Felt Advent Calendar: Pocket Wall Hanging, Countdown Tree or 24 Stockings

Twenty-four is the number to plan around. Twenty-four pockets of 3½ × 4 in (9 × 10 cm) fill a panel 28 in wide; twenty-four mini stockings on a string run to 8 ft (2.4 m); twenty-four ornaments for a wall tree are three evenings of cutting before you sew anything. Pick the type first, then buy the felt.

Each of the three types below comes with its sizes, a cutting plan and a sheet count, and the numbering methods work for all of them.

Pockets, a countdown tree or stockings: how do they compare?

	Pocket wall hanging	Wall tree with countdown pockets	Stockings on a string
Finished size	28 × 24 in (71 × 61 cm)	Tree about 3 ft (90 cm) tall, pocket strip 29 × 12 in below	8 ft (2.4 m) of string, or two 4 ft rows
Felt	¾ yd of 36 in felt, 4 sheets for pockets, 1 white	1 yd for the tree, ½ yd for the strip, 2 sheets for pockets, 4 for ornaments	6 sheets for stockings, 1 white for cuffs
Time	About 8 hours	Two weekends	About 6 hours
Holds	Notes, cards, small flat gifts	One felt ornament a day	Notes or a small treat
Best for	Any family; packs flat on its rod	Toddlers and preschoolers	A mantel or a window

How big should a felt advent calendar be?

For the pocket wall hanging, make the panel 28 in wide and 24 in tall (71 × 61 cm), with 24 pockets in four rows of six. Each pocket is 3½ in wide and 4 in tall, which is big enough for a folded activity card or a sticker sheet and small enough that 24 of them fit on a wall above a child's bed.

The layout, measured across and down:

• Across: a 1⅝ in margin, then six pockets of 3½ in with five gaps of ¾ in, then a 1⅝ in margin. That is 1⅝ + 21 + 3¾ + 1⅝ = 28 in.
• Down: a 3 in band at the top for a title or an appliquéd tree, then four rows of 4 in pockets with three 1 in gaps, then a 2 in margin. That is 3 + 16 + 3 + 2 = 24 in.
• Rod sleeve: add 2 in at the top that folds back to make a channel, so cut the panel 28 × 26 in (71 × 66 cm).

A ¾ yd (27 in) cut of 36 in wide felt gives that piece with a strip to spare. Use 2–3 mm stiff felt for the panel, or 1 mm felt backed with iron-on interfacing. Thin felt alone sags between the pockets once they are filled. Wool felt fabric explains thickness and grades; a wool blend lasts for years of Decembers where acrylic craft felt pills.

How many felt sheets do you need for 24 pockets?

Four sheets. A 9 × 12 in (23 × 30 cm) sheet holds two pockets across its 9 in width (2 × 3½ = 7 in) and three down its 12 in length (3 × 4 = 12 in), so six pockets per sheet, and 24 ÷ 6 = 4. Alternate two colors and buy two sheets of each. A pleated pocket, cut 4½ in wide, still fits six to a sheet, since two of them take the full 9 in.

The numbers come out of one white sheet. Days 1 to 24 need 39 digits: nine single digits and fifteen pairs. You will cut thirteen 1s, eight 2s, three each of 3 and 4, two each of 5 to 9, and two 0s. At 1¼ in (3 cm) tall, each digit fits in a 1 × 1¼ in box and a sheet holds over seventy, so mistakes cost nothing.

How to make a felt pocket advent calendar

1. Cut the panel 28 × 26 in. Fold 2 in at the top to the back and stitch across 1¼ in from the fold to make the rod channel. Do this first so the layout measures from a finished top edge.
2. Mark the grid. With chalk or a washable marker, draw the four rows of six pocket outlines using the measurements above. A cardboard template 3½ × 4 in makes this quick.
3. Cut the 24 pockets from the four sheets. For a pleated pocket, cut it 4½ in wide and fold a ½ in box pleat at the center of the bottom edge, so it sews down 3½ in wide and opens out to hold a small toy.
4. Number every pocket while it is loose (methods below). Center the number about 1 in down from the top edge, where it stays visible when the pocket bulges.
5. Sew the pockets on along the sides and bottom, ⅛ in (3 mm) from the edge, leaving the top open. Machine straight stitch is fastest; by hand, use a running stitch or blanket stitch with two strands of floss. Backstitch at both top corners, which take the strain every time a hand goes in.
6. Decorate the top band: cut letters for a title, or an appliquéd tree and star.
7. Hang it. Slide a ⅜ in wooden dowel cut to 30 in through the channel, so 1 in shows each side, and tie a 36 in cord to both ends.

Three ways to make the numbers

• Cut felt numbers. Print the digits in a bold, rounded typeface and trace them onto the matte side of freezer paper (or print straight onto freezer paper cut to letter size), iron it shiny side down onto the felt and cut through both. Keep strokes at least 5/16 in (8 mm) wide; thinner ones curl. Stitch each digit down through the middle with small running stitches. Felt letter ornaments covers fonts and cutting tight curves, and a felt cutting machine will cut all 39 at once.
• Embroider them. Backstitch with all six strands of floss, or chain stitch for a bolder line. Draw the number on with a water-soluble pen and stitch it before the pocket goes on the panel, so the back of the work is hidden.
• Iron-on numbers. Cut digits from heat transfer vinyl by hand or machine and press them on through a pressing cloth. Test on a scrap first: wool blend felt takes a medium iron, but acrylic felt can melt and go shiny at the temperature some vinyls need.

Ordinary fabric glue will hold felt numbers for a season, but stitching lasts as long as the calendar.

How do you make a felt wall tree advent calendar?

This is the countdown tree: a felt wall tree with a strip of 24 numbered pockets underneath, each holding one ornament. A child takes out the day's ornament and sticks it on the tree, so by Christmas Eve the tree is full.

Make the tree itself as a children's wall tree, about 3 ft (90 cm) tall and 30 in wide at the base, following felt Christmas tree. For the strip:

1. Cut a strip 29 × 12 in (74 × 30 cm) from stiff felt.
2. Cut 24 pockets 3 × 3 in (7.5 cm). A sheet gives twelve (three across, four down), so two sheets.
3. Lay them out in three rows of eight, ½ in apart with ¾ in side margins: 8 × 3 + 7 × ½ + 1½ = 29 in across, and 3 × 3 + 2 × ½ + 2 = 12 in down with 1 in top and bottom margins. Number and stitch them as for the wall hanging.
4. Hang the strip directly below the tree, or stitch it to the bottom of the tree panel so the two go up as one piece.

Make the ornaments 2–2½ in (5–6.5 cm) across: too big to count as a small part for a toddler, and small enough to slide into a 3 in pocket. Cut them double and stitch around the edge, with a small square of hook tape stitched, not stuck, to the back so they grip the tree; a peel-off adhesive dot can come loose and become a small part itself. Forty-eight pieces at 2½ in come out of four sheets. Stars, balls, mittens, a stocking, a candy cane and a few animals from felted Christmas ornaments make a good mix; save the star for day 24.

How do you make an advent calendar from felt stockings?

Twenty-four mini stockings, each about 4 in (10 cm) tall and 3 in across the foot, hung along a string. They look best on a mantel or across a window and hold a rolled note or a small treat.

• Felt: each stocking is two pieces in a box about 3 × 4 in, and a sheet takes nine of those (three across, three down). Forty-eight pieces need six sheets, three red and three green if you alternate colors. A white cuff for each, 2¾ × 1 in, all comes out of one more sheet.
• Sewing: whip stitch the two pieces together around the sides and foot, leaving the top open, and stitch the cuff across the top of the front. Each takes about 15 minutes. The full method for a big one, including a loop that holds, is on felt Christmas stocking.
• Numbers: embroider or glue a small number on each cuff; at ¾ in tall, cut felt digits are too fiddly, so stitch them.
• Hanging: clip each stocking to twine with mini clothespins, about 4 in apart center to center. Twenty-four at 4 in is 96 in, or 8 ft, plus a foot at each end to tie off. Two rows of twelve make a shorter, deeper display. The ways to keep things from sliding along a string are in felt garland.

Can you needle felt advent calendar ornaments?

Yes, and a set of 24 tiny needle felted ornaments is a keepsake that comes out every year. Keep them small, about 1 in (2.5 cm) across: balls, stars, mushrooms, acorns, tiny gnomes. A 1 in solid shape needs about 2–3 g of wool, so the whole set takes around 2–2½ oz (55–70 g), mostly core wool with colored wool on the outside. At 30 to 60 minutes each, start in September and make two a week. Felted Christmas balls and needle felting for beginners have the method.

Two cautions. A 1 in ornament is a choking hazard for children under 3, so this set is for older children or for an adult's calendar. And the needles are very sharp and barbed; read is needle felting dangerous before making them with children around.

What do you put in a felt advent calendar?

A flat 3½ × 4 in pocket holds a folded card, a sticker sheet, a folded note or a small ornament. A pleated pocket adds room for a small toy or a wrapped cookie. Ideas that are not candy:

• Activity cards: bake cookies, make paper snowflakes, read a Christmas book, drive around to see the lights, call a grandparent.
• A felt ornament for the tree, or a piece to add to a felt scene.
• Sticker sheets, stamps, a crayon set for older children.
• A joke or a riddle, with the answer in the next day's pocket.
• A clue that leads to a present hidden somewhere in the house.

For children under 3, leave out candy, balloons and any toy small enough to fit through a toilet paper tube.

How do you make a felt advent calendar reusable?

Stitch everything that will be handled, since glue lets go after a season or two. Write the activity cards on card stock and keep them in an envelope with the calendar, so next year starts from a full set. After Christmas, empty the pockets, roll the panel loosely around its own dowel with tissue inside the roll, and store it in a sealed box. Folding it puts a crease through the pockets that never quite steams out. For the rest of the Christmas set, from tree skirts to table pieces, see felt Christmas decorations.