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!

Comments

Notes on Purl Soho Cross-back Apron pattern

Purl Soho Cross-back Apron, regular sized, front view Purl Soho Cross-back Apron, regular sized, back view by Linda Theil This is the Purl Soho Cross-back Apron featured on their website at https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2015/11/20/cross-back-apron . Their page includes complete directions for making this one-size-fits-most apron with large, side-pockets and cross-back straps. This retro apron is so nicely made and looks so much like the apron my grandma wore in the Nineteen-fifties that I had to make one for my friend who appreciates the nostalgia and the beauty of this design. Although this apron pattern, as published, can adjust to several sizes from 2-10; I also made a larger option, adjusting the width of the pattern pieces to accommodate up to size 16 and up. Size adjustment may also be made by varying the length of the straps. These notes are a record of my experience with the pattern, and should only be viewed as commentary; your results may vary. ...

Scrappy log cabin blocks

by Linda Theil Scrappy Log Cabin quilt block by Linda Theil Next month the Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild will host a virtual quilt-along to make quilts for the SafeHouse Center womens' shelter in Ann Arbor, Michigan. One of the suggested blocks to make at the event is a Scrappy Log Cabin suggested by GAAQG member and artist Mary Bajcz. I love the Log Cabin block design and decided to get a head start on next month's event by organizing my materials and develping a process for making my Scrappy Log Cabin blocks. I began by watching Mary's YouTube video: "Scrap Quilt Strategy: The Log Cabin Technique" , and many others available on the topic. What a variety of approaches! I'm not much of an improvisor and this is the first time I've tried the scrappy approach to quilt making. So It was quite an adventure for me. I pulled out my scrap bin and began sorting for lights and darks. After looking at many videos, I decided to work with a central square of 2.5-i...

Dutilh Centennial Cookbook Digital Edition published today

by Linda Theil Cranberry Library announced today that it has published the Dutilh Centennial Cookbook Digital Edition on its new Local History webpage. They said: "Cranberry Library is pleased to provide access to the Dutilh Centennial Cookbook Digital Edition , published in honor of the centennial celebration of the dedication of the Dutilh Methodist Church on November 30, 1979." As organizers of this digitization project, we are grateful for and indebted to library staff Leslie Pallotta, Director; Rebecca Bess, Assistant Director; and Mallory Laporte. This longtime wish and dream could not have come true without the generous support of The Reverend Tom Parkinson, Pastor of Dutilh United Methodist Church; who wrote a moving dedication to the digital edition of this work. We thank him. Dutilh Centennial Cookbook editorial assistant Janet Duncan of Cranberry Township provided this contemporary newspaper clipping from the November 3-4, 1979 edition of the Butler county New...

Appleton Dance

Search This Blog