Tree Advent Calendar
http://localhost/projects/tree-advent-calendar
Not only is our advent calendar fun to look at, it was also really fun to make! We used our Tory wall organizer pattern for the background, and then got creative with the rest of the shapes. This is a great project to have some fun with all those scraps of fabric and trim you’ve been hanging on to, and it would also be a great project to have some fun with any little ones you have running around.
Materials
-Various fabrics for background and tree -About 1 yard of a loosely woven fabric for main tree part works best for pushing ornament hooks through -Batting Thread--metallic is a good choice Felt for ornaments -Trim and/or anything else you might want to decorate them with--be creative! buttons, glitter, the Be-Dazzler that has been collecting dust in your craft closet -Fabric/craft glue (optional) -Ornament hooks -Little goodies to put in ornaments: flat candies and coins work great Step 1
To make the background:â’¨After we chose our fabrics and made the background flag, we sketched out the shapes of the tree: star, triangle for tree, and rectangle for tree trunk. We decided to give extra dimension to the tree elements by using batting underneath them. We cut the tree shapes out of batting first, then out of their respective fabrics with about 1/2’’ seam allowance. Before sewing to the background flag, cover the batting with the fabric: lay fabric over top of batting, fold over edges, pin in place, and stitch. Because this project has so many crazy fabrics, we chose a gold thread to tie them all together (and avoid changing thread and bobbin constantly). The gold thread also adds a nice extra detail.â’¨After you have your batting covered, pin tree elements to flag and stitch.â’¨
Step 2
Felt works best for the ornaments since it doesn’t fray, thus needs the least amount of sewing. We drew two shapes: circular and diamond, with a little tab on top. Our diamonds are approximately 3″ × 3″, the ovals are a bit smaller. Cut 24 total total. Now you need to cut the piece for the pocket on the back. We did this by just cutting the original pattern piece down by a little less than half (dotted line in picture).â’¨
Step 3
We sewed all of the trim on because, well, we love to sew, but you could use fabric glue, especially if the kids are helping you with this part. Decorate ornaments however you see fit; have fun! When you are done and/or after the glue dries, sew pockets on. We sewed around the entire perimeter of the whole ornament for the sake of continuity and prettiness.â’¨
Step 4
Now, push ornament hooks through tabs on top of ornament. The weave of our tree’s fabric is loose enough so we can just push the ornament hook in, but if yours isn’t, you could sew ribbon onto the tree to tie on ornaments, or snaps, or buttons, or hook and eyes…â’¨Now put treats in your ornaments, hang on your tree, and count down to Christmas!
Tree Advent Calendar