Day 2 of real snow here on the island. Day 2 of no school. Day 2 of making hot chocolate, Amy’s pasta shells and cheese, frozen pizza, playing referee, and hanging wet mittens to dry. Day 2 of totally freaking out over finishing this advent calendar by Friday!
I usually make a pattern for things I make. I keep notes about dimensions and construction details and put all the pieces in a plastic bag when I’m done. I’d like to eventually take some of my ideas and make real patterns for sale. Not withstanding a business motive, it’s a useful practice for making things again or borrowing techniques and pieces for other projects. I think I’m going to remember every last detail but I never do.
I took my sketches, incomplete as they were, and started in. The tree is the center of this design and I started there. Lots of unanswered design mechanics but I don’t let that prevent me from beginning. I use a large size of graph paper (17 x 22 inches). Note how the size of my tree matches the size of the graph paper. I cut apart my drawing to make the pattern. I place the pattern on my fabric and use my quilting ruler to add a 1/4″ seam allowance around all the pieces as I cut with a rotary cutter. No marking, just cut.
I also start to think about the fabrics I want to use. My initial thought was to use Kona cottons. I pulled out the fabrics on the left. As I laid them out I felt like they were too strong. Too much competition for the ornaments and the pockets. Out came the linen. When in doubt use linen. (I buy my 100% cotton linen at Jo-Anns during the summer months.) The Kona cottons looked a bit drab against the texture of the linen so out came the silk doupioni. I have a stash of these two tone silks that I purchased from Thai Silks about 5 years ago. I’ve seen them in stores since then but at higher prices than you can buy direct. I like how the linen and silk look together. Subtle, elegant, Christmasy, a good backdrop for the bright colors I have in mind for the ornaments and pockets.
I cut and sew just the tree. Not the trunk. I’m still not sure about the chocolate polka dots but I want something in the center to get the party started. I read something in one of Nancy Crow’s books. She said she never worries about wasting fabric. A pearl of wisdom to me. I used to be extremely nervous about cutting fabric. A creatively debilitating fear. I work best constructing on the fly. Wasting fabric is a known hazard of that approach. I just toss the mistakes into the scrap basket. A very large scrap basket.
To be continued…
Looking good! I love the linen and silk dupioni. Great choice!
This is so fun watching the whole design process unfold!
I like the use of linen. I’ve seen a couple of creative bloggers use it lately. The texture is subtle. Yet it does the job. I can wait to see your finished advent calendar. I think that I’ll put an advent calendar on my do-to list for next Christmas. This year, I’m making new christmas stockings.
I love reading about your design process, and especially appreciate the words of wisdom about wasting fabric: I used to drive myself crazy trying to cut with the least possible waste, etc. I love the idea of working on the fly, and besides, I have more (printed) fabric than I know what to do with. The beautiful beginnings of your Advent calendar show that one can never have enough linen. Or raw silk. Thank you!
Yummmm, linen and silk. I have a huge scrap basket as well — and I DO dip into it! It’s great fun to reach down deep and pull up that last snippet of something you thought you ran out of long ago
that silk looks beautiful!
why not use the polka dots (okay, i love polka dots, so maybe i´m not objective enough)? they´ll make a fun thing out of the tree…
i´ll stay tuned for your calendar!
This is great blogging! I look forward to reading the rest of the process. Thanks for sharing like this!
Here we have our A/C on… I’d love some snow and wet mittens to get me in the holiday spirit! I’m really enjoying watching this project unfold. I’m very impressed that you can come up with an idea in your head and make your own pattern, etc. I’m much one for following patterns… I wish I was able to create more in my head like this.
I am excited to see what you come up with. It looks great so far!
Love the linen, love the silk, I could send you some dark chocolate linen I have ASAP in the priority mail if you email me tonight with the request.
Thank you so much for showing your process and for not being an amazing draw-er and for saying not to be afraid of cutting fabric. I’m such a silly saver CHICKEN when it comes to the best fabrics and supplies and it’s totally ridiculous. I’m working on it. Also working on letting myself draw despite not being a draw-er.
Also, also, and then some: We never had “get a treat everyday” advent calendars as a kid, we had a felt tree on a burlap background (burlap, the linen of the 70s!) with ric-rack garlands and hooks from hooks and eyes sewn on. Each day, we could hang one (specific! numbered! the same sequence every year because kids love ritual!) ornament on, according to the chart. My mother had made all of the ornaments from “baker’s clay” – flour/salt dough. Sadly, the ornaments died a moldy death a few years ago, but at the same time, I found out that my mother had actually made TWO of the calendars (including all of the , so my brother and I would each have one when we grew up and left the house.
All that means, rock on with your gorgeous tree.
I love the choice of the silk and linen together.
Anxiously awaiting the next installment!
I’m thinking it’s going to be good.
[...] As I went outside to photograph the quilt it started to hail. As I set up the foam board and got the quilt straight the hail stopped and it began to sleet. As I write this it continues to sleet with thunder and lightening in the background. I have never experienced a more wacky season of weather. A very long winded way of saying I plan on a better photo shoot and will post those to Flickr for all of you who’ve patiently followed my progress with this project (Pattern Making, Pockets, Indecision, Quilting, Ornaments). [...]
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