Advent Calendar Prep

So I've been wanting a homemade advent calendar ever since Big Sis first arrived.  Now that she's 3, I feel like I better get on it.  My inspiration is this advent calendar from the Purl Bee blog.  It fairly similar to the one that I grew up with and feels like it would be the start of a great family tradition.  Of course they sell a fabulous kit, but the price of $98 made me stagger a little.  I already had 4 100% felt bundles purchased from Purl Soho on a trip to New York 2 years ago.  What more could I need???

Inspiration photo, Purl Bee blog.

Hmmm, well the $98 would have been a bargain!  It included the backing, beads, sequins, felt, embroidery floss, everything!  By the time I scoured both JoAnn's and Pacific Fabrics today, I am out  more than that.  Little G did get to have a great time swinging the dowel around like a club as I wandered the aisles of JoAnn's, but I don't think that made up for the $$ I spent.  This is going to be a fantastically amazing advent when I get it done.  What made it so pricey?  I separate packages for all the different sequin colors, more wool felt, duck cloth for the backing ($11.99/yd) and for the tree, multiple colors of embroidery floss, and even a few Swaravski crystals for the star on top.  I've been alternately printing and hand-drawing all my shapes, then I'll cut them out of double-layers of felt.  I am thinking I am going to blanket stitch the edges together.  The 2 layers should give the shapes a little body so they don't just flop around.

We'll see.  Here's to a VERY pricey advent calendar.  Hopefully to become a family heirloom for decades to come.  Since so much of it is wool I plan on storing it in a large Ziploc each year.  The backing and pockets are going to be duck cloth, natural for the background and pockets, and some shade of green for a tree.  I have two colors of green...we'll see which I end up using.

Templates: some via the internet and some drawn by hand.  Actually only the snowman and angel are from the internet.

Inspiration pieces from Purl Bee blog.

Felt bundles purchased from Purl Soho.

First two pieces embellished.  Not done yet.  Need to blanket stitch them to their backs.  I am sewing each sequin with a bead as opposed to gluing them on.  I've had glued on sequins fall off before and I want this advent calendar to withstand the test of time (and little kids).