Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Giveaway & Tutorial: Santa Gift Sack

Reading A Spoonful of Sugar's Christmas Fabric Gift Pouches made me remember I too had holiday gift bags to make. No precise sewing or much time is needed to make these cute Santa Sacks. Perfect to use as a gift bag, holiday decoration or substitute for a stocking (the girls will be getting these instead of stockings this year.)

Materials:

- a square of hemp, quilt batting and a holiday cotton print - all the same size (I have used 36" squares - but smaller or large squares would also work)
- elastic
- ribbon
  • Layer the three squares - batting, hessian and cotton print wrong side up.
  • Pin layers together and sew around the edge leaving enough of a gap on one side for turning. I used a 1/4" seam. (Tip: A walking foot makes it easy to sew multiple layers together.)
  • Trim seams and turn - sew remaining hole shut.
  • Pin layers together and sew a circle (approx 2.5" from edges) and then another circle 1/2 “ inside first circle.
  • On the cotton print side make small incision between the two sewn circles. Thread elastic through. Pull the elastic as tight as possible. Secure elastic and close incision.
  • Tie bow on front. Add gift tag and any other decorative items as desired.
AND because I have made too many for my needs this year - I am giving away one of these Santa sacks. I'll pick a number at random on 6th of December. Just leave a comment telling me what was the best holiday present you ever received as a child!

25 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh Wow! these are fantastic! I would love the chance to win. My favourite pressie as a child was a Mr Frosty ice maker! I loved it! It made Ice (obviously!) and you could colour it too! sounds naff now but back in the 70's (eek) it was the best lol. Sue x

* elizabeth * said...

That is a crazy good idea! They can be reused year to year to year. have a different colour for each family member! I love little traditions like this that you can loook forward to. I think I need to be making some of these asap!

* elizabeth * said...

Oh and favourite present...? I was really psyched the year I got TWO cabbage patch dolls! LOL The poseable one and the hair styling one. Oh my goodness, I was blown away at TWO dolls! TWO! LOL

Deb said...

I love the Santa Sacks!! Thanks for including me in your giveaway. My favorite gift growing up was a typewriter I received when I was taking typing in high school. I still remember the picture my mom took of me with it--a blue Smith Cornona! I was one excited kid!

A Spoonful Of Sugar said...

Fabulous sacks Rachael - perfect for grouping gifts together for different families.

My favourite Christmas was the year I received my Bride Doll, complete with a wardrobe of dresses that Santa (aka Mum) had sewn for me.

Nanna said...

I love these sacks!
My favorite present was a china teaset. I still have it today!

Unknown said...

I received a tape recorder when I was nine. I know old school...but, I loved it and recorded many songs with m friends!

mimi'sdarlins said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
hetty said...

Your Santa Sacks are very cute. I think I will have to make a few of these. Or better still, I'd love to win one! Thanks for giving me a chance.

janet clare said...

my sister and I were given roller skates one year. The only year it snowed on Christmas day... of course, we still wanted to try them out and because we have a super nice dad he took us out in the snow on our roller skates!

Sue said...

Those are beautiful! You're right, we need one at our house. Pick us, Santa!

mimi'sdarlins said...

These are such cute bags, thanks for the tute! What fun to stuff these instead of stockings :) Thank you also for the giveaway, and good luck to all. I forgot to tell you earlier about my favorite Christmas gift, so I'll delete my first comment. I was nine, and I got a doll house filled with tiny furniture. I'd been wanting one for years...it was the best gift ever!!

hetty said...

I just remembered that you wanted to know what my best Christmas present was. Sorry that I didn't include it before. When I was 12 I asked for a microscope - the geeky science nerd in me. And I got it!

chrissie said...

These sacks are fantastic... just off to find some suitable material to make one.
My favourite gift as a child was a dolls house that my dad made me. I didn't find out until I was an adult that he didn't finish it until 6 o'clock on Xmas morning and never complained when I dashed in to him at 6.30 to show what Santa had brought me. Aren't dad's wonderful!!

Bev said...

Lovely idea and thanks for the giveaway. My best Christmas present was a dolls house. I still have it in the loft. Bev

Michelle said...

Just a lovely festive idea...perfect for all of those granny good gifts...
The best thing I received for christmas as a child was "Big Ted" he was so loved for so many years...I still remember snuggling up to him in my late teens...thread bare and worn out from far too many cuddles and wishes told too...

Lynn M said...

I would like to enter. My favorite gift as a child was a book my grandma made for me full of poetry i used to write.

drmithome said...

Love the fabulous Santa sack. I loved the blue glittered bike I received when I was 11.

Sharon Field / Inky A*Muse-ment said...

Rachel, these are just too cute! Thanks for the tutorial!!

Kate said...

These are delightful!!! Thanks for sharing.

My Creative Chateau said...

Great tutorial. I can't wait to try making a few of these for Christmas giving. Also a few non-holiday for Birthdays. I have pinned you as well.

Nancy said...

My very, very most favorite Christmas gift as a child was my BB gun. I wanted one so badly. It was the last gift given that year. It sure looked like I wasn't going to get it, so I was just thrilled!

Gill said...

My favourite gift was a blue robot - it was powered by batteries and quite incredible! or at least I thought it was!!

annemarie said...

These are darling - my favorite gift was my own ice skates - not hand me downs or used - but bright, shiny new skates!

Nancy said...

I'm so happy to have won this great gift bag and know exactly what I'm going to use it to wrap. Thank you so very much, Rachael!