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We’re kicking off the holidays this year with a fun no-sew advent calendar!
Advent calendars are such a special way to celebrate the season — you can add activity cards, treats, small gifts or even a little ornament to highlight each day.
This year, I wanted to make my very own calendar to customize while also trying out a no-sew method to share with all of you! It turned out so cute and was really simple to make, all without sewing a thing!
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
FABRIC | IRON-ON FUSING TAPE | IRON | DOWEL ROD | DECORATIVE PIECES
HOW TO MAKE IT
- Cut a rectangular piece of fabric to create the body of the calendar.
The size I cut for mine was roughly 19″ wide by 29″ long, creating a finished size of 17″ wide by 24″ long. - Fold each edge over twice and press with an iron.
- Add the fusing tape in-between the fold and the body of fabric. Press with the iron. This will create a nice, finished edge without having to sew anything!
- Fold the top edge over your dowel rod and mark where you will need to add the fusing tape to create the pocket for the dowel. Pull the dowel back out, add your fusing tape and press with an iron. You now have a finished body for your advent calendar!
- Our next step is to make all of the pockets! My calendar consists of six rows of 4 pockets each, for a total of 24 days, but you can always adjust if you’d like to make a 25 day calendar.
Using the same fabric, cut out six strips that are 4.5″ tall by 23″ long. - On each strip, fold the edges over, add the fusing tape and press. You only need to fold the edges over once since you’ll be attaching these pieces to the body.
- To create a little extra room and make the pockets pop out, I added pleats to each strip. This consisted of folding the fabric over on itself on both edges and between each pocket.
To do this, divide the 23″ strip into thirds, marking at 5.75″, 11.5″ and 17.25″. - Now, start by folding in the edges. Fold once at 0.5″ and then fold back over itself at 1″. Do this on both ends.
- Using the same technique, make the folds at the marks you made earlier. This will create the four pockets. Each pocket should be about 4″ wide.
- Once all of the pockets are made, figure out spacing and pin the strips to the body.
- We’ll start by attaching each strip at the bottom edge first. Grab your fusing tape and place it along the bottom edge of the pocket strip, making sure to get the tape in-between any folds. Press with an iron to secure into place.
- Next, add the fusing tape to the folds in-between each pocket and again press with an iron. Repeat for each strip of pockets. Make sure to flip the entire thing over and iron from the back, as well!
You now have a finished pocket advent calendar! Decorate with numbers, card stock, stickers, yarn… really anything you want! Have fun with it and have a very Merry Christmas!
