Nativity Advent Calendar
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Nativity Advent Calendar
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Countdown to Christmas with this charming Nativity calendar!
Each day of December you can remove a character from the
calendar
and place it
in the stable.
There are dozens of ways for you to make a
Nativity calendar.
The below instructions are how we made ours, but feel free to
explore different ways to count down to Christmas. |
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Sew out the
stable,
characters,
and numbers. We sewed everything on felt, but you can use any
fabric that you like. We chose felt because it's durable and
sturdy, and will last for many years. Also, we use the hook part
of Velcro to affix the characters to the calendar and stable
area, and Velcro clings great to felt. You can also use a
temporary fabric adhesive, such as Aleene's Tack-it-Over & Over.
Looking for a place to purchase Tack-It-Over & Over? Search at
www.google.com to find a
variety of sources, or you might try your local Jo-Ann's. |
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The stable consists of two
parts: the main structure, and the lean-to. Sew the main
structure first. Then remove the outer hoop and slide the
fabric straight across. Rehoop, and load the lean-to
embroidery file. |
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Forward to the first stitch,
then move the hoop until the needle is over the common start
point. For this design, the common start point is 1/4" down
from the juncture where the roof meets the wall of the
stable, as indicated by the blue circle. Then sew the
lean-to portion of the design. |
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Sew the numbers 1 through 25 so
that they are in 2.5 x 2.5 inch boxes. |
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Mark the grid between the numbers
and sew narrow trim over the grid marks. |
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Trim the fabric for a .25" seam
allowance around the perimeter. Cut strips of coordinating
fabric. Two should be the width of the number grid piece, and
two should be the height plus five inches. Stitch the top and
bottom pieces first, then the side pieces. |
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Trim the stable piece to 22" x
14". Join the stable piece to the assembled grid piece. |
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Sew the characters, and trim
around them closely. Use permanent fabric adhesive to affix
Velcro to the back of all the characters. Adhere only the hook
part. Or, use Aleene's Tack-It-Over & Over on the backside
of the pieces. |
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If you would like a finished back,
and ribbons to hang the calendar by a dowel, then follow these
steps:
Cut backing fabric the same size
as the calendar. Cut 10 inches of 1/12" wide ribbon in half, and
place at the top of the calendar. Put the backing over the top
of the calendar, right sides together, and sew the backing to
the calendar using a 1/4" seam allowance. Leave a 5" gap for
turning. Turn right side out, press, and sew gap closed. Add
fringe to center and outer perimeter if desired. |
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Place characters over each number.
Each day in December, move a piece to the stable to create a
beautiful Christmas scene. Enjoy! |
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Click
here for a printable version of these project
instructions.
You'll need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on
your computer. If you don't have it, you can download a
free copy by clicking on the icon below.
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