The Homesteady

How to make a simple embroidered advent calendar (& what to put in it)

It was fun fun fun and felt so good to complete a new Christmas project...even if it necessitated taking the day off work! I drove to Katy's house so we could stitch advent calendars for our families alongside one another. (She is a precise and intentional crafter, and so exerts a good influence on me.)

As far as a tutorial for the embroidered felt advent calendar now hanging in our living room, I'll tell you what I used and what I did.

Supplies

• 1 yard gray felt
• 1/2 yard cream-colored felt (MUCH was made of synonyms for this color, and I ended up somewhere between "baleen" and "Civil War bandage")
• Interfacing and an iron
• Red embroidery thread and an embroidery needle
• Embroidery tracing paper [affiliate link]
• Fabric glue
• A wooden dowel

Steps

1. Decide on the height and width of your pockets. I had been leaning toward 3"x3" but luckily Katy talked me into 4"x4". Attach interfacing to one side of the cream-colored felt, and then carefully cut out 25 matching squares.
2. In Photoshop or another image design program, create your numbers in your desired font and size (mine are approximately 1.5"). Reverse the image and then print (they should be backwards!). Trace with the pencil and embroidery tracing paper. Cut the numbers out of the tracing paper, and use the iron to transfer one number to each cream square.
3. Embroider the numbers, using the transfers as a guide. Embroidery is not a strong skill of mine, nor do I have very much education in it, but I can tell you I went over each digit twice for this calendar.
4. Decide on the distance you'd like between your pockets, and cut the gray felt to meet those needs (leaving minimum 6" at the top). My pockets have a distance of 1" between each, and 2" for the side margins. Glue in place around three sides (leaving the top open) and allow appropriate time to dry.
5. Fold the top 6" of the gray felt back behind itself, and glue in place so that there is enough room to thread the dowel through (once all is dry). 

A few ideas for what to tuck into the pockets if your recipients are little kids (keep in mind some of these are quite tiny and may not be appropriate for a home with babies). Oh, and lots of affiliate links ahead...

• A felt crown (make it/buy it)
• A $1 bill
• Temporary tattoos (make it/buy it)
• A pair of socks (buy it)
• A little bag of pretzels
• A clothespin doll (make it/buy it)
• A small slinky (buy it)
• Washi tape (buy it)
• A piece of candy
• An Altoid mouse (make it/buy it)
• A mini quiet book (buy it)
• One French macaron
• Stickers (buy it)
• A small ink pad and stamp (buy it)
• A small photo puzzle (make it/buy it)
• A little car (buy it)
• Chapstick
• Mittens (make it/buy it)
• Road tape (buy it)
• Small Play-Doh or clay (buy it)
• Stick-on earrings (buy it)
• A new Christmas ornament for the tree
• A finger puppet (make it/buy it)
• Sunglasses (buy it)
• A few Band Aids (buy it)
• Small lacing card (make it/buy it)

These are best for younger kids since of course that's where our minds are, but it was fun to imagine what to put in an advent calendar for teens. We'll have to figure that out eventually!

In addition, we're including little notes that correspond to family experiences, or presents that are too big to fit in the calendar:

• Watch a Christmas movie together
• Drink hot chocolate with breakfast or dinner
• A family outing (these can correspond with holiday plans you already have, like going to see The Nutcracker, driving around to look at Christmas lights, or visiting Santa)
• Family service ideas (volunteering at a soup kitchen, picking out non-perishable foods together and donating to your local food bank or food drive, or picking out gifts for toy drives)
• Go "caroling" via Facetime by calling relatives and singing Christmas songs
• Build gingerbread houses
• Read a new holiday book together
• Paint nails together
• A free pass to wear PJ's all day (for everyone!)
• Bake and decorate cookies
• Have breakfast for dinner
• Make salt dough ornaments

Our first Samhain dinner

I'd been feeling a tug for the past few weeks. My soul was asking for more ritual, more connectedness with nature and our ancestors, more meaningful ways to mark the changing seasons. After a remarkably difficult fall, I ached for these things. 

We are not a religious family, and I don't have any plans for us to become one, so I thought I'd find some inspiration researching pagan traditions – and read about Samhain (pronounced "sow-ween") just in time. It's an opportunity to celebrate the harvest and mark the beginning of the winter, and is believed to have Celtic pagan roots. Some also see it as a chance to honor those who have died in the past year. We borrowed the rituals that resonated with us, and had a Samhain dinner for just our small group of three. I hope to make this an annual tradition and expand our guest list next year. 

Here's what we did...

We all dressed nicely – me in a dress, Kristie in an alpaca cardigan she'd bought at the New England Fiber Festival, Miles in a button-down. I taped a big piece of paper to the table, and sketched rough "place settings" for each of us. We piled the table with fresh flowers, lit candles, small pumpkins Miles had painted, and photos of each person (and dog) we lost this year. 

For dinner we had a fall vegetable and rice casserole (recipe from this book – affiliate link) and gluten-free cornbread from a box mix. I made gluten-free carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for dessert – a practice bake for Miles's birthday cupcakes. We ate dinner together while talking about those we'd lost, with smiles and tears. I read this poem out loud.

It felt wonderful to create a space for us to grieve and honor, to slow our lives down for just an hour and observe the shifting seasons. We'll do it next year, too, we said to each other as we cleaned up.

I believe it could go unsaid that we'll plan for another in the hopes of far fewer losses in the coming year – but I'll say it anyway. 

Visiting the New England Fiber Festival

Our first visit to the New England Fiber Festival on Saturday was simply lovely. I really didn't know what to expect going in, although felt hopeful there would be animals for Miles to visit as he and Kristie came too. We also met up with friends and their kids, and strolled the aisles together. 

Since Miles was coming, I wanted to be honest with my expectations for the day. I didn't have a shopping list or any goals to meet (Webs is in our backyard, so I'm never short good new yarn), and figured I'd be happy just to browse and take inspiration anywhere I could for however long we lasted. 

We arrived around 10 (after all of us slept in until nearly 8 – thanks Miles!) and visited all the animals we could find. Miles alternated between stroller and walking on his own. While he was in the carriage, I perused stalls, and while he wasn't, I simply joined him petting the alpacas, sheep, and rabbits. Kristie, bless her, also chased him quite a bit.

The work at this stall was so beautiful. Fiber + Mud's owner told me she grows her own indigo for the dyeing. 

Miles sat down next to these sheep for awhile and picked pieces of straw off them one by one.

The Society for Creative Anachronism was on hand with weaving demonstrations. I wish I'd spent more time in their area.

I was stopped by a few people who asked if I'd knit the sweater I was wearing. Tempting as it was to say yes, it's vintage Gap. I realized my whole outfit was thrifted, except for the tights and inner wear. I think I'll wear the same thing again to Thanksgiving. 



We're already looking hungrily toward next year, when we can go back with a tighter game plan. "No kids in the morning" was suggested, which might be nice so we can get the dedicated shopping out of the way. Have you been? 

Here & there

More on Instagram

Life is creeping back to normal, and lately I've been leaning hard into wearing hand-knit sweaters, lighting candles, and finding little fall crafts to do with Miles in the evenings since we've started keeping him up later to get ready for daylight savings time next week. I have big plans for the slow cooker. And I'm wading slowly through the ebbing waves of grief and guilt, and finally starting to daydream about what the coming year holds for our family.

But! First things first. Tomorrow Miles is having a sleepover at his grandparents' house, and Kristie and I are staying home by ourselves. We're going to see a movie, and I made a reservation at one of our very favorite restaurants. And then? We sleep!!!

 

Links for your Friday

Meet Mattel's new gender-free doll

I've been devouring this series on Mother

How to support boys who want to dance

100 fun things to do that are free

Rihanna said no to performing in the Super Bowl halftime show in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick

The Literary Witches Oracle Deck pictured above [affiliate link]

I would actually live in this frat house

California has banned fur

We're planning to do this family new year's resolution for 2020

How to get your toddler to wear a coat (<-- need to try some of these!)

Gory makeovers for ceramic dolls

I'm hyperventilating a little bit about the trailer for Dickinson

2 DIY home cold/flu remedies

We're on week two of a household cold that I swear Miles and I are just passing back and forth to each other. (Kristie has, so far, been lucky.) I'm not surprised after the difficult September we had; extended periods of stress have always made me vulnerable to illness (as, I think, is probably the case for a lot of others).

Miles and I have both had our flu shots this year, and readily turn to Children's Motrin or NyQuil (respectively) as needed to treat our runny noses and sore throats. But I do like homemade remedies to complement these – two in particular I want to share with you.

Elderberry syrup – I've wanted to make my own for a long time, and when Abbey posted this recipe I knew it was time. I found everything I needed to make it at the co-op. It turned out to be sooo delicious! Miles will even occasionally consent to take a spoonful – but I have to tell him it's coffee first. 

Sore throat popsicles – I made a second batch of these last night, using a basic ice cube tray and lollipop sticks [affiliate link]. Originally intended for Miles, I ended up using most of them to soothe my own cough. I considered adding some of the elderberry syrup to this most recent batch, but Kristie said, "Why mess with a good thing?" (Miles likes the popsicles better than the e. syrup so far. We'd better keep them separate.)

Birthday books

My to-be-read pile is growing so quickly. (How do you manage yours? Do you try?) For my 32nd birthday this year I greedily received even more books that have spilled from nightstand to dresser. These are some of the new additions, (affiliate) linked if you're interested:

Women, Animals & Vegetables by Maxine Kumin
High School by Tegan & Sara Quin
Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Dog Songs by Mary Oliver, which I'm fully expecting will shred me emotionally

We also did quite well at the Green Valley Book Fair during our August visit to Kristie's Virginia hometown. See the bounty in my "Virginia 2019" story highlights on Instagram.

A chunky knit cardigan

I finished knitting this chunky cardigan all the way back in July, and now it's finally getting cool enough to wear (without having to first turn on the air conditioner). 

I found the pattern on Ravelry (it's $5, designed by the Blue Mouse). Super bulky yarn means it knits up nice and quickly, which is always so satisfying. 

I've spent the lion's share of my sweater-making using patterns that can be knitting all in one piece, so working up the back, front, and sleeves separately for this sweater and then blocking and piecing them together (plus then knitting the yoke) felt like new territory – but good in that sort of way pushing yourself to try something new makes you feel. 


This sweater is big and delicious. I made the "larger" size, as opposed to "regular," and it's very cozy. 

We are okay

I'm laughing a bit to myself, trying to think of a way to explain this: I've always felt that the months of the year begin to weigh more starting around September. In my mind, they must be heavier because if you stacked them, these would be closest to the ground, pushed down all the more by those gone by. Because they're so heavy, they rush past. Days and weeks begin to unspool so quickly, it feels hard sometimes to get a meaningful grip on them. 

This August and September, loss after loss tumbled through our lives. We're still rocked by a wake of sadness after having to make the impossible decision to put our dog Samson to sleep – I'm astonished at the brutality of how quickly life can change in two hours – bookended by added challenges like illness and surgery, anxiety and deadlines. 

I've always liked the term "circle the wagons" – problematic though its roots in western expansion are. But that's essentially what we've been doing since the last time I was here. The wolves have visited our door more than once in the recent weeks, and we're doing our best to protect our home while meeting them headlong. I find great strength imagining myself straddling the dark and light, defending my family from the newest emergency that has slinked through the shadows to our doorstep. In that way I've been feeling oddly empowered. I'm getting tired, though, and find myself searching hungrily for signs that we're almost through the gauntlet (we are). 

I'll be back soon. I have some knitting to show you, and who knows, I might bake more French macarons before the snow comes. In the meantime, I've been posting with more regularity on Instagram. We'll catch up soon.

Here & there

More on Instagram

I went to a bachelorette weekend in Newport in July and had so much fun with a wonderful group of women. We wine-tasted, napped, and danced. And I got to test (and then cross) my nearly-two-years-postpartum drinking limit. Whoops! All was well, though. I thought on the drive home about how I felt I'd learned something important from each other member of the wedding party, and how glad I am to know them now. 

Anyway, I also made dinner for us all on our first night – this risotto and this garlic bread, which everyone requested the recipe for. Plus gluten-free sugar cookies for dessert – what a delicious recipe that was!

Sort of a last hurrah though – I've been doing keto for almost a week now. A few other random things: I ordered new blue-light filtering glasses [affiliate link] after my old pair broke (read my review here – those pictures were taken on the very hardest day of Miles's sleep regression, btw. We started sleep training that week!). The new pair is very cute in sort of a dorky way.

I'm back at work after two weeks off to hang with my son while daycare was closed; it was SO FUN! I had been a little wary – maternity leave was kind of a lot, but this was (obviously) a very different experience that I think we all loved, and included some travel too down to see Kristie's family in Virginia. (Miles saw a ton of cows, bonded with his cousin, and experienced his first trampoline park. He was also a champ on the plane!)

My birthday is coming up! I'm trying to decide how I want to celebrate turning 32. I'm considering a day of thrifting, a day of crafting, or a little trip to go whale-watching. (I'm leaning toward the whales...but this month is so busy, we'll have to see if Kristie and I can sneak away to the Cape for a night or two in October.)

A new wedding video is up, and I'm shooting another tomorrow – and next weekend too! Also hoping to go for a hike with Miles on Sunday morning – this is my favorite time of year for hiking (and everything.)

 

Links for your Friday

"A friend who’d recently became a mother looked at my son playing on the floor by our feet one day, her new daughter nestled in her arms. 'Does it get easier?' she asked me, and I thought for a minute. 'No,' I said, smiling, 'but it gets so much more fun.'" (PS – I wrote that essay!)

Serena Williams unretouched on the cover of Harper's Bazaar

I like this opinion piece about how Americans are legally compelled to use cars

Finland's heavy metal knitting championship

The best time to go to national parks

The hat Miles has on in that pic and has basically been wearing non-stop all summer [affiliate link]

Very much into this Twitter thread

Why Billie Eilish wears baggy clothes

I'm renting this dress for a wedding late this month [affiliate link]

10 tiny feminists (a new cross stitch pattern set)

Affiliate links are used in this post.

I'm so proud to share this with you: A set of 10 cross stitch patterns inspired by activists, mathematicians, artists, pilots, and more icons from women's history. 

In mid-2017, I was contacted by a publisher looking for someone to write a book of feminist cross stitch patterns. I was so excited and flattered – and also expecting a baby one month before the date they wanted all the content. I nervously submitted a proposal, but ultimately they went with another designer (to my eventual relief as the newborn weeks ended up being much more challenging than I'd anticipated). 

The book I'd proposed to write included original patterns along with an overview of the feminist history of needlework and handicrafts, and one day I'd still like to try to bring that to life. In the meantime, I decided to expand on my Frida Kahlo and Ruth Bader Ginsburg cross stitch patterns, and draft eight more to join them. In the set, you'll find patterns inspired by...

• Frida Kahlo
• RBG
• Rosa Parks
• Lucille Ball
• Yoko Ono
• Malala Yousafzai
• Katherine Johnson
• Ada Lovelace
• Amelia Earhart
• Billie Holiday

The set is $10, and I'll be donating $1 of each sale to the Refugee & Immigrant Center for Education & Legal Services (RAICES).

(Each of the patterns is also available for individual purchase for $1.50.)

I'd love to know your thoughts – and please tell me or tag me if you try the patterns out!