Years ago, I re-created my mother’s Advent calendar and interpreted it as a quilt-as-you-go project, complete with template. The year I finally buckled down to make this for our family, I worked on one house a day each day in December, and had a completed calendar by Christmas Eve! Every year since, I have taken tremendous pleasure in bringing this piece out of storage and adding a ribbon here and a detail there, so that it becomes even more precious to our family as time rolls past.
If you’d love to have a family Christmas heirloom, but have lamented ever having the time to sit down and make something when November and December are so, so busy, maybe this is the project for you. One little house, every day, and a path for your paper doll family to walk to get to the chapel on Christmas Eve.
See the step-by-step instructions and download printable templates for each house on the Advent Calendar Sew-A-Long page–scroll down to the bottom for Day 1 and work your way up to the stained glass on the chapel window for Christmas Eve! (For more ideas, see the background on this project and a list of Advent calendar links here.)
Belinda
December 3, 2015 at 5:01 pmI so enjoyed following your progress as you created this totally unique Advent Calendar. Love it!
Deborah
December 4, 2015 at 11:14 amThank you, Belinda!! It just came out of storage last night, and I love it even more now than I did then. Plus, this is a project that got me closer to letting go of my need to have things be “finished” (or to be able to get them to “finished”) before I begin–I can keep adding to this every Christmas season for years, but it always looks great at every stage. I’m growing!! 🙂
Janelle
December 29, 2015 at 6:06 pmOne of these years, I’m going to get it together early enough to participate in this sew-along!
Deborah
December 29, 2015 at 8:18 pmOh, isn’t that the truth? But you know, I was thinking earlier that this week is the perfect week for doing those projects that you just can’t seem to fit in during the holidays–most of us still have decorations up, our days are still on a slightly slower pace, all the fabrics and supplies and things are on super markdown sale… Maybe NOW is the perfect time, and then it’s ready for next year!! 🙂
Janelle
December 30, 2015 at 4:49 pmBut then I’m sewing alone instead of along. *sad face*