Crazy Quilted Festive Gift Bag
How "green" can it get? Your giftees will love to get a unique, handmade gift bag. Put lots of festive decorations on it, and it will be as much of a hit as the gift inside. Tailor it to an occasion in suitable colors and trims, or make it multi-purpose.
Instructions are for a gift bag 5-1/2" high, 5" wide, 3" deep. Cording gathers the top, and the bottom is given a squared shape by a simple sewing technique. Make a bag following the instructions below, then you will be able to make another in any size, from little to big.
Use the crazy patching method of your choice. The bag shown here is machine sewn using the Confetti method. Decorate it with trims, laces, embroidery and embellishments as you like. A tasseled upholstery trim decorates the upper edge of this one.
Tools Needed:
- Fabric shears
- Embroidery scissors
- Hand sewing needles
- Pins
- Sewing machine
- Iron
- Rotary cutter, cutting mat, acrylic ruler for the Confetti method
Materials Needed:
- Sewing thread
- Fabric scraps
- Muslin
- Thin batting
- Fabric for lining (fancy or plain)
- Bias binding- self made or purchased
- Chalk marking pencil
- 8 metal eyelets (optional)
- Metallic cording
- Trims and embroidery materials of your choice
1. Prepare a crazy quilted piece 9" by 14" using the method of your choice. Cut 1 piece of lining and 1 of batting the same size.
2. Sandwich the three with the batting as the middle layer. Hand baste to hold the layers in place. The photo shows two bags basted and ready for trimming- one in shades of rose, and the other in greens.
3. Sew on trims and embroider as desired, saving hard trims such as buttons to be sewn on later.
4. Fold the piece in two with right sides together (the folded piece will be 9" wide by 7"), and sew the two sides to make side seams. Finish the side seams with bias binding or zigzag.
5. With the bag inside out, fold one bottom corner to align the side seam of the bag with the bottom of the bag- exactly where the bottom seam would be if there were one. This forms a triangular shape. Measure across to find where to sew a seam that will be 3" long. Pin along this line, and sew as shown in the photo above. Repeat for the remaining bottom corner.
6. Sew bias binding to the upper edge of the bag. The photo shows binding sewn on by machine on the right side of the bag. It is pinned and ready to be hand sewn to the inside of the bag. After binding is sewn, turn the bag right side out.
7. Shape the bag like a brown paper bag- fold side seams inwards and press along the creases. While folded, push a pin through all layers about 1" in from the left edge near the top of the bag, and another the same distance from the right edge. Mark on the right side of the bag each place where the pins go through. There will be 8 placements. At each of these insert a metal eyelet following instructions that came with the eyelets. Or, make small buttonholes.
8. Lace cording through the holes leaving it looped in the front and the back so the cording forms a handle. The photo shows the cording run through the eyelets. Knot the ends together and let them fray. Sew onto the bag any hard trims desired such as buttons, beads, charms.
This pattern is for personal use only. Not to be sold, copied, or distributed in any way, shape, manner, or form.