Homemade Advent Calendar : Domestic Cents

The holidays are a big deal in our home. We love to celebrate with family, keep and make new traditions and really build up the anticipation. One really fun way to anticipate Christmas is with an Advent Calendar. You can buy one of those cheap cardboard ones filled with little chocolates if you like, but once it’s done you’ll just throw out. Or you could spend more money on a really nice reuseable one, but of course I’m not advocating that either. No, I’m suggesting you sew one! It’s not too difficult, you can customize it to fit exactly with your style and you can reuse it year after year. Here’s what we did.

My daughter and I went shopping for our supplies, keeping thriftiness in mind. Seasonal fabrics can be expensive, depending what you are looking for, so we chose one seasonal fabric and two accent fabrics. I also had some of the supplies already on hand, as you might. Here’s what you’ll need:

A sewing machine
Pins
Thread, either matching or contrasting
1/2 yd. plain, back fabric
1/2 yd. front, print fabric
1/4 yd. pocket fabric
Low loft batting
Fabric paint
Ribbon
Stick
Optional, but helpful – rotary mat and rotary cutter

Begin by pre-washing and ironing all of your fabric. Then cut the following pieces:

(1) 15×19-inch rectangle from print fabric, (1) 18×24-inch rectangle from back fabric, (5) 3×14-inch rectanlges from pocket fabric, (1) 2.5×12-inch rectangle from back fabric. (Customize the sizes of pieces to suit your taste. Lay it out and see what size you’d like it and go from there.)

Next, take your five pocket rectangles and cut 45-degree angles off each end. Like this:

Iron the edges of the pocket fabric under and sew a seam across the wide top only, then pin onto the front print fabric where you’d like them sewn on, pinning the angled edges perpendicular to the bottom, creating your loose pocket. Once they are pinned on, sew around the three sides of each one, leaving the top open. Then sew straight lines dividing each row into 5 small pockets.

Next, layer top pocket fabric, batting and bottom fabric, leaving a very generous amount of the back fabric at the top. The batting should be the same size as the top print fabric. Fold the edges of the back fabric, concealing raw edge, and pin onto top fabric, creating your border around the bottom and each of the sides. Sew these three sides, leaving the top open. Then fold over the top edge to conceal the raw edge and make a generous pocket for your stick or rod. Pin into place and sew. Next, take your 2.5×12-inch rectangle, iron under the edges and sew onto the whole thing as the header.

Ok, you’re finished sewing, now decorate. I used fabric paint because it’s very inexpensive, but you could use iron-on numbers/letters or any other creative idea. Create a header and number your pockets. Then, you’ll want to have something to move from pocket to pocket each day. I sewed a little rectanlge from scrap fabric, but you could also use a small candy cane or an ornament. Don’t forget to find a stick to slide through the top and tie a ribbon for it to hang from.