it was very close

Happy 1st day of Advent!  Here's the (almost) completed wise craft family advent calendar-

I actually didn't have to pull an all-nighter to finish, because its not exactly 100% completed.  I did take those last few pockets with me around town yesterday, to fill any spare time. (This is when my friends think I'm a mad crafter, when my passenger seat looks like this.)

There are still plenty of details left to embroider on (need to embroider trees and things on either side of the "24" pocket at the bottom, hence the empty space there).  But the important parts, the pockets for the days, are done.  I got a little too into embroidering extra details on these yesterday, so it took a longer than it should have to finish the pockets.  But I'm really really happy with how it turned out.

   

The one I pulled together at the last minute last year worked out better than I expected, I actually thought about doing it again.  But I have always wanted a one piece advent, which packs away in one piece, comes out in one piece, and allows me to get creative filling it up.  I saw the inspiration for this one in Creating Your Perfect Christmas, a book I bought last year (that title always makes me chuckle a little...if it were that easy, right?).  I put a picture of the one in the book in last year's advent post.

I promised myself I'd use only materials I have on hand, and did that until I saw the pale blue pure wool fabric at Pacific Fabrics here in town that became the background.  Knowing I would only need 1/2 a yard of it at 60" wide ($21/yard), I bought it.  It just what I wanted, nice and thick.  I really hope one of my kids use this one day with their own children, and for the sake on longevity, I went for pure wool.  Brown wool roof and chimney (which I plan to embroider some smoke coming out of tonight) is the top of the house, and the day pockets make up the windows, with the 24th day being the front door (as soon as I french knot a doorknob on there).  I used some Christmas printed cottons that Jen brought back from Japan a couple of years ago, unfortunately you can't really see the print too well in the photos here.  Believe me, they are cute.

   

I have a flap of blue wool to pull out and over each pocket to cover it, as above (well, I will have that, as soon as I sew them all on).  Its all handsewn and embroidered, and plenty wonky, but I'm playing up wonky as a design feature.  Because, to be perfectly honest, my straight edge was buried under a pile of felt and Christmas prints in my studio by the time I was ready to sew on the pockets.  How's that working for you?

Did you guys get yours done?  I know Fiona did...I love Maria's version...Laura's knitted one is fantastic...look at this wreath one (thanks to Dacia's link)...and I knew Martha would also have a cute one.  And each year I remember my original favorite one made by Rosa.

I will rest on my laurels today and tomorrow post about the advent fillers.  Off to clean a studio I can barely walk in.