Get ready to countdown to Christmas by creating your own advent calendar. Pick out your favorite festive fabric for the pockets, use your embroidery machine to create the numbers and then add your own quilted finishing touches. This project was featured in our one of our Totally Stitchin' Magazine Fall/Winter Issues HERE. Click HERE to download printable instructions with additional photos.

Supplies

• Quilting, Embroidery, and Sewing Machines
• Serger (optional for binding)
• 25 Five-inch Squares
• Fabric Used - ModaVintage Christmas
• 2 Yards of Fabric
• 1 Yard of Batting
• Embroidery Thread for Letters
• Baby Lock Tear Away Stabilizer
• Dowel Rod for Hanging

Instructions

1. Embroider each of the five inch squares with the numbers 1 to 25.
2. Once you have placed numbers onto each square, fold over each side to hide the raw edges. If using scraps for this project it’s best to have pieces either starched or cut with pinking shears to reduce fraying of your fabrics.
3. The background panel can be as big or as small as desired. Rearrange all 25 squares so you know how big to cut the main fabric piece. Pay attention to the numbers 6 and 9, that they are the right way around.
4. Take all the pockets off, create a quilt sandwich out of the background panel. Place bottom fabric so the wrong side is facing you and the pretty side is facing the floor, place quilt batting on top and then your final piece of fabric with the pretty side facing you. Pin to keep in place.
5. Free motion the backing fabric. Use a Baby Lock Longarm or drop your feed dogs on your sewing machine and add the foot. If you have never tried free motion before this is a less stressful way to practice. Use white thread and create a simple meander.
6. On the top of each pocket, stitch a different decorative stitch, use a different one or keep the same.
7. Pin all the pockets once again on the background fabric, sew around the three sections of each pocket to attach each one.
8. Create hangers for the back out of 5" squares. Fold a square in half and attach to each corner, basting closely, just attaching the edges to the background panel.
9. Bind the calendar to finish it off. Use the wave stitch on a serger to create this unusual and unique finish.
10. Fill the calendar with your favorite treats and then slide the dowel rod through the back hangers.