Celebrations Fill the Christmas Air with a Warm and Heartwarming Atmosphere
Making a Felt Advent Calendar: A Step-by-Step Guide
In the spirit of the festive season, handmade felt Advent calendars are gaining popularity on social media platforms like TikTok. Here's a simple guide to create your own felt Advent calendar, inspired by TikToker @createdbykristakirky.
Materials Needed: - Felt sheets in various colours - Needle and thread or a sewing machine - Scissors - Fabric glue or hot glue (optional for decorations) - Numbers for each day (felt cutouts, embroidery, or stickers) - Hanging mechanism (e.g., a dowel rod and ribbon or string)
Step 1: Gather Materials Begin by collecting your materials. Felt is a cozy, crafty, and affordable fabric that's perfect for Christmas crafts. Choose a variety of colours for your pockets and decorations.
Step 2: Create the Base Cut a large felt piece for the background. The size depends on your available space, but a common size is around 24"x36".
Step 3: Assemble Pockets Cut smaller felt rectangles or squares for pockets (make 24 or 25, one for each day of advent). Sew or glue the sides and bottom edges of each pocket onto the base felt, arranging them in rows. Leave the top open so small treats or notes can be slipped in.
Step 4: Add Numbers Attach numbers to each pocket using felt cutouts sewn or glued on, or embroider the numbers. Ensure numbers are clear and visible.
Step 5: Decorate Use additional felt shapes (stars, trees, snowflakes, nativity figures) to decorate around the pockets. These can be sewn or glued on.
Step 6: Add Hanging Mechanism Attach loops, tabs, or a pocket at the top edge of the background felt for hanging. Insert a dowel rod or a sturdy stick and tie a ribbon for hanging.
For a more interactive or nativity-themed felt Advent calendar with characters and a scene where elements can be rearranged, there are downloadable PDF patterns available that provide detailed templates and instructions.
A TikTok-style tip for decoration is sewing sequins or beads onto felt for sparkle by skipping beads on the thread route and bringing the needle through the felt back and forth, making it easy and neat.
For detailed sewing beginners, there are video tutorials showing how to sew fabric panels or felt pockets step-by-step. While these might use fabric rather than felt, the construction principles are similar.
With these steps, you'll have a reusable, customizable felt Advent calendar perfect for counting down to Christmas. Happy crafting!
Incorporating your choices of 'lifestyle', 'fashion-and-beauty', 'food-and-drink', and 'home-and-garden', the felt Advent calendar can become a charming accessory reflecting one's personal style. Decorate pockets with festive fabric patterns (fashion-and-beauty) or hand-embroidered emblems of favorite foods and drinks (food-and-drink). Add a miniature felt garden of simple plants and accessories (home-and-garden) to complement the Christmas theme.
