This year I decided I would make one. At first I was thinking I would make this exact one but I really didn't want to spend any extra money on the large pieces of felt. So I decided to use the fabric I had at home. I am not an expert sewer but can still hold my own with a sewing machine. I am an intermediate sewer. The lines might not be super straight but hey when you look far away you can't even tell :).
I had the blues one day last week. One of the things that make me so happy when I am down is doing crafts. Any kind will do. There is always a end master piece and that makes me feel good. So I decided to get started. I usually see what I already have around my house to use so it keeps the cost down. I knew that I was going to do a much more simple advent calender then the one in the catalog. I had a scrap piece of this canvas fabric left over from a bag I sewed last week. So I decided to use that.
I folded the big pieces in half and measured it to cut it into a rectangle. I had two pieces one would be used for the front and the other for the back to hide all the not so pretty stuff :). Also not shown I cut a piece of burlap I had the same size to be place on the front canvas. Burlap on its own is very flimsy so the canvas gives it a more sturdy hold.
With the left over fabric I made 5 rows of fabric. Measuring and making sure they would all fit on the big piece of fabric.
After that was done I ironed them to get all the wrinkles out. And started to put numbers on the rows for the days. I used my scrap booking stencils and permanent black marker. To get the kids involved I had them glue on felt pumpkins, scarecrows, leaves and orange buttons that I got at a local craft store. The felt already had sticky stuff on the back but you can reinforce with a glue gun. They loved being able to join in and help and then when they look at it they know they helped create it too!
After that was all done it was time to sew the burlap and the canvas together. Then I sewed the rows on them. When the rows were all sewed on I had to make pockets so I sewed a vertical stitch all the way down between each number. I used a messy stitch so it looked more home aid. After that was all done I needed to sew my other piece of canvas to the back so I layed the canvas face down on the front and sewed. When it was all done I turned it inside out and stitched the top and whoola it was done.
The only things I am bummed about is one I made my pockets so big you couldn't even see the burlap and two there was no room to write a greeting up at the top. I was really bummed at first the way it came out but then I started to like it. That's what home aid things are about. You mess up sometimes it doesn't come out the way you want it to or sometimes it comes out better then you thought it would. Its not perfect but the fact that my kids helped me and we had a fun couple hours doing this project made it all worth it.
There is a couple ideas on how to use it. My husband and I could put discussion questions in each pocket referring to thankfulness ect for our family to discuss each night around the dinner table. Or a friend had a good idea of each family member putting in what they were thankful for that particular day and on Thanksgiving Day you read all of them. I really love that idea! Thanksgiving is such a hug opportunity to teach and guide are children's hearts. I pray this year this little home aid calender blesses are family more then we could imagine.
