The history of traditional Festive Jumpers can be traced back to 19th century Scandinavia, where thick, warm, brightly coloured woollens were knitted in geometric patterns.
These Nordic knits became popular as skiwear in the first half of the 20th century, popularised by celebrities such as Clark Gable, Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman.
The Christmas sweater came into its own in the 1980s, when quirky novelty designs proliferated. The minimalist 1990s saw a return to more traditional motifs, but Colin Firth’s reindeer sweater in Bridget Jones’ Diary in 2001 heralded a revival of kitschy festive knits which is still going strong.
This is my own take on the novelty jumper tradition - I made my skirt in pink, but the appliqués will also work well on black or deep holly green. Whatever colour you choose, make sure you have enough contrast between the skirt and the appliqués so they don't get lost!
If you don’t celebrate Christmas, many of the designs can be adapted to a general autumn/winter theme - I've suggested a secular variation in shades of icy blue and grey, subbing in the bonus snowflake design (included in both versions of the pattern) and Nordic-inspired styles for some of the more traditionally-Christmas motifs. As always, feel free to mix it up and make it your own!
The template comes in two file options: a printable PDF (print at 100% / no scaling), and an SVG file suitable for use with a cutting machine. The PDF printable indicates the placement of embellishments such as beads, embroidery, and rick rack.