Lined Drawstring Christmas Gift Bags

Now, on to making Christmas items!  Our Sew What?! November class project was this lined, drawstring Christmas gift bag.  These little bags make great re-useable gift bags, which can be given as part of the gift.  They don't necessarily have to be made in Christmas fabric.  They'd be cute in other holiday-themed prints, children's prints or winter, spring, summer, fall prints - whatever you'd like.

The lining allows the bag to have a little more stability and style with the lining peeking above the top edge as a faux piping effect.  I have lots of satin ribbon in 3/8" width for other projects, so the choice of ribbon was easy to make since that's the width needed for this casing.

The red bags have a red satin lining and red satin ribbon threaded double through the casing to make two drawstrings (one for each side).  The green/red/white bag has a red cotton lining with green sating ribbons for the drawstrings.

The finished measurement on these is 6" X 9 1/2", but the drawstring bags could be made in any size you want.  I'm thinking of making some infinity scarves for Christmas gifts this year and I'm not sure they'll fit into these smaller bags, especially if the scarves are very long, so I'll probably make some larger gift bags to accommodate a larger gift.

I hope you like the way these cute little drawstring gift bags look.  They go together fairly quickly, especially when making several.  As you may know, the more you make of one item, the quicker they go together!

Thanksgiving Turkey Tea Towel

My Thanksgiving Turkey Tea Towel project got finished just in time to drape it over my oven handle, or better yet - hang it from the drawer of my antique pie safe where it won't accidentally get used!  I decided to use my serger for a rolled edge all around the flounce edges with a gold metallic thread.  Then, I stitched it onto the tea towel with a zig-zag stitch using the gold metallic thread in the needle and clear thread in the bobbin.  The metallic thread sparkles nicely.  (I like sparkly things!)

At our October Sew What? class, we had a lesson on how to calculate the size needed for the circle pattern that would be used to make the flounce on the tea towel.  Then, we determined the width we wanted for how wide the flounce would be.  It was much more easy than it sounds!

I had a lot of fun working on this tea towel project.  It was begun last year for our November Sew What? class project; but, I had to put it on hold due to some health events.  Everything is back on track, now.  All the praise goes to God!


My birthday was on the 25th and my Mother gave me three stamped, ready-to-embroider tea towels as a gift, so I guess I'll be doing some more hand embroidery - which I am rather enjoying.  They are really cute, with days-of-the-week printed on them.  When I get them stitched, I'll post them on my blog, but don't hold your breath - it could be a while!

This is my favorite holiday of the year - no presents necessary, no decorating necessary, unless we just "want to".  Let's all remember to give thanks to our Heavenly Father for the abundant blessings He has given to us and to our wonderful U.S.A.!  Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Mr. Gobbles Stuffed Felt Turkey Door Decoration

After years of looking at this project in an old Hancock Fabrics project booklet, I finally made myself get the necessary felt colors, trace the pattern and get the turkey project finished!  Wow!  I guess I'm a procrastinator, huh?

I don't do much hand embroidery, but lately I've made two projects for Thanksgiving: this stuffed felt turkey project and a tea towel.  I find that hand embroidery is very calming and soothing.  I know my blood pressure went down a lot!  I'll post the tea towel project in a few days, after I get it finished.  The tea towel project was what I taught at our October Sew What? Community Sewing group meeting.  Everyone did a great job on their embroidery!

I really didn't follow the exact color combination that the directions give.  Honestly, I forgot to look at the suggested colors for the turkey project before I went to the fabric store to cash in on the sale price for the felt - and to be able to use my discount.  The orange is supposed to be "cardinal red" and the light tan is supposed to be gold, but I used gold embroidery thread for the blanket stitching around all of the feather pieces.  I thought that would make the stuffed felt turkey show up a little better on the front door.


He's really a table-top project, but one of my students said she wanted to make her turkey project into a door hanging.  I thought that was a great idea!  Since I'm partial to Thanksgiving (we tend to overlook that holiday), I wanted to show my "Thanksgiving Spirit" by placing my stuffed felt turkey on my front door.

Here he is on my front door.  I hung him on a door hook - I think it's called a wreath hook.  It's a little high, but I think it shows up really well.

This is how the turkey looks flat on the floor.  If I make a second one, I'll make it for the table, to sit upright in a basket of fake straw.

Isn't he cute?  I just love him!

Let's remember to give thanks for this great country (USA) and all the bountiful blessings God has showered down upon us.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!