The Ugly Truth About The Advent Calendars' Project Bags

Hey Friends 💛

I wanted to share something a little more behind-the-scenes today. The real, messy, wonderful underside of running this shop. So here’s me, being vulnerable and giving you a peek at the good, the bad, and the ugly.

First things first: you already know how much I love creating these advents. They’re my way of saying “thank you” for supporting this small shop of mine. Knowing that I get to send you quality crafting supplies to brighten your projects honestly makes my whole day. It’s pure joy, every single time.

That said… You probably also know (especially if you’ve read my previous posts or follow any indie dyers who do advents) that these things are a ton of work! A serious labor of love. Definitely not a “get rich” kind of project, lol.

So many late nights have gone into prepping each little surprise, wrapping every day individually. But what really takes most of the time? The hand-sewn bags.

Here’s a peek at one of the project bags included in the 2025 Advent Calendars:

These beauties take forever to make. Between cutting the fabric (with interfacing and lining!), sewing, assembling, and finishing, each one takes so d*mn long to complete. I’ll admit, I didn’t quite factor that into my plan when I chose this design. 😅

Back in 2023, when I launched my first advent calendars, I went with a simple, classic project bag (the kind you see at most yarn shows). Easy peasy lemon squeezy! I could whip those up in about an hour and a half. Still a lot of work (especially since I sewed every single one myself), but manageable.

Then, in 2024, I decided to level up. I was inspired by a bag I picked up at a yarn show. It was trickier, took longer, but the results? Chef’s kiss. Honestly, they became my favorite design ever.

So of course, this year, I thought, “Why not go even bigger?”

I found inspiration in the most unexpected place: a little lunch bag I bought online. I started using it as a project bag and loved it so much that I thought, “Wouldn’t it be amazing if I made my own version for this year’s advents?”

Spoiler alert: it was not as simple as I hoped. 😅

The bag that inspired me wasn’t lined, but I wanted mine to be, because I didn’t want to mess with bias tape on every seam, AND I really wanted to include an inside pocket. But since there wasn’t a pattern anywhere online, I had to wing it.

Let’s just say… my seam ripper got a lot of action this season.

Still, I’m so happy to report that the final bags turned out great; maybe even rivaling last year’s as my favorite design yet. They took between 2.5 and 3.5 hours each (!!!), and honestly, if I’d known that ahead of time, I might have chosen something simpler. But they’re done, packed, and off to their new homes. And I couldn’t be prouder.

So why am I sharing all this with you? Because I want you to see the real side of this small business. It’s not always rainbows and unicorns. Balancing sewing time between work, house chores, and kids’ activities has been a lot, and it’s taken its toll at times.

What does that mean for the future of the shop?

Well, it means that next year, I might not be sewing the bags myself; or I might go back to a simpler, tried-and-true design.

So if you’ve been wanting one of these hand-sewn project bags, this might be your last chance to snag one in an advent. I have a handful that are still available, but once they're gone, they're gone. So if this link doesn't work, it means they're out of stock!

As my daughter likes to say: you live, you learn. 💫

Thank you for cheering me on and making all of this worth it, year after year.

Craft on, my friends.