TGIFF - Lazy Girl's Advent Calendar

As promised, here is my lazy girl advent calendar for TGIFFriday which the inimitable MR is hosting over at QuiltMatters. Hop on over and show some love to other finishers. :)


Now if you are a traditionalist with your quilting, stop reading now as this will give you conniptions. I'm not actually sure what conniptions are but I am sure you will get them because I've broken all the rules. You have been warned.


(Actually, if you are a traditional quilter, keep reading, then post something really nasty lamenting the demise of quilting into laziness, then other bloggers will be outraged at you doing that and another blogwar will start. I wouldn't mind being the subject of a blog war because:
a) lots of people will pity-follow me and
b) people will then send me lots of fat quarters in sympathy and/or sponsor me with fabric - Pear Tree please (I'm just saying).)


If you are still with me, please leave a comment letting me know. :)


Back to the calendar. I am not a Christmassy person (there goes the other half of my readership reeling in shock). But I wanted to do an advent calendar - I blame Kate Spain for this for designing Flurry. I had a charm pack. I looked up quilted advent calendar online and found a couple of beautiful ones that would be great if you have oodles of time and love christmas and want to spend a trillion hours sewing... And use oodles of fabric. I LOVE Elizabeth Hartman's work but I found her GORGEOUS advent calendar and decided I was too lazy and too mean with fabric to sew 25 individual pockets out of three pieces of fabric each. I mean, you only see the front right? And there was no way I was going to applique 1-25 on for something that comes out once a year. So I had to find an easier way.
 
Let me say right up front, do not start a new project without a pattern late at night because you will end up with a 20 pocket advent calendar and curse a lot.

When I realised 4x5 = 20 not 25

Things that will give traditionalists conniptions / Reasons I am lazy.

1. I sewed together 5 charm squares, backed them with hard interfacing that was short at the top, folded the top over and decorative stitched it. No backing to pockets apart from main quilt.

Decorative stitching by machine

2. I did not make my own bias. I separated the pockets with blanket bias satin ribbon (who knew that existed?! whoopee!)


3. I stuck the ribbon down with a glue stick to avoid pin holes before I attached it. It's a bit wonky.


4. I didn't baste it properly. I shoved a few pins in here and there and it shows in the quilting if you know what you're looking for. I am not showing you the back.

5. I used the dodgy new expensive Singer with the supposed Integrated Dual Foot as opposed to setting up my old but reliable Bernette (figured it's nearly Christmas, be charitable, give it another chance). It went funny - see below - and I could only be bothered unpicking one seam. Had to switch to Bernette anyway to bind rather than hurt shoulder trying to throw Singer out the window.


6. I machine bound it and I missed bits and I took the photo before I fixed it (so I didn't lose the light and could get the picture for you - forgive me?).

Unique irregular patterns a special unadvertised feature of the Singer QL500

7. I glued (have you fainted yet?) the felt numbers on. In my defence, I did make them myself. I did plan to use a fabric pen and do it with puffy fabric paint, but my neighbour who fulfils a QA role occasionally vetoed it absolutely. I gave in grudgingly.

8. And finally, I realise I have not fixed the colour on these photos to be all pretty. So bad.

So here it is - after all that, I think it looks lovely. (I was going to put a photo of me holding it but I am unphotogenic and camera shy and I do not look lovely in the photo my neighbour took). I am going to put one individually wrapped Lindt chocolate in each pocket, except (as Ella pointed out) I had better put double triple a lot in the pockets for the days I have PMS. :D

Finished calendar, icy blue and red strips as backing, pockets from Flurry divided by satin bias ribbon, numbers in red and green felt. Almost bound due to lazy workwomanship.

 If you haven't fainted dead away (or had conniptions), let me know me what conniptions are and whether you've ever uploaded a pattern to sell anywhere. And would you exchange fabric for a pattern if you wanted a pattern? Do you reckon I'd have any luck posting this on patternspot.com using fabric as the currency of exchange? (And do you think Santa noticed that Peartree reference?). Happy Christmas!