Yesterday, to my amazement, the kids were napping at the same time so I was able to do some crafts with no interuptions. As I looked at the supplies I already had on hand, I found a great christmas craft to do with some left over burlap and canvas. I decided to make an advent calendar. December cannot come soon enough! Now, I wasn't able to finish it yet, but here is what I have accomplished so far.
rotar cutter/scissors
thread
fabric - 30in.x30in. for background (canvas)
25-4in. squares (burlap)needles
1. First I cut out my squares. You can make them any size you want, depending on what you want to put in the pockets.I want to be able to put either little notes or single pieces of candy/toys in them, so I decided on a 4 inch square.
2. After you have all of your squares cut out (25 total), you need to measure and cut out the background for your advent calendar. I am using canvas because it is thick and sturdy enough to hold the burlap and support whatever weight I put in the pockets. I layed out my squares on the canvas and left a 2inch border, so my total dimensions for the background were 30in x 30in. You also could arrange your pockets in any shape you want like a christmas tree. I kept it simple and stuck with 5 rows and 5 columns.
3. Now you are ready to pin down your squares. Again, I left myself a 2inch border, and then began pinning the squares in 5 rows, 5 columns. I also pinned the square in a 4in x 3 1/2in section so my pocket won't lay flat after I sew it.That will give me more options to what I can fit inside it.
4. Here is my last step before the kids woke up. I got all of the pockets pinned in their place,an inch apart,and now ready to sew. Now you'll have to wait until I get another chance to work on this to show you the rest. Hopefully that will be sooner than later !!!
what a great project, love the materials you used too- very inventive!
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