Sewing   |   Easy DIY Fabric Christmas Countdown Chain (Beginner-Friendly Sewing Project)

Easy DIY Fabric Christmas Countdown Chain (Beginner-Friendly Sewing Project)

By a Bug & a Bean | Posted on 2025-11-21

Learn how to make a simple, beginner-friendly DIY fabric Christmas countdown chain using fabric scraps, snaps, and basic sewing supplies. Perfect for kids, beginners, and holiday crafting fun!

Post Tags

SEWING PROJECTS   CHRISTMAS  

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Table of Contents

• Materials Needed
• Step By Step Instructions
• Video Tutorial

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If you’re looking for a simple and magical Christmas craft that beginners can sew with ease, this DIY Fabric Christmas Countdown Chain is perfect. Made from small strips of cotton fabric, this project is ideal for using up scraps, teaching kids to sew, or creating a reusable advent-style decoration for the holiday season. Each link in the chain is soft, sturdy, and snaps together—making it a fun, interactive way to count down the days until Christmas.

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Materials Needed

• Cotton fabric strips (cut to 3.5 x 10 inches)
• Medium-weight fusible interfacing
• Plastic snaps and snap plier tool
• Sewing machine and matching thread
• Iron and ironing board
• Fabric scissors or rotary cutter
• Turning tool (optional but helpful)

Step By Step Instructions

Step 1: Prepare Your Fabric Strips

Begin by cutting your cotton fabric into strips measuring 3.5 x 10 inches. This is a great opportunity to use up leftover holiday prints, coordinating colors, or even non-Christmas fabrics for a whimsical and colorful chain. For each link, you will need one strip of fabric and one strip of medium-weight fusible interfacing cut to the same size.

Step 2: Fuse the Interfacing

Place the interfacing on the wrong side of the fabric strip with the adhesive side down. Press with an iron following the interfacing instructions. This gives the link structure and helps it hold its shape after turning and topstitching.

Step 3: Fold and Sew

Fold your fabric strip in half lengthwise with right sides together. Sew around the edges using a 1/4-inch seam allowance, leaving a small opening on one long side for turning the piece right side out.

Step 4: Turn and Press

Turn the rectangle right side out through the opening. Use a turning tool or a chopstick to push out the corners for a crisp shape. Press the fabric flat with an iron, making sure the seam allowance from the opening is folded neatly inside.

Step 5: Top Stitch

Top stitch around the entire rectangle, closing the opening as you sew. This gives it a finished look and adds durability to your countdown chain links.

Step 6: Add Snaps to Create the Link

Using your plastic snaps and plier tool, attach a snap to each end of the rectangle—one male and one female. This allows the link to connect securely to other links. Once attached, snap the ends together to form a loop. You’ve completed your first chain link!

Step 7: Create the Countdown Chain

Repeat the process to make as many links as you want in your countdown—typically 24 or 25 for the days leading up to Christmas. Mix and match fabric prints for a festive, scrappy, and charming holiday decoration you can reuse every year.

Display and Enjoy

Hang your finished chain on a mantel, doorway, or wall. Each day, unsnap a link to count down to Christmas, or build the chain one link at a time as the holiday approaches. This handmade project brings warmth, tradition, and creativity to your holiday season.

Video Tutorial

Watch us sew this project on TikTok. Follow our account @abugandabean for more crafty ideas and tutorials!

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