Homemade Christmas

During the cooler months, sewing is my favorite stress reliever. I got hooked on making bags a couple of months ago and really cannot stop myself from sewing them for everyone. I wrote up this pattern to share at our monthly sewing class, and thought I would pass it on to you. This pattern will also work with pretty feed bags. I have made lined goat, special kitty, dog, rabbit, and wild game feed bags that are strong and sure to be unique. In place of fabric liners, I occasionally use old flannel bed sheets. The material is strong, and it flows great through the sewing machine. If you have some fancy bird feed bags lying around, grab them and sew some homemade Christmas gifts.  

— Pick your fabric for the outside, inside liner and pocket.

— Cut to desired size. Some things to consider — pictures, the size of the human the bag is meant for, words if using a feed bag; seams and the bottom only take a few inches. I typically end up with 17-by-17-inches or larger. Squares. Rectangles. It doesn’t matter.

— Cut all four pieces — or two if working with folded pieces — to equal size. 

— Cut out the desired size for your pocket. Iron all four sides in about half an inch or more. Stitch top seam down, then pin your pocket to the inside liner fabric. 

— Pin and sew on pocket. Take care to only sew the pocket to one side of the liner if using a folded piece of fabric. Three sides only. If the pocket is extra wide or long, I suggest running some stitches down the middle to break it up, otherwise it is too floppy and hard to hold anything in it. 

— Pin liner fabric right sides together (RST) and sew side seams. Do the same with outside fabric. RST. Do not sew top and bottom seams.

— Turn the lining fabric inside out, so you can see the pocket. 

— Leave the outside fabric RST. 

— Slide the liner fabric over the outside fabric — check pocket direction. Trust me. 

— Line up the bottom edges, square it (cut it) as needed. 

— Pin and sew the bottom edge. Handy tool — little sewing clips are easier to use than pins with this step if you have them. If in a pinch, use little girls’ snap hair clips. 

— I sew two seams on the bottom for extra strength, typically about 1/8 of an inch apart or so. 

—  Put your hand inside and push at the corners to form a triangle. Hint — use your hand as if making a puppet talk, then you make the right shape.

— Push it out, making sure the seam is lying flat, and mark 2-3 inches as desired. This makes for a wider bag — easier to haul things, especially books.

— Make sure the seams are going the same way. This refers to the bottom seam when sewing the triangle parts. Make sure they lay flat. 

— Turn your bag inside out.

— Fold outside fabric to the inside at least a couple of inches and work your way around, pinning as you go. Sewing clips are also fabulous for this step.

— Match the fold-up with the liner fabric, folding it to the inside so it is hidden. Move pins accordingly.

— Cut strapping material, 24 inches or so for each strap. 

— Measure 4 inches in from the outside edge. This is what I use. Any further in and they seem too close together. I put the straps in on the fourth inch.

— Slide strap in between layers and down a couple of inches; pin. 

— Make sure strap curls are the same direction. 

— Watch your placement of straps as you slide your bag into your machine, they will get caught if you aren’t careful. Treat them as an extension of your fabric. 

—  Sew all the way around, twice, about 1/4 inch apart or so. Backstitch on the straps multiple times. 

— Cut any loose threads. Hold it up and admire it.

— Become obsessed with making bags for everyone.  

Jacqui Davison and her family milk 800 cows and farm 1,200 acres in northeastern Vernon County, Wisconsin. Her children, Ira, Dane, Henry and Cora, help on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little ones or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos, and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.