This project comes courtesy of my very talented and party-hopping younger sister, Ariana, who attended a very special holiday gathering this month in the Bay Area at which attendees don’t just wow with sparkly seasonal cocktail dresses — they costume it up. And not just sexy Santas and holiday carolers, but as, say, a dreidel, Nutcracker ballerinas, or the entire cast of Charlie Brown’s Christmas!
The event is called the Elf Party. It was originally started as a party among friends and has since grown into a huge fundraiser for children in need — not to mention a very popular event. Tickets sold out in just 30 minutes this year!
Needless to say, Ariana needed to dress to impress, and when we were having a crafty consult, I suggested that she be an advent calendar–a wearable variation on the “Final Countdown” pocketed calendar (project #35) from Generation T: Beyond Fashion — complete with pockets full of treats! And so she set to work…
Materials:
-Plain tunic dress or long T-shirt (in red or green for Christmas or blue or white for Hanukkah; sample is from American Apparel)
-2 to 3 sheets of craft felt (in red or dark green for Christmas or blue or white for Hanukkah)
-Fabric scissors
-Pen
–Tulip Fashion Glitter Shimmer Transfer Sheets
-All-purpose scissors
-Pressing cloth
-Iron
-Straight pins
-Treats (individually wrapped mini candy canes and other hard candies work well–depending on how long you’ll be wearing the outfit, keep in mind that body heat can melt Hanukkah gelt or other chocolates!)
Make it:
1. Measure and cut about twenty-five 3″ by 3″ squares of felt (depending on the number of pockets you’d like).
2. Trace or draw the numbers 1 through 24 (or 25), on the glitter transfer sheets. Note: Trace numbers 1 through 12 for the twelve days of Christmas, or 1 through 8 for the eight nights of Hanukkah, and so on. (Optional: If you’re going Christmas-themed, trace and cut a star to place at the top of the arrangement.)
3. Cut out the numbers and/or shapes.
4. Following the instructions on the packaging, peel the clear layer off the top of the glitter numbers and arrange them glitter side up on each felt square. Then press the numbers on the squares with a pressing cloth and a warm iron.
5. Lay the tunic flat and arrange and pin the squares onto the front. Thread the needle with contrasting or matching thread and use a running stitch or backstitch to sew around the two sides and the bottom of each square to complete each pocket.
6. Remove the pins, try on the tunic, and fill up those pockets with treats!
