Turn a couple afternoons of sewing into a lasting holiday tradition with a fabric countdown chain.

A fun, festive, and reusable twist on the classic paper chain. Get excited for the holidays – each link represents a day in December. Remove one link each day as a countdown until Christmas! Make the links scrappy or use part of a honey bun fabric roll – either way it’s sure to cozy up your home and become a holiday favourite.

Supply List

What you’ll need

• 50 strips of fabric measuring  1.5″ by 10.5″ (we used Moda’s At Home honey bun roll by Bonnie and Camille)
• Scrap pieces of batting cut into 25 strips measuring 1.5″ by 10.5″
• 25 plastic snap fasteners and tool set, or other fastener type (hook-and-loop or buttons)
• EZ Point turner
• General sewing notions (sewing machine, rotary blade, cutting mat, ruler, pin/clips, thread, etc.)

Step-by-step instructions

Getting started

This beginner-friendly project is a great way to scrapbust those awkward long and skinny pieces of quilt batting you’ve avoided tossing! 

Cutting fabric

Select 13 strips from a honeybun roll, using roughly equal amounts of the various colours to make a colour-balanced countdown chain. This tutorial’s selection is perfect for the holidays with its red and green palette.

Sub-cut each strip into 10.5″ long pieces. Each honey roll strip should yield 4 pieces for a total of 52. You will have 2 extra pieces to use for another project.

Cut your batting pieces into strips measuring 1.5″ x 10.5″. Cut 25 pieces.

Making a link 

Take 2 matching strips of fabric and place them right sides together (RST).

Lay the two RST fabric pieces on top of a quilt batting strip.

Starting roughly 2 inches from the top, sew around the RST fabric and quilt batting using a ¼” seam. 

Leave a 1″ opening. Back-stitch at the beginning and end.

Clip the corners off to reduce bulk, making sure not to cut through any stitches.

Use the EZ point turner tool, or similar, to help turn the link right sides out. Use a blunt object to poke out the corner and roll the seams so that the link lays nice and flat.

At the opening, turn the fabric and quilt batting in ¼”. Top-stitch with an ⅛” allowance all the way around the edge of the link. This will stitch the opening closed.

Repeat until you have 25 links. 

Adding the snap fastener

Gather the 4 pieces for each snap fastener (2 caps, 1 socket and 1 stud), the snap pliers and the awl.

Using the awl, pierce a hole, centered about ½” from each end, so that there is about 1 inch of overlap.

Repeat on the other end, making sure that the second cap is pushed through the opposite side. Add the socket and use the pliers to press the cap and socket together.

Repeat for all links.

That’s it, you’re all done!

This project is perfect to squeeze in before December. It’s quick, uses up those awkward batting scraps and it makes great decor for the holidays — give it a try and share what you make!

Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram or Facebook so we can see and celebrate your creations! #TrendTexFabrics @trendtexfabrics