Today’s Guest Poster is the ever lovely Kris from Tag Along Teddies. If you’ve been following Shabby Art Boutique for awhile now then you’d already know Kris. . . she’s been a regular contributor to my blog over the years. She was even kind enough to step in and keep the posts coming during last years Simply Christmas when my internet server went down for a week or so.
Kris and I were friends in business long before we discovered the blogging world and I’m honoured to say that she is one of the lovely gals that makes up my business mentor group. Soooooo. . . I’m really pleased to have her pop over here again to do a guest post and share her love of all things fabric.
G’day All!! Kris from Tag Along Teddies popping in to wish you all a Happy Christmas! I’m so very EXCITED to be part of the lovely Kerryanne’s “Simply Christmas” program once again … haven’t there been some wonderful craft, decorating and cooking ideas shared so far? Now if only I could get my butt into gear and do something about it! Tee! Hee! Hee!
Well … if you’re like me and beginning to run around the house, waving your arms around like a lunatic, gibbering things like … “Must get gifties in the mail! Must get gifties MADE to go in the mail!!!!” … then I have something that might help you. I’ve got a quick, simple, low-fuss kind of Christmas craft project to share with you today, so grab a cuppa (I’m not known for my SHORT posts! Tee! Hee! Hee!) and we’ll see if we can’t get a step closer to being ready for Christmas.
Christmas Pillowcase/Santa Sack
You will need:
· A plain coloured pillowcase
· A piece of Christmas print fabric with largish pictures on it
· Fusible webbing (vlisofix or Easy-Appliqué work well)
· 22” (56cm) giant rick-rack or pom-pom braid
· 10” (25cm) wide ribbon (to hang Santa sack)
· General sewing requirements
As you can see from the photo, I’ve made two versions of this Christmas pillowcase/Santa Sack, so will explain both as we go through. Ready?? Here we go!! :0)
1. Choose a section of your fabric’s print you want to use and iron your fusible webbing onto the BACK of it.
2. Cut out your shapes … I cut out baubles of different colours and sizes to make it more interesting, but you could make a scene if you like (with the cut out shapes, not by throwing a tantrum or anything! Tee! Hee! Hee!) depending on your fabric design.
3. Give your pillowcase a really good press to get rid of any wrinkles that would cause the webbing not to stick as well. Lay the pillowcase right side up … ie. The side that does NOT have the inner flap should face up. My pillow cases had a pleated cuff, which helped me keep things straight! :0)
4. Peel the paper backing off your appliqué shapes, then play around with the layout of them until you’re happy with how they look … I put my appliqué shapes across the short side of the pillow case as a Santa sack, but if you just wanted to make this a pillowcase, you could turn the design around so it runs horizontally. Press in place to attach shapes.
5. For this stage, you have two options as to how you secure your appliqué shapes … well … there are MORE than two, but only two that I used! :0) The first is stitching by hand.
Using a number 5 or 8 perle thread, running stitch around your shapes about 1/8” from the edge … I then stitched ‘strings’ from my baubles that they are ‘hanging’ by. Option two to attach the shapes is by machine …
Using either a straight stitch or a very close zigzag stitch, sew around the edge of your shapes … I used a straight stitch about 1/8” from the edge of shapes to attach them, then a close zigzag for the ‘strings’.
6. Measure across your pillowcase, then add half an inch to the length (1cm) and cut a length of giant rick-rack or pom-pom braid that length. (mine was 19”+1/2” for ends to be folded under) Fold the ends of the rick-rack under ¼” to avoid fraying. If you use the pom-pom braid, cut a pom-pom off each end first to give you enough braid to tuck ends under. Pin rick-rack/braid in place along the cuff. Machine stitch in place.
7. Fold your 10” length of ribbon in half to form a loop, sitting ends on top of each other. Pin doubled ribbon to one side seam of the pillow case, with cut ends the same distance down from the top as the width of your ribbon so that where the ribbon overlaps the pillowcase forms a square. Set your machine to a close, small zigzag stitch and stitch around the square, then across diagonals as per the photo …
8. Et Voila! Your Santa Sack/Christmas Pillowcase is FINISHED!
It’s now ready for you to hang on your bedroom door knob ready for Santa to fill with goodies, or to slip onto your pillow for sweet Christmas dreams. :0)
You can play with this basic concept to create personalized gifties. For a little girl, you could choose a pillowcase colour to match her room, then sew a number of different colour, width, textured ribbons and braids across it in the same way as the rick-rack. For a little boy, you could appliqué a truck or car along with the first letter of his name like so …
OH!!! The possibilities are endless! And it really does make for a quick, simple giftie.
I hope I’ve helped you emerge a little from your Christmas tizzy and that you have fun playing with this idea … I’d love to see some photos! :0)
Thanks again to Kerryanne for allowing me to come and play on her blog. I wish you all a safe, happy and holy Christmas and a New Year full of family, friends, fun, FABRIC (Tee! Hee! Hee!) and lots of exciting new adventures!! :0) I hope you’ll ‘tag along’ over to visit me some time! :0) Til next time …
CHRISTMAS BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS
Thanks again Kris for another fantastic Christmas tutorial.
How gorgeous are those pillowcase come Santa sacks? If you perhaps can’t make your own or are running out of time then I have some fantastic news for you. . . yes, it’s a GIVEAWAY. Kris is very generously gifting both of these bags, so there’s two chances to win. To enter the giveaway you’ll need to pop over to Kris’ blog Tag Along Teddies where she is doing a GIVEAWAY post later today. . . I’m saying later as I know she has a big Christmas breakie thingy happening this morning, so she may not get her post up until the afternoon. Good luck everyone!
misteejay says
What a lovely idea – I love the bauble decoration on these…very festive.
Thank you for sharing this lovely ‘how to’.
Toni xx
Fiona says
These are so cute and so pretty… thanks KerryAnne and Kris…
Hugz
Linda Lilly Cottage says
Yay!! Gorgeous idea Kris and great tutorial…it wasn’t that long, I didn’t finish my cuppa!
Kiss Noises Linda
shez says
Great idea Kris and what a fantastic job you did they look fantastic,thankyou Kerryanne and Kris for todays post.xo
ArtfulLee Designed says
Fabulous idea. thanks for the tutorial. I think as a non-sewing person, I could do this one. The baubles look fantastic.
Lee:)
Kate says
That is sweet!
Sandi @ The Primitive Skate says
These santa sacks are adorable.
Thanks for the tutorial.
[email protected]
Mirevan says
Cute !!!!!
Mirevan from Chambéry
http://www.mirevan.canalblog.com
Sew Useful Designs says
Hi there Kris!!
What a fabulous idea for kiddies – and you can get PLENTY of goodies to fit in those stockings!!! Thank you for the tutorial!!! I’m off to enter your giveaway sweetie!
Christmas hugs!!! Vikki xoxo