So, I have all of these scraps around, and one of the things I wanted to do was make gift bags. (the others
here and
there)
However, when I went to find ideas, all of the bags were drawstring! That doesn't work for everything; I wanted a bag that stands up and could better hold square/bigger/rectangular objects. So, I made up a new design!
Making my Gift Bag
I first wanted to make a bag for the Kindle Cover I
made for Father's Day and decided to make the bag 12" tall, 8" wide, and 3" deep.
So I cut 4 - 12"x8", 4-3"x12", and 2-3"x8" from my chosen fabric (make sure you iron first!) and 2-11.5"x7.5" and 1-2.5"x7.5" of Pellon Peltex (mine was fusible on one side; this will make the front & back and bottom stiff).
Next I fused the 11.5"x7.5" and 2.5"x7.5" Peltex pieces to their respective fabric pieces (12"x8" and 3"x8"). Make sure to follow the fusing instructions. (If your interface isn't fusible, put a loose stitch around the edges to hold the sides together) Stitch the non-fused sides together (I did a decorative stitch right down the middle instead of going around - you can see it in the picture of the inside-out bag). If you want to use decorative stitches (in a complementing colour! I used light pink on the green) to add to the bag, now would be the time to add those.
Now you're ready to assemble!
If the bigger sides do not fit between the needle and inset side of you machine, you should start by sewing the sides together. I started with the bottom.
Unless you want the seems on the outside (in which case you should go around with a pinking shear to prevent raveling), the bag will be constructed inside out. Place the seems together and stitch it up - I used a straight stitch at 2. When lining up the bottom and stiff sides, be sure the interface is as close as possible.
When you have all the seems sewn up, flip that bag right side out!
The interface may make it difficult, so go slowly to avoid bending the interface badly or loosing any of the seems.
If you want, you can check to see if you bag will stand now - mine had too small of a base to stand without the gift inside to give it some weight.
Now to finish up!
I wanted to keep the seem "open" on the top, so I went around the top with a pinking shear and then the same decorative stitch (in the same light pink with a blue threaded bobbin) I did down the side. If you want, you can fold the cloth on top in or out on the bag and sew it down.
When the top is done, you need to make a place for the ribbon! My machine has a handy button-hole maker, so I used that. I put them about 2 inches from the top and 2 inches apart on the front and back.
Thread the ribbon of your choice through the holes and tie it up! You could you a ribbon that brings out your decorative stitches like I show on the top picture or a different complementing colour. Bags are reusable, so for my father's day gift I used a gold coloured ribbon. (it's all wrapped up in the picture, now just a place to hide it until Sunday...)
Let me know if you have any questions :)
Congrats! You now have a bag!
