.
👉 To enter: Leave a comment under this blog post. Comment Prompt: “Do you enjoy embellishing your projects with fabric manipulation or added details like buttons, beads, or trims?”
🎁 Day 12
Today (1/05) we kick things off with Principle #12: Sewing Technique, and your final entry for the $100 Pixie Faire Gift Card.
💡Design Tip:
Most projects look “handmade” not because of design choices, but because of rushed finishing. Taking extra time on the last 10% of a project makes the biggest visual difference.
Focus on:
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Accurate seam allowances
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Pressing after every seam
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Clean edges and consistent topstitching
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Secure closures and neatly finished hems
👉 To enter: Leave a comment under this blog post. Comment Prompt:
“What sewing technique do you most want to improve or master in the coming year—and why?”
Thank you for being part of this community and for sharing your creativity with me.
Warmly,
Cinnamon
P.S. Don’t forget — today is the final day to comment for the $100 Pixie Faire Gift Card drawing!
2361 Comments
As a child my grandmother sewed for me. She sewed for my dolls. This was the beginning of my love of sewing. I sewed what I needed. The biggest project I tackled was my wedding dress then clothes for my children. My children have dolls. It quickly became too expensive to buy premade sets for our crew of dolls so, the natural path for me was to make them clothes and teach anyone that wished to sew for themselves as well. now I sew for the sheer pleasure of making the dolls adorable outfits and seeing them sit around in things I have created even though I know the flaws. Lately my inspiration is actual little girls I know, meet, or occasionally bump into here and there. Several moms have allowed me to photograph their little ladies to create a mini outfit inspired usually by moms who know what they like. I grew up with pleated skirts and many that twirled when I danced. Many eras don’t have these features and I feel sad for little girls who don’t get that thrill. My boy dolls are also spoiled with any fun or sharp attire I find for inspiration. No one stays stuck in any style but is free to wear whatever strikes this mom-of-many’s fancy. since I make most of my projects from collected bits or thrifted fabrics it is exciting for me to see them come to life.
I particularly love recreating historically accurate doll costumes of all periods, but I also love to take a particular element i.e. a 1950 circular skirt and adapt it to a more modern garment. Since I love all historic designs, I am just as apt to pair a regency sleeve with a hi-lo skirt. It can result in some amazing garments.
I love the visual progression from the Victorian era to the 1920s. Ruffles and laces give way to baubles and long fringes and sassy styles. The women designers from the turn of the century created some lovely gowns. But, I love the Fortuny gowns that have the crystal pleating. Those were so specialized that the buyer had to agree to bring their gown back to Fortuny to be cleaned. Search for Deplos and Peplos gowns by Fortuny!
The Little Women designs by Keepers Dolly Duds, Pemberley Threads, and Luminaria Designs have inspired me to want to create my own Little Women dolls. Having access to the books and movies helps!