I love this time of year so much. I got an early start of my festive making with a sew your own Advent Calendar fabric panel from elephant in my handbag. It’s always lovely to make your own decorations and gifts (time permitting!) and I really enjoyed putting my Advent Calendar together over a couple of evenings.
I chose the Winter Wonderland panel, designed by Bethan Janine for Dashwood Studio. The panel is 100% cotton and the instructions are cleverly printed at the top of the panel. Once you have the fabric panel you need to buy wadding and some pretty fabric to back the advent calendar. The pockets are large enough to hold chocolate coins, a little toy or note.
I’ve been sharing some pics of my progress on Instagram but I’d thought I’d tell you a little more about how to put together a fabric Advent Calendar using a pre-printed panel.
Equipment needed to make a fabric Advent Calendar panel:
One Advent Calendar fabric panel
Cutting mat
Rotary cutter
Pins
Wadding
Fabric for backing
Iron
First cut up the panel along the dotted lines to leave yourself one large panel, the instruction panel and pockets. Then cut the pockets into two strips of pockets and the individual pockets.
I used a rotary cutter, a self healing cutting mat and quilting ruler I got free with a magazine to make sure I had straight lines.
I ironed everything to make sure there were no creases and started folding and pressing the pockets. Then I pinned them in their correct place on the fabric panel. I gave them a quick press again to make sure everything stayed in place and fitted.
Then I started sewing everything according to the instructions. First I did the individual pockets then the two longer strips. I took my time with the longer strips as you need to make box pleats and pin them in place making sure they fit correctly. I admit it took me a few attempts and a phone call to my mum!
When I reached this stage I sewed on the longer strips, removed my pins and gave it another press.
There were no detailed instructions for finishing it off so I trimmed the panel a little, measured and cut my batting and backing fabric. I placed the two pieces of fabric right sides together with the batting on top and sewed around the four edges, leaving a small gap to turn the panel the right way. I hand stitched the edge closed, making sure the corners were all pushed out.
You can quilt the panel as you like so I opted for simple lines around the red to look like binding and along the two long sides. You could hand quilt around the tree and deer if you liked. The finished panel measures 50x60cm and I’ve hung it up on my quilt gallery wall as it looks lovely on its own without the sweet treats.
Altogether it took me a couple of hours to make and I really enjoyed the process. You could probably hand sew the fabric panel but a sewing machine makes this a quick make. Of course I have 2 children so I’ll be making another panel as they are not interested in sharing Advent treats yet!
Win a Winter Wonderland fabric Advent Calendar panel from elephant in your handbag:
I’ve teamed up with fab fabric shop elephant in my handbag and have one extra Winter Wonderland fabric panel to giveaway to a reader of the gingerbread house. For your chance to win please answer the question and leave a comment on this post via the Rafflecopter widget below. The giveaway ends on Friday 13th November and the winners name will be announced on this post.
I would love to find little sewing essentials in my advent calendar this year… I always seem to run out of the basics!
I’d love to find some Fluffy socks!
A Christmas themed Yankee Candle!
i would like to find candles
Anything crafty. I’m always after new sewing and soap making ideas and projects.
some sweets
nice perfume x
I’d love to find some gorgeous fabrics in my advent calendar xx
beauty products!
a little sweet treat everyday 🙂
Beautiful prize
Nail Polish!
charms for my bracelet
Would love to find a perfume
I’d love to find some new make-up each day.
Some lovely Chocs!!
I’d love to fingers an engagement ring in my advent calendar!
– I know it won’t happen, but a girl can dream 🙂
A miniature bottle of rum 🙂
Love seeing all the beautiful fabrics and accessories so anything in the Calendar would be lovely!
chocolate xx
I would love to just wake up and see my children’s faces 🙂 im not fussed for myself but a nice rum would be nice so I can relax on the evening with a lovely mojito 🙂 bliss!
some charms
anything! not fussy, its nice to be a surprise!
Candles and chocolate ?
luxury chocolates
Thorntons chocolates
perfume
Handbag
Some jelly bean sweets as I’m not a fan of chocolate
Posh chocolates!
some nice perfume
Yankee candle wax melts
Tiny bath bombs!
Chocolate sweets
a chocolate orange
Ideally I’d like to find a winning lottery ticket, but failing that I think that an advent calendar with a different flavour teabag every day would be quite novel.
I would love a Yankee Candle x
Different jewellery everyday ?
Chocolate, always chocolate 🙂
I would love to find a different nail varnish each day x
I’d love some lindt chocs
a nailvarnish themed calendar would be lush x
Coupons for hugs and kisses
Lindors 😀 xxx
Making an Advent calendar kit is a great prize
Chocolate 🙂
I would love a selection of my favourite things i.e. my favourite nail varnish, a sample bottle of my fave perfume, a yummy chocolate. Something like that would be lovely and would be incredibly thoughtful. I have made my own advent calendar this year and the hubby is putting goodies in the even numbers and myself the odd numbers for the other person so neither of us know what is in it 🙂
I’m happy with chocolate but a crafty one but be brilliant!
Make up
Little pieces of paper reminding me of some of the happiest times at Christmas and maybe a little choc!
Chocolates
Anything from Tiffany!
I would love to find shoes…..
Dumbbells. They would be a bit heavy for Santa to carry, though.
A miniature bottle of Baileys!
I’d like a nice warm pair of socks for when I work outdoors. My feet get really cold and then I get miserable.
Stationery!
Beautiful keepsake for a fun Christmasn tradition.
i would love to find some yankee candles x
I would love anything with lavender.
Advent calendar chocolate is always a win.
I think a Pandora bead would fit in one of those pockets quite nicely 🙂
moisturiser and perfume minis
A Gingerbread Man would be very welcome.
A little puzzle for each day, something to occupy me on the train to work
always chocolate!
I’d like a mini bottle of gin everyday …..well maybe not everyday alternate between that and fudge
I would love to find gift cards in my advent calendar
Diamonds!
I’d like a chocolate for each of the days 1 to 23, and on the 24th a small keepsake , such as a glass tree bauble.
Little mini nail polishes would be lovely.
Some yummy Dark Chocolate.x
A tube of smarties
A diamond ring (but I’d be happy with a luxury candle!) x
a winning lottery ticket lol
I would like to find good health and happiness for all my family in my stocking this year.
Something nice for the bath
a warm pair of slippers!
theatre tickets 🙂
chocolateeee
Tickets to a Panto for the whole family would be great. x
Lots of money please! 😀 😀
family bar of chocolate as im cheap to run.
Diamonds pleeease
A new ladyshave
Gift vouchers
shower gel
I would like to find a piece of jewellery in each pouch! ☺☺
A golden reindeer to add to my ever growing collection
would love a bottle of vodka lol x
A different sweetie each day! (@PeanutHog)
Some nice hand made soap or some scented bath oil.
Winning lotto ticket!! Failing that, chocolate.
Money would be good! And an assortment of festive chocolate – some of the more unusual things, such as Hotel Chocolat’s festive range 🙂
some yankee candles
a different treat each day, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate, im easy to please
chocolate!
£10 note in each door 🙂 xx
Daniel Craig …. or am I aiming to high
Chocolate coins
some toys
yankee candle tarts
Headphones
I would like to find a voucher for a theatre break.
some money
Some money!
little perfumes.
Chocolate!
Tealights and beauty products
An engagement ring!
I would love to find little IOU notes for things like Running a bubble bath, making breakfast in bed, going out for a meal without the children 🙂
I know it won’t happen but I’d love to find travel vouchers and spending money.
Some pandora charms would be lovely 🙂
Chris Hemsworth – although you’d need a huge stocking considering he’s 6ft 3 lol
Huge ADVENT CALENDAR sorry 🙂
Ferrero Roche x
a bath bomb
Diamonds 😀
A ring
Yankee candle tarts
Minitures 😀
Anything to keep my hair tidy – combs, elastics, etc. as I can never find one when I need one.
some cosmetics 🙂
Novelty socks!
miniture bottles of baileys 🙂
Nail varnishes I’m obsessed
A bit of everything, chocolate, yankees & make up x
A diamond ring would fit nicely in one of those pockets [aims high]!
chocolates!
Some white chocolate buttons!
a chocolate that i can eat before my kids get to it
Anything chocolate!!!
Some rubber stamps 🙂
craft bits, or some really good colouring pens, or minature bottles of Christmassy drinks 🙂
I would really like a good set of scissors.
luxury chocolates
A new phone- mine is so old
Scented candles xxx
Daniel Craig! …but don’t think he will fit, so maybe just choccy 🙂
Money!
A few extra days off work
some general yummy treats, but different ones each day
Chocolate
Anything to do with craft work would be great.
Chocolate
I would love to find some make up and on the 24th would love it to be filled with snow outside and empty inside ! 🙂
I would love to find an engagement ring 🙂 After almost 11 years together and two children I think I’ve been patient enough x
Chocolate and jewellery.