Craftseller - November 2014

PHOTOS:

Jacqueline Ramsey

SEW IT

0000 Craftseller

SAFETY FIRSTOur Santa Sack is not

designed to be a toy but will appeal to

children, so make sure you assemble it with

extra care. Ensure all the design elements

are stitchedsecurelyinplace.Remember,

if you intend to sell it, there are strict

regulations to adhere to. For advice on

child safety, visit craft-seller.com.

How to make up the sacks

S

anta sacks have been a hot festive

trendfor thelastfew years and

shows no sign of slowing down. It’s

not entirely surprising when you consider

their green credentials. Christmas sacks hark

back to our grandmothers’ generation when

items were made to last and were passed

down tofamily members asheirlooms.

Today’s parents will no doubt love the time

and expense saved on wrapping presents

infestive paper. So stitchyourwaytoa

Christmas windfall with a customised Santa

sack. Choose from three designs: a snow-

laden Christmas tree, a heavenly angel or a

quirky penguin bursting with character.

INFORMATION

Materials

*1metreof1 30 -140cmwidemedium

or heavy weight cotton in red or

white (will make two sacks)

* 1 spool of matching all-purpose

thread

* 1 metre ofpullcordfor eachsack

FortheChristmas tree sack:

* 30 x 30cm(12 x 12in)felt squares in

dark green, white, light brown and

darkbrown

* 1 metre of dark green cord

For the angel sack:

* 30 x 30cm(12 x 12in)felt squares in

bright pink, lilac, yellow and blue

*1metreoflilaccord

For the penguin sack:

* 30 x 30cm(12 x 12in)felt squares in

black, white, red, yellow and blue

* 1 metre of yellow cord

Size:45 x 54cm( 17 ¾x 21 ¼in)

Skilllevel:Easy

Fold the cotton fabric in half, selvedge to

selvedge, and cut down the middle(this

gives you two sacks). The selvedge will

be the top of the sack. Fold in half again,

selvedges together, then work on your

design with selvedges at the top. The sack is

seamedon thebottom andright-handside

after you have finished stitching the design.

How to make the Christmas tree

1

Trace the Christmas tree templates on

page 102 onto felt. Place the tree trunk

in the centre of sack, 19cm ( 7 ½in) up from

thebottom, and machine stitch in place.

2

Arrange the tree foliage felt shapes

above the tree trunk starting from the

bottom and working upwards. Position them

at wonky angles for a fun effect. Machine

stitcheachone in place individually.

3

Once the tree and trunk are in place,

attach the tree pot, stitchingit on top

of the bottom of the tree trunk.

4

Cut the recipient’s name out of felt,

makingsure the letters are a uniform

size.Stitchacross thebottomofthesack.

5

Wrong sides together, fold the sack in

half and stitch bottom and side edges;

leave an 8cm (3in) gap at top of side seam.

6

Neatly fold in the raw edges at the top

of the side seam and stitch in place.

Turn the sack the right way out, to finish.

To make the cord casing(all sacks)

Fold 4cm (1½in) down from top of sack

with wrongsides together. Stitch across the

bottom edge, then stitcha parallelline 2cm

(¾in) above it. Backstitch both ends of the

stitching to prevent unravelling. Thread cord

through casing.Makea2x4cm(¾x 1 ½in)

felt tab andattachovertheendsofthecord.