Another Advent Calendar!

by Alisa

Last year I inaugurated my new sewing machine with an advent calendar project detailed here. This year I was inspired by Misty Doan of Missouri Star Quilt Company to pickup another Makower UK panel to make a calendar for my mom.

The panel Misty demonstrated was sold out on MQC and Fabric.com. In October! So I turned to Etsy and picked the panel up from GardeniaFabrics.

I started by cutting out the individual pockets and ironing the seam allowance under. I topstitched the upper edge of each and then sewed each pocket to the panel in its assigned spot. Once the pockets had been applied I cut the back from a coordinating fabric -- Andover/Makower UK Scandi 2020 Trees in red -- and ironed the back onto the front with Hobbs fusible batting.

I did a little bit of quilting on the piece, outlining the sections for each day. Then I bound it with Kona Cotton yardage in iron. I used cuttings from my binding to add three loops to the top of the calendar and hung it from a Target cafe curtain rod threaded through the loops. Full disclosure: I cut about four inches off the cafe rod with a pipe cutter. Not really necessary!

Filling advent calendars is a little tricky! I filled this one with candy from a Lindt advent calendar and a puzzle I created at Shutterfly with a special family picture on it. This particular advent calendar has small pockets that might be better suited to a single flat candy -- like these peppermint snowmen!

Mom liked her Advent gift, the daily reminder of what day it is is keeping her on task with her own Christmas preparations!

I presented the gift to her unwrapped and ready to hang; but I think it needs a quick drawstring bag for storage. I may whip something up for that!

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