DIY Advent calendar for kids with FREE printable!

Are you looking for a Christ-centered way to countdown to Christmas? I have you covered with this felt advent calendar tutorial and FREE bible verse advent printable. This project is a great sewing project for kids! They will love to sew the advent calendar and put the verses in each day and have a fun surprise each day leading up to Christmas. Let's get started!

Supplies Needed:

• Felt 15"x 25" (1) main piece Felt 3"x 13" (5) pockets
• Numbers 1-25 (felt numbers, iron-on numbers, puffy paint, fabric markers)
• Wooden Dowel size 3/8"x 18" long (My dowel came in 3/8" x 36"so I used a hand saw and cut it in half) you could make 2 advent calendars with one 36" dowel.
• Dowel caps size 3/8" hole (1 in. big)
• String size about 34" long
• Sewing Machine & Thread or hot glue in a pinch
• Scissors
• Pins
• Elmers glue
• Hand saw to cut the dowel
• Acrylic paint (if you want to paint your dowel and cap) I would do this ad the beginning so that it can dry completely.

1. Cut your main felt piece to 15 x 25, cut your pocket pieces 3 x 13 (5).

2. Pin your pocket pieces to your main piece from the top of the fabric using the diagram below.

 

3. Sew using a 1/4" seam allowance (don't forget to backstitch at the beginning and end) around the side and bottom edges of each pocket piece. Sew a line dividing each of the individual pockets to create 25 equally spaced pockets. (I found it easier to measure and mark the pockets after I sewed the bottom and sides, it ended up being about 2 1/2" for each pocket)

 

 

4. Fold over the main felt piece 1 1/2" from the top edge and sew in place to the back.

 

 

5. Cut the dowel to 18" and feed the dowel through the top loop you just sewed. 

 

6. Add a little bit of Elmers glue into the dowel rod caps and place them on each side.

 

 

7. Cut your length of string and tie a knot on one end of the dowel on the side edge and another on the other side. (Your string length can vary depending on how you want to hang it)

8. Add your numbers to your pockets. I used puffy paint for this one, you can use fabric markers, iron-on numbers, or felt numbers. I made sure to go slow and to make sure I shook the paint to the tip so that it didn't have any air bubbles when I was writing the numbers. As long as I went slow and was aware of where my hand was near the other numbers that were still wet the puffy paint worked out fine.

 

 

9. Let your paint dry and then you can add your bible verses to each day! I like to add a piece of candy or fun treats to each day also! Get your FREE bible verse advent printable here!

If you create an advent for your family I would love to see it! You can tag me on Instagram @elevation_handmade.

Happy Crafting,