We’re kicking off this festive time of year with a Handmade Holiday blog hop featuring some of our favorite makers and designers to see how they celebrate the season across the globe. It might be snowing at our Berlin, Germany factory, but our friends in Australia are hitting the beaches for the holidays — and they’ve got DIY projects to prove it!
Each day we’ll update this post so you can see what everyone is making and find out how to recreate the projects at home. You can even join the fun by following #sfholidayhop and tagging your handmade holiday projects on your favorite social channel!
Today we’re starting things off right here with a DIY project from community favorite and a familiar face to the blog, Ceri Staziker, aka CeriGwen. Keep reading to see how Ceri is celebrating Christmas with her family using a customized advent calendar printed on Kona® Cotton Ultra. She may have even left a little gift so you can customize your own calendar! (Note: Kona® Cotton Ultra has been sunset, but this project will work great with either Petal Signature Cotton® or Cotton Poplin!
HANDMADE HOLIDAY BLOG HOP SCHEDULE
Friday, November 17 | Ceri Staziker | Ceri Gwen
Saturday, November 18 | Emily Tan | Self Assembly Required
Monday, November 20 | Ellie Whitaker + Holly Elson | Top Knot Girl
Tuesday, November 21 | Heidi Kenney | My Paper Crane
Friday, November 24 | Katie Weychardt | Katie Makes a Dress
Sunday, November 26 | Kara Whitten | Kailo Chic
Monday, November 27 | Erin Williams | Printable Crush
Tuesday, November 28 | Rachel Burke | I Make You Wear It
Thursday, November 30 | Caley Hicks | therewillbecute
Saturday, December 2 | Kate Underdown | The Fold Line
Tuesday, December 5 | Anda Corrie | Anda
Wednesday, December 6 | Cintia Gonzalez-Pell | My Poppet
Friday, December 8 | Cheree Lawrence | Oh So Busy Mum
Tuesday, December 12 | Maria Neidhold | Spoonflower
Wednesday, December 13 | Katie Matthews and Joanne Griffin | Tilly and the Buttons
Join the fun by following #sfholidayhop and be sure tag your handmade holiday projects to share your projects!
DIY Advent Calendar
Ceri: This is an easy tutorial to sew a pocket-a-day advent calendar. You can either use the one I have designed which is available here in my Spoonflower shop or you can download this Illustrator template and design your own. The pattern pieces fit onto a yard of Spoonflower’s 42″ wide fabrics: Petal Signature Cotton® and Cotton Poplin.
MATERIALS
- Sewing machine
- Iron and ironing board
- 1 yard advent calendar design on Kona® Cotton Ultra
- 8 inches of narrow ribbon (for hanging loop)
- 12.5 inches narrow dowel rod (to create a rigid hanging bar at the top of the calendar)
- 25 x small gifts (e.g. treats, toys or notes)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cut out the pattern pieces — FRONT, BACK and five POCKETS.
2. Along the top edge of each POCKET, machine sew a hem. The hem allowance is 1/2 inch.
3. There is a pre-printed blue guideline running parallel with the bottom of each POCKET. Using an iron, press a hem along this guideline (so that wrong sides are touching). Complete this stage for all five POCKETS.
4. Place the five POCKETS onto the FRONT panel. The horizontal pre-printed guidelines on the FRONT panel align with the pressed bottom edge of each POCKET.
5. Baste the POCKETS to the FRONT panel.
6. Machine sew the POCKETS to the FRONT panel, close to the pressed bottom edges.
7. With right sides together, pin the FRONT panel to the BACK panel.
8. Machine sew all along the edges, leaving three gaps where indicated on the pattern. The seam allowance is 3/8 inch.
9. Clip the edges and turn out.
10. Press. Do not remove the basting stitches which hold the pockets in place. By hand, sew up the gap at the bottom of the calendar.
11. Machine topstitch 1/8 inch around the sides and bottom of the calendar, but at the top edge, sew along the horizontal printed guideline. This will leave a channel along the top for the dowel rod.
12. Each numbered pocket is separated by a vertical printed guideline. Machine sew along each vertical guideline. Remove all basting stitches. Press.
13. Sew a short length of narrow ribbon (about 8 inches will do) onto the top edge of the BACK of the calendar to form a hanging loop. Make sure you only sew through one layer of fabric or you will be unable to insert your dowel rod.
14. Cut a 12.5 inch length of narrow dowel rod and feed it into the channel at the top of the calendar.
15. You’ve finished! I added pom-poms, sequins, jewels and miniature tree baubles to my advent calendar for extra festive decoration. Why not do something similar? Next fill the individual pockets with fun gifts such as sweet treats, tiny toys or thoughtful messages. Then count down the days til the big man in red comes to visit!
Are you so excited about the Handmade Holiday Blog Hop that you want to start crafting this very minute? Find even more festive DIY projects here!
Ceri Staziker is a freelance graphic designer, working from home in an old cottage in the countryside on the outskirts of Cardiff (the capital city of Wales). She loves to photograph my morning walks and sewing projects which she documents on Instagram (@cerigwen). Nothing gives her more pleasure than working with fabrics she’s designed herself.
Lovely Works!
Thanks, I found it. It was DIY Gingerbread garland.
Hi Rosemary,
We’re happy to hear you found the gingerbread garland instructions!
I just received my Teddy Bear garland fabric. It’s washed and ready to use but I cannot find the directions on how to make it. Help!
Hi Rosemary,
Are you able to send us a link to the design you’re referring to? Once we have more details we’ll be happy to assist you further!
I simply love these projects!! I can’t wait to get started on them. Thanks for sharing!