This year was the year I finally decided to take a leap and make my very own heirloom wool felt advent calendar! I had a lot of interest in this project on my socials, so I wanted to share a quick guide on how I created the calendar 🙂

Supplies:

• Printed Ornament Pattern
• 100% Wool Felt
  • Off-White color – used for ornament base, “white” ornament details, and calendar
  • Pine Green color
  • Various colors (follow ornament pattern to choose colors)
• Embroidery floss
• Embroidery needle
• Polyester filling
• 1” Velcro dots
• Scissors
• Measuring tape
• Construction Paper
• Small crafting clothespins

Steps:

The majority of the steps are listed in the ornament pattern guide, so I am going to keep my own instructions short and sweet!

1. Create ornaments following the pattern guide
   • Cut pattern
   • Trace onto wool felt
   • Cut wool felt pieces
   • Assemble ornaments using the wool felt, embroidery floss, and other items for details
   • Stuff the ornament with polyester filling
   • Place soft side of velcro on the back of the ornament
2. Assemble Calendar
   • Cut 2 pieces of wool felt for the front and back of the calendar
   • Create ornament pockets
   • Draft Christmas tree pattern
   • Layer tree branches and trunk onto the body of the calendar and hand sew
   • Add tabs to the top of the calendar
   • Sew the backside of the calendar to the front
   • Place rough side of velcro scattered throughout the tree
3. Add Rod Hanger
   • Trim or cut a 1” wooden rod to size
   • Insert through the tabs at the top of the calendar
4. Add Calendar Numbers (temporary version)
   • Cut pieces of paper about ½ inch smaller than the ornament pockets
   • Number the pieces of paper from 1-24
   • Pin them to the ornament pockets with itty bitty clothespins

Here is a quick video of the calendar in-action!

The project took me about 2 months of off-and-on crafting – altogether roughly 45 hours to create. That includes trips to the store for supplies, cutting, drafting, assembling, you know…the whole shebang. This was a mental challenge for me because I’m not the most patient person. But I am extremely proud of myself for taking time on each step and not rushing through it. The end result is even more beautiful than I imagined.