Hello!!! I am Candice, of Made With Love, where I blog about my crafting adventures, and Squirmy Worm Studio (my Etsy / sewing pattern company!). I'm SO excited to have the opportunity today to show you how to make a Perpetual Magnetic Calendar! The calendar can be used year after year, as each month you'll swap out the letters and arrange the dates to match accordingly! :)
Supplies:
- 3/4 Yard= Backing, Binding, Month Background, and Pocket
- 1 Fat Quarter= Calendar and Patchwork Border
- Patchwork= Assorted coordinating scraps or 1/8 yard of six fabrics
- 1/2 Yard Large Ric Rac (11/16")
- 1/2 Yard Peltex #70 (Non-Fusible)
- Water Soluble Marking Pen
- 2 Galvanized Metal Shingles (8" x 12") {$0.98 each at Home Depot}
- 1 Package- 1/2" Retaining Ring (External) {$0.72 at Home Depot}
- 2 Packages of 1.5" Wood Discs (22 per package) {$2.99 per package at Michael's}
- 31 Magnets (Extra required for Holiday discs, if desired)
- Number Stickers (5/8")
- 1" Clothes Pins {$1.49 per package at Michael's}
- Mod Podge
- Paint
- Foam Brush
- Hot Glue Gun
1. From the Backing, Binding, Month Background, and Pocket fabric, cut: one 16.75" wide x 18" tall piece, two 2.25" x width of fabric strips, one 2" x 13" piece, and one 9" x 10" piece.
2. From the Calendar and Patchwork Border fabric, cut: one 16.75" x 12.75" piece, two 1.5" x 4" pieces, and two 1.75" x 16.75" pieces.
3. From the assorted Patchwork fabrics, cut: twenty-two 1.5" x 1.5" squares, and six 1.5" x 2" rectangles.
4. From the Peltex, cut: one 16.75" x 18" piece.
5. Layout the Patchwork squares as follows: one 1.5" x 2" rectangle, eleven 1.5" x 1.5" squares, and one 1.5" x 2" rectangle. Repeat for the bottom row of patchwork. Sew the first row with a 1/4" seam allowance. Repeat with the second row. Press all seams to the left.
6. Pin the thin ribbon 1/4" from the top of Month Background (2" x 13"), and with a 1/4" seam allowance, sew the two vertical Patchwork pieces to the Month Background (one on each side). Press seams.
7. Pin and sew the Patchwork rows #1 and #2 to the Month Background (from previous step). Press and set aside. Finished piece should measure +/- 14.75" x 4".
8. Sew the Patchwork Border pieces (1.5" x 4") to the Patchwork block. Press seam. Sew remaining Patchwork Border pieces (1.75" x 16.75") to the Patchwork block. Press seams. Trim bottom to measure 3/4". Finished block should measure +/- 5.75" x 16.75".
9. With a Water Soluble Marking Pen, draw out the Calendar grid on the Calendar fabric (16.75" x 12.75"), starting 3/4" from the bottom, and 1/2" from the right and left-hand sides. Grid should have seven horizontal and five vertical boxes, each measuring 2.25" x 2.25". With a contrasting thread color, stitch over the grid lines. Remove the Water Soluble Marking Pen lines when complete.
10. With a 1/4" seam allowance, and right sides together, sew the Patchwork block and Calendar together. Press seams.
11. Sew Large Ric Rac (11/16") over the seam from previous step. Trim excess Ric Rac.
12. With packing tape (goal is for tape to not be visible through your calendar fabric), tape the galvanized shingles together. Joined shingles should measure 16" x 12".
13. Place the joined galvanized shingles 3/4" from the bottom of the Calendar and center. With a pencil, outline the shingle placement on the Peltex. With a rotary cutter, make a small diagonal cut (in the Peltex) at each of the four corners of the shingle. Set aside.
14. For the Pocket (for safe keeping of the month letters and Holiday discs) fold the fabric (9" x 10") in half, right sides together. With a 1/4" seam allowance, sew three of the sides, leaving a 1" hole centered along the bottom for turning. Clip the corners, turn the pocket right side out, and press.
15. If desired, sew Ric Rac along the top opening of the Pocket. Pin the pocket to the bottom left-hand side of the Backing (catching the Peltex), and with a 1/8" seam allowance, top stitch around the same three sides as the previous step.
16. With wrong sides together, sandwich the Peltex between the Calendar and Backing fabrics. Top stitch 1/4" around the top, left, and right sides of the Patchwork block.
17. Slide the corners of the joined galvanized shingle into the small diagonal cuts, tape shingle in place. By burying the corners of the shingle into the Peltex, the Calendar will be more durable and the shingle will stay in place.
18. For the Binding, piece the two strips by placing the fabric right sides together, perpendicular to each other, and sew across the two strips at a 45˚ angle. Trim excess fabric at 1/4" and press seam open. With wrong sides together, press the Binding in half. With a 1/4" seam allowance, sew the raw edge of the Binding to the front side of the Calendar (leaving a +/- 6" tail from the start of the Binding). When approaching the corners, make sure to stop 1/4” from the corner, lift your needle and presser foot and fold the binding up onto itself. Fold the Binding down again, aligning the raw edges and resume stitching. When approaching the start of the Binding, with right sides together, stitch the end of the Binding to the tail of the Binding.
19. Fold over the Binding to the back and hand stitch the Binding in place, making sure to neatly miter the corners.
20. On the back side of the Calendar, sew on the 1/2" Retaining Rings (one on each side!) with Heavy Duty / Extra Strong Thread. Make sure to sew through the Peltex, for extra strength.
Magnet Discs + Letters
1. Paint the front and back of the wood discs. Let dry.
2. Adhere number stickers (and holiday stickers, if desired) to the discs. With a hot glue gun, glue the magnet to the back of the discs. When dry, apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to the front of the discs.
3. Purchase or make letters to spell out the month (I cut out 1" letters out of cardstock with Cricut). You don't need multiples of every letter, just enough of the popular letters to spell out the current month. Hopefully this will help: A= 2, B= 1, C= 1, D= 1, E= 3, F= 1, G= 1, H= 1, I= 1, J= 1, L= 1, M= 1, N= 1, O= 2, P= 1, R= 2, S= 1, T= 1, U= 2, V= 1, Y= 1.
4. With Liquid Stitch or Aleene's Tacky Glue, glue the 1" Clothes Pins to the Patchwork block. Clothes Pins should be placed 1/2" from the top of the Patchwork block, and centered within each individual Patchwork block.
That's all that I have today! :) I hope that you LOVE the Perpetual Magnetic Calendar, and hope that you swing by Made With Love to say hello! Until next time...
