DIY Embroidered Felt Advent Calendar

DIY Embroidered Felt Advent Calendar

Do live with the LEGO obsessed? Me too! And this year, I wanted to bypass the chocolate Advent Calendar that Grandma sends and preempt the sugar shock with our own DIY Embroidered Felt Advent Calendar featuring daily pieces of LEGO Christmas scenes. It's a holiday gift for the kids that gives all month in December and challenges them to be patient as they create their LEGO Christmas scene. There are dozens of amazing DIY Advent Calendar ideas out there and my version is a compilation of different techniques that makes it our very own. I invite you to add your own special touch to create and Advent Calendar that will keep the kids oohing and ahhing as it unfurls from the box each November.

Here's what you'll need to make your own DIY Embroidered Felt Advent Calendar

  • Felt: large swath of red for base (approx 36"x30" or 24"), green, brown, yellow
  • Ribbon or trimming for the tree skirt
  • Embroidery floss and needle
  • Pinking shears
  • Scissors
  • Sewing machine (although you could easily hand stitch this with embroidery thread, which would be amazing!)
  • Thread: green and yellow
  • Some way to hang your Advent Calendar. I used a lightweight window tension rod, but you could use some narrow PVC pipe cut to length and threaded with ribbon, a dowel with ribbon tied to each end and bowed at the top. You could even hit the neighborhood or park and use a rustic looking branch that's pretty level. Lots of options here.

Here's how you'll make your own DIY Embroidered Felt Advent Calendar:

Start by deciding how large you want your Advent Calendar and cut your red base ADDING 6" to the top for hanging purposes. My finished size is 30"x 25", which is a nice size for any wall and even fits in my dining room window where it will hang for December so the kids can dive into each little treasure pocket at breakfast. Now take your pinking shears and cut 5 strips of 4" wide green felt into these sizes.
  • 1 - 22"
  • 2- 18"
  • 1 - 14"
  • 1 - 11"
Cut 6 pieces of brown felt for your trunk that will gradually taper to the top. You can estimate this and even cut them at the end if you prefer. Now cut your yellow star. This is a genius video on how to cut a perfect star freehand. It's under 2 minutes and worth a look. Teach your kids how to cut stars and they will make you the most beautiful garlands. That's my plan anyway! Okay, here's the time when you want to turn on some music or the TV and hit the couch with your embroidering needle and floss. Now you'll embroider 24 circles onto your green felt strips and fill them with numbers 1-24. Here's a great primer on 5 easy and classic embroidery stitches. I used a loose back-stitch with good results. Honestly, my embroidery skill is a little suspect, but I take a Wabi Sabi attitude and like the look of it. It would NOT win any blue ribbons. This could take a couple of hours so one or two sessions. Now embroider the cross onto your star. Layout and pin your felt pieces to your red base. Begin sewing by sewing the bottom of each green strip then up one side and create small pockets by sewing 4" long stitches the width of your green felt. You'll find that as you sew your green strips you'll automatically be sewing your trunk to the base. You can follow up with side stitches on your trunk, but I didn't. Sew your star onto the base. Sew your tree skirt to the base (ribbon, ruffle, ric rac, whatever you like). Now make your final height adjustment and sew a rod pocket to the top that you can slid your rod, dowel or branch through. You're done! Now fill each little treasure pocket with a few LEGO and to the extent possible divide them so that each day the kids get to add a little more to the entire scene. Happy holidays and enjoy! Will you share the love by showing us your work in Comments and liking Satsuma's Facebook page, following Satsuma on Twitter, Pinterest? diy embroidered felt advent calendar tutorial   diy felt advent calendar
Tags: Advent Calendar Christmas crafts for kids crafty holiday holiday fun Holiday Fun + Party Time!
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Today is a gift. Let's put a bow on it!
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