Advent Calendar

I just love Christmas!

Especially now that I have three little grandsons who need all the goodies and crafty things I so love to make.
This past week I went to a really nice quilt shop,  click here to see my post on the shop.


While goo-gooing over all the inventory in the shop I found a panel to put together to make the cutest Advent Calendar.  Then got started right away to get it finish  for my Christmas box delivery to Guam.  It can take up to a month to get there depending on how speedy the trucks, planes and ships are?

Once I had all the pieces cut, over turned seams ironed flat, I began sewing it all together.

The dated pockets were sewn to create a pull out, rather than flat on the backing and this will allow me to put more than one little toy in each (with three grandsons, I can't put only one).

After finishing the front panel I then used low loft batting and muslin for the backing, then began to hand quilt around the snowman....

For the hang I used a simple red twine inserted into the top seam on both sides.

I found some cute little snowmen to put into the pockets.. for the treat, when the kids do the 24 day countdown until Christmas.

The origin of the Advent Calendar can be traced back to the 19th Century. The first styles came from the protestant area.  So religious families made a chalk line for every day in December until Christmas Eve.
The first known Advent Calendar which was made by handwork is from the year 1851

I know my daughter and her family will love to use my version of the Advent Calendar for years to come.

How cute is that!

I'm linking today to


Show us what your working with Wednesday


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Fabric Fun Thursday 

Weekend Wrap Up Party

Saturday Night Special 

Aprons History

I don't think our kids know what an apron is. 

I received this story in an e'mail today and thought it was something I'd like to share... 
The Apron is something we women can relate to weather we use one or just have one hanging on a hook in our kitchen.  (Mine is on a hook and never used)....

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material. But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven. 

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids..

And when the weather was cold Grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow,
bent over the hot wood stove. 

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes. 

REMEMBER:

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill
to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.

I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron - but love...