With just under a week until the big day, are you starting to panic as your remaining ‘To Do’ list contains larger items than you can manage?  Has someone helpfully come home and announced that they need a gift to give to someone tomorrow?  Have you suddenly received a last minute invitation to a Christmas Party?  Well fear not, here’s some quick and easy makes that you can throw together this week:

Bottle Bag Tutorial:

This bottle bag finishes at 3 ½” x 3 ½” x 15”.  It is an extract of a pattern I did for Quilt Now Magazine last year, the measurements included are for the bottle bag, but the principle of the pattern will work for all sorts of shapes and sizes.

Seam allowance, unless otherwise stated: ½”

Supplies:

• 1 FQ patterned quilting cotton for lower outer
• 1 FQ patterned quilting cotton for lower lining
• 1 FE patterned quilting cotton for upper/casing
• 1 ½ m of 1” wide ribbon

Cut The Following:

From the FQ patterned quilting cotton for lower outer:

• 2 pieces 8” x 15 ½” for the lower outer section

From the FQ patterned quilting cotton for lower lining:

• 2 pieces 8” x 15 ½” for the lower lining section

From the FQ patterned quilting cotton for upper/casing

• 2 pieces 7 ½” x 8” for the upper/casing section

From the ribbon:

• Cut into 2 equal length pieces

Preparing The Pieces:

1. Cut a 1 ¾” square out of the corners from the lower 8” edge of the lower bag section

2. Fold the ends of your ribbon ties over by about ¼”, twice to encase the raw ends, then top stitch in place about 1/8” from the edge.

Assembling The Gift Bags:

3. Take one outer lower bag section and one upper/casing section and place right sides together, matching the long raw edge of the upper/casing section along the top edge of the lower bag. Stitch together and press seams open.

4. Take one lining lower bag section and place right sides together with the remaining long edge of the upper/casing section, stitch together and press seams open.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the remaining lower bag and upper/casing sections.

6. Place the pieces from steps 4 and 5 right sides together, ensuring that the outer sections are facing each other, and pin together, matching seams and outer edges. On the lining side leave a turning gap in the side seam 3” – 4” long.

7. Measure and mark on the upper/casing section on the sides where the ribbons will pass through ½” and 1 ¾” from the stitching line between the lower outer and upper/casing.

8. Leaving the corner cut outs, casing openings and turning gap open, stitch around the remaining edges.

9. Press the seams open – this can be done one side at a time by pressing the seam allowance towards the body of the bag.

10. Squeeze the corner cut outs together so that the edges and the side and bottom seams meet. Stitch together.

11. Turn the bag through the turning gap and having matched the upper/casing seams on both the outer and the lining, press the top edge of the bag.

12. Taking an erasable marking tool, mark the casing lines on the outside of the bag ½” and 1 ¾” from the stitching line between the lower outer and upper/casing.  Note that these should match the openings you created in step 7.

13. Following the marked lines above, stitch all the way around the upper and lower casing lines, then erase the lines.

14. Using a safety pin or bodkin, thread the first ribbon through one opening, all the way around to emerge at the same opening. Take the remaining ribbon and thread it through the opposite opening.

15. Stitch the turning gap closed.

And here are a few other options you might like:

A Chevron Clutch:

A Pocketed Cosmetic Bag:

A Straight Sided Pouch:

A Wee Tote Bag: