Reindeer Fabric Advent Calendar

Make the lead up to Christmas really count with this beautiful advent calendar.Made from vintage linens and bright retro print fabric. It’s a truly unique piece of Christmas magic. Each tree has a small loop to hang mini surprises or individually wrapped sweets to make each December day extra-special.

Essentials

Fabric: linen mix, medium weight, 1m; vintage linen, 39cm x 54cm; cotton printed, brown, fat quarter; spotted, fat quarter; various prints, scraps
Thread, dark navy
Numeric stamps, acrylic Ink pad, black
Button, red, one; star, one
Ribbon, striped: red; green
Trim: silver; lace Fusible webbing
Glue: acid-free; glitter

Dimensions List

54cm x 61cm (excluding loops)

Make an advent calendar

Cut 60cm x 67cm of linen mix fabric and 39cm x 54cm of vintage white linen. Then cut a piece of spot fabric with a width of 54cm and uneven sides, 16cm on the left and 11cm on the right. Place the vintage linen and the spot fabric onto the plain linen so there is a 3cm border all the way around. Stitch in place.
Download the template and print. Trace the reindeer onto a piece of brown cotton fabric backed with fusible webbing, and cut out. Place it onto the backing centrally, then stitch around it with dark navy thread. Add the eye and iron on the reverse.
Cut out 24 trees in assorted prints, back with webbing, arrange as shown and stitch down. Then back a piece of the linen mix fabric with webbing and draw 15 circles 3cm in diameter, and nine circles 2.5cm in diameter.
Stamp numbers 1-9 on the small circles and 10-24 on the larger ones using black ink, cut them out and arrange as shown. Before sewing them down with navy thread, trap a 7cm piece of striped ribbon folded in half underneath each one. Stitch a piece of wide lace trim across the bottom of the spotty fabric. Iron on the reverse, and set aside.
To make the hanging loops for the top, cut two pieces of linen fabric, 15cm x 22cm. Fold each one in half lengthways and stitch a 5mm seam, press the seam open, then turn right side out. Iron them both flat so that the seams are at the back in the middle. Cut two 5cm x 22cm pieces of bright spot fabric and press a 5mm seam down each long side. Pin to the centre of the linen tabs and stitch down each side of the spot material using navy thread. Iron on the reverse, and set aside.
To bind the calendar edges, lightly trim across each corner, fold them in and then fold the linen border over twice onto the front. Pin in place. Before you stitch around the binding, tuck one end of each hanging loop under the top binding edge 9cm in from each side. Fold the other end of each loop over onto the back and secure, hiding the raw end.
To finish, stitch Merry Christmas along the top of the spot fabric. Add silver trim across the deer neck, a red button for a nose, a star button on tree 24, and place small dots of glitter glue to the lace trim across the bottom.