Handmade Holidays: Advent Calendar

by Elizabeth

I've wanted to make a fabric advent calendar (with pockets!) for years now - I'm guessing I first saw one in a Pottery Barn Kids catalog or something and thought "I could make that!", but like a lot of my projects, it turned out it wasn't quite that simple. 

The first year, I started around December 1st and quickly realized the error of my ways. Sooo not enough time!  Last year I started earlier, but I didn't want to buy anything, so I tried using scraps and bits I had lying around on my sewing table, and ended up balling everything together in frustration just a few short hours after starting the project. This year I bought fabric and embroidery thread and I gathered lots of Christmas scraps, and I got started EARLY.

Which is lucky, because this project took FOREVER.  I didn't have a tutorial, which made it more complicated, although I studied the gorgeous calendars here, here and here, and got a few hints for the construction there as well as lots of inspiration. 

In the end, I sewed 25 little pockets out of plain cotton canvas and then flipped the pockets inside out. I did not sew along the top, just folded in the raw edges and ironed them down. I decorated the pockets with whatever fun scraps I could find, and a lot of them have numbers embroidered on with a simple running stitch, or numbers ironed on with fusible web. 

After I was happy with my decorations, I pinned the pockets to a single piece of fabric using A LOT of pins, and then sewed the pockets down on three sides, leaving the tops open. Finally, I sewed the single piece of fabric to another large piece of fabric  (right sides together) with ribbon ties secured along the inside, and then flipped the whole thing right side out again. 

I'm not gonna lie, this took A LOT of work. There aren't a lot of fabric advent calendars listed on Etsy, and I think I know why - you'd have to charge a million dollars to make it worth your while. It truly is a labor of love, but half way through when I was grumbling about how I should have just bought one at Land of Nod (only 39 dollars! free shipping even!), my husband pointed out that this is something my kids will hand down to their kids, and when the going got rough I pictured some child I may never even know in person using the advent calendar his great great great great grandmother made with her own two hands, and it seemed worth it somehow. 

I'm going to fill it with some chocolate, some strips of paper with fun activities written on them, like "Make Gingerbread House!", and some small toys like bubbles and crayons. Any one have any other good ideas for things to put in the pockets? (My son is two and half & he likes cars and painting.)

If you're not feeling crafty, you can buy fabric advent calendars at Land of Nod and Pottery Barn Kids. And here are some detailed instructions for making one from felt, with less sewing, it looks like. 

Comments

[maggie]

Oh Elizabeth, that's GORGEOUS. I was thinking about how I would put it together, but then I read how you put it together aaaand, let's just say you did more work than I would have! (Perhaps my ENTIRE calendar would be put together with fusible web!)

My kids like anything from the Toys R Us party favor aisle - mini slinkies, kazoos. Definitely candy. Little figurines? Mini post-it notes? (My kids love those, hence the trillions of post it notes all over my desk drawer.)

[Shoe Lush]

You did a fabulous job!

How about a small ornament that he could make and then put on the tree? I know that Sprog was big one having a part in decorating the tree at that age.

[Christina]

I don't care how hard that was it looks amazing! I love it, each little pocket is a work of art.
For pocket fillers maybe a match box car, Hershey kisses, hell, who am I kidding? I'd fill them ALL with candy!

[La Petite Chic]

I adore it! My sister and I had an old German one growing up and I can't wait to dig it out of the box for my kids.

[Jennie]

My god, this is amazing. MAKE ME ONE! No, kidding, but OH MY GOD THIS IS AWESOME.

[Kerri Anne]

This is fantastic. And I love the idea that it can be used year after year and passed down through your family.

[Emily]

Gorgeous, Elizabeth. I wish someone would teach me to sew. Maybe next year at the Blathering we could have crafting classes? Would you teach me sewing? You did a wonderful job - it's perfect.

I'm planning to do advent activities this year too! My calendar is just envelopes, but we're planning to do simple things like pop popcorn and watch a movie as well as adventurous ones like visit the National Christmas tree. One day we are going to bake cookies and the next we'll wrap them up and give them to some of our neighbors. I have lots of ideas!

[K]

That is absolutely beautiful! My family has a felt Christmas tree advent calendar that you pin a felt decoration to each day. It never had treats in it but my brother and I got to take turns pinning the ornaments to the tree.

[Lexi]

That is ADORABLE!!! I am beginning to sew and quilt, and I'd love to be able to make something like that next year!

[natalie]

Gorgeous!

[Sara @ Belle Plaine]

Love it! You did a beautiful job (and I am jealous of your mad skills).

[vague]

That's so lovely. It reminds me of the Advent calendars I had as a kid -- nothing this nice, I assure you! I especially love the little bird holding the 24 and the way you wrote out "twenty" in cursive.

[Becky]

Wow! That is amazing, and it makes me want to make one (although I am not nearly as skilled as you, and I don't have a sewing machine yet, so it might be a while).

[Maura]

Absolutely gorgeous! We had one like K described, with little felt ornaments that we put on the tree with snaps. I don't remember who made it, my Nana, maybe, but it is a much-loved family tradition. I know this will be, too. Wonderful job!

[Shin Ae]

Very, very cute. Good job!

[linaloo]

Great job - I love seeing how these turn out, especially all the individual touches. Two years on and this post is still the most popular on my blog! Your husband is so right about it being worth the effort. I overheard my daughter talking to her friend whilst looking at advent calendars in a shop recently saying "Yeh, you get chocolate in these, but my mum made us one that's really cool"!

Lina x

[Annie]

Beautiful, Elizabeth! I hear ya on the labor of love thing. That's how I feel about my boys' stockings. But the idea that they'll have them forever, just as I have mine, makes it all worth it to me. Now, please pray that I can get baby Nate's finished in time!

[Swistle]

OH TEH PRETTINESS!!!

[Erin]

I love it! I'm inspired to make one myself. We don't have the pitter patter of little feet in the house this year, so I have a little bit of time before it must be completed:)