Ho ho ho

 Christmas Eve is coming soon and with a ho ho ho I'm ready for gifting.  

The last presents on my list were to sew book bags for my two grandsons.  Their ages are 3 and 5.  I was inspired to make these bags when I came across fabrics for their favorite toys.  One loves Thomas the Train and the other loves dinosaurs.  Every holiday and gift giving opportunity I give books to the kids. 

I couldn't give them an empty book bag, so to make these gifts fun I needed to find books with matching themes from the fabric.  On one of my shopping trips I was able to find a Thomas the Train Book and matching stuffy.  I also found a stuffed dinosaur and a book about trucks that are dinosaurs (my grandson loves trucks too).  

The book bags measure 14" by 12".  These bags are lined and reversible, but the lining fabric is plain and not the same fun print.

I'd like to say that my sewing time is done for the year, but I'm picking my daughter up this weekend and I'm sure some creative time with my sewing machine will be on our agenda.  Ho ho ho.

Oh Christmas Tree

I'm always looking for new ideas for giving little gifts.  Scrolling through Pinterest I saw many postings for a fabric Christmas tree gift bag.  I was hooked.  

I was able to find several sites that explain how to draw your own tree bag pattern.   The finished bag measures approximately 10" wide on the bottom (which is the widest part) and they are 8" tall. 

I did some  tweaking of the pattern, so after a little trial and error this is what I decided to do.  With the tree having pointed ends I felt that lining this bag made it too bulky.  So my bag is unlined.  No lining keeps the tree points nice and crisp. With this change I adjusted the top casing by reducing it by I/2" on the top and 1/4" on each side.  No lining also saved on fabric,  I only needed to cut and sew the outside section.   And let's face it, how long will someone really use these bags.

I was able to whip up 14 tree bags in no time at all, taking approximately 15 minutes per bag to make. One of my time saving shortcuts is to lay the top drawstring in the casing before it is sewn shut.  This step saves a lot of time from trying to feed the drawstring through the casing after it's sewn.  I added a jingle bell on the center top of each tree bag. 

I think they came out adorable.  They would make unique little treat bags for those who make and give homemade fudge or cookies.  

My Christmas tree bags will be used for my stocking stuffer gifts.  Time to fill them up with some special treats. 

I have another sewing project gift to complete in the next few days.  I'll be back soon.  Ho ho ho.