DIY No-Sew Pocket Advent Calendar

I had been looking for a pocket advent calendar but couldn’t find the perfect one. Either the pockets were too small, the calendar too expensive, or it wasn’t the look I was going for. Instead, I created my own inexpensive, no-sew pocket advent calendar that my family can use for years to come!

Sewing is the worst. I am perfectly capable of the skill (former Family and Consumer Science teacher here) but I choose to avoid the task whenever possible. Please keep in mind that if you prefer to sew, this DIY project can easily be switched to be sewing-compatible in multiple steps. Essentially, anywhere I instruct to “press with hem tape” switch to “sew with thread”.

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Supplies:

• Background Fabric (2 yards)

• Pocket Fabric (I bought two packs of 5 fat quarter pieces 18″ x 21″ because I wanted certain colors. If I had used the green color I would have only needed one pack.)

• Iron-On Hem Tape (5/8″ x 15 yds, I believe I went through two rolls but I made a few mistakes so I went through more than I should have.)

• Adhesive Felt Numbers UPDATE: Last year I saw adhesive felt numbers at Dollar Tree!!

• Dowel (.5″ x 36″)

• Yarn/Twine/Wire (whatever you want to use to hang the calendar)

Directions:

Step 1: Make 24 Pockets

If you look at my pictures you can clearly see that I am not a perfectionist when it comes to crafting. I don’t usually measure, I don’t pin, I just go for it. My pocket squares don’t have perfect 90-degree angles and are different sizes. I’m totally fine with the end result but if you want your calendar to look a little more professional by all means, measure twice and cut once!

On average, most of my pockets ended up being 5.25″ x 5.25″. My tree stump pockets are much smaller at 3.5″ x 4″. Whatever your squares end up being, remember that approx. 1/4″ will be turned over on all sides so cut larger than you want your end result to be.

After you cut your fabric squares, cut iron-on hem tape for each edge. Fold the fabric over the hem tape one edge at a time. Using a damp pressing cloth (I just used a dish towel), hold the iron on top for 10 seconds. Repeat with each side of the square.

This step is time-consuming but worth it for a more finished look.

Step 2: Make the Background

Because the fabric I used for the background came with two yards I decided to essentially make a pillow (without the stuffing) allowing for a clean look on all sides of the advent calendar.

If you choose to use one yard of fabric just skip the remaining directions in this step. Instead, you can turn the raw edges to the back and fuse with the iron-on hem tape.

Placing the right sides of the fabric together, insert hem tape on the three open sides between the fabric. On one edge make sure to leave a small gap to be able to pull the fabric through (just like a pillow!).

Press using your iron and damp pressing cloth.

Pull all the fabric through the small gap to turn the fabric right side out. Close the small gap with hem tape by manually folding in the remaining fabric and pressing to fuse closed.

Step 3: Create Opening for Dowel

To make the dowel opening, I just placed the dowel on one end of the background fabric and folded the fabric over to determine where to place the hem tape.

Remove dowel before pressing with the iron.

Step 4: Attach the Pockets

Yep, keep that hem tape on hand one more time. Attach three sides of every square to the background fabric (keep the top of the pockets open!!) using the hem tape and press with an iron (don’t forget the damp cloth in between!).

I tried to design my squares to look like a tree. Depending on your colors and chosen design you can place your 24 squares however you like. You may want to use pins to keep the squares in place until you are able to press them on. As you can see my “tree stump” ended up being a little off-kilter because I rushed through it (nap time only lasts so long).

Step 5: Attach Advent Numbers

Remove the backing and stick the numbers on the squares. I went in chronological order but many advent calendars have the numbers in random order. You choose!

Step 6: Hang the Advent Calendar

Twist and knot yarn, twine, string, wire, etc around the ends of the dowel to be able to hang the advent calendar. After Christmas, you can then take the calendar down and store it to reuse the next year.

There you have it, your very own DIY pocket advent calendar! Mine turned out super cute, the pictures do not do it justice, it looks so much better in person. Now, all there is left to do is fill the pockets with goodies or experiences for your family to enjoy this Christmas season.

To see what I am going to put in our calendar’s pockets read through my ideas for Advent Calendar Fillers.