(First up, in the “Christmas in July” series, we have my friend, Morgan making adorable advent garland. Be sure to read her brilliant idea on what to put in the bags.)

I love Christmas time, celebrating the birth of Christ and making new memories with my kids. An Advent calendar has been on my to-do list for awhile, so when I saw Kelle’s new ‘Jingle’ line of fabric, I thought this would be the perfect project for it. I played around with a couple ideas before settling on this Advent garland. I really am pleased with how it turned out, and it couldn’t be easier. Thank you, Kelle for inviting me back for another fun tutorial! — Morgan (Sweet Stitches).

Supplies:

– Fabric of your choice (this project is perfect for scraps!)

– Twine, ribbon or yarn

– Coordinating felt scraps

– Coordinating thread

– Safety pin

– Iron/ironing board

– Scissors, marking pen, straight pins, ruler

Step 1:

Cut your fabric and twine.  Cut 24 pieces to 11″x6″ rectangles. Cut 24 pieces of twine 15″ long.

 

Step 2:

Beginning with your first piece of fabric, fold down the top long raw edge a 1/2″ and press. Fold over again a 1/2″ and press again.

Edge stitch along the open folded edge, staying as close to the edge as possible. This will give you your casing for the twine.

Repeat with the remaining rectangles.

 

Step 3:

Now cut out numbers 1-24 out of your felt. You could do all the same color or mix it up and do a variety.

With your fabric facing up, fold in half (lining up the short raw edges) and press to create a center crease. Open and lay flat.

Now pin the number(s) to the fabric to the right of the crease you just pressed. Try to center the number (s) between the crease and the right raw edge.

Sew the number in place, making sure to backstitch at each end. Repeat with numbers 1-24.

 

Step 4:

once your numbers are sewn on, fold the fabric in half again (right sides together) along the crease, matching up the short raw ends. Pin in place. Sew along the bottom and short raw edges. Do not sew along the edges of the casing (if you do, you won’t be able to thread the twine later).

Cut excess threads.

 

Step 5:

Using pinking shears, trim the two raw edges to prevent fraying.

Flip right side out, poke out corners with a pencil or turning tool, lightly press with your iron (optional).

 

Step 6:

Attach the safety pin to a piece of twine and thread it through the casing. Pull all the way through so there are even lengths of twine on both ends. Repeat with all 24 pouches.

 

Step 7:

Now fill with goodies! You can put whatever you would like in them, including candy and other tiny toys. I like the idea of printing different activities onto little pieces of paper and putting those in the bags. Some ideas are: ‘bake Christmas cookies’, ‘pray for families in need’, ‘watch a Christmas movie’, ‘visit Santa’, ‘look at Christmas lights’, ‘donate a toy to a child in need’, or ‘take treats to Firemen working on Christmas’, things like that.