Christmas Gift Bag

A homemade gift bag is a gift in itself. Use festive fabric pieces and a design digitized in Designer’s Gallery® MasterWorks™ II to create this Christmas tote to hide presents for your loved ones! Download printable instructions.

Materials:

• Scanner
• Holly rubber stamp
• Black stamp pad
• Fabric paint with a foam brush
• 2 Different Christmas fat quarter prints
• ½ Yard muslin
• ½ Yard grosgrain ribbon
• Cotton batting
• Madeira® serging and embroidery thread
• Baby Lock Tear-Away Stabilizer
• 2 Christmas buttons

Tools:

• Baby Lock® sewing and embroidery machine
• MasterWorks™ II from Designer’s Gallery®

Steps:

1. Follow the next set of steps to digitize the stamp image using the MasterWorks II digitizing program:

   1. Using a black stamp pad and the same stamp design used in your project press the stamp design in the inkpad. Stamp the design onto a white piece of printer paper. Let the ink dry.

   2. Place the stamped paper on the scanner bed and scan the image. Save the image as a .jpg and save to a location of your choice.

   3. Open MasterWorks II digitizing program and retrieve the image. Place the image as a backdrop on your workspace.

   4. Activate the line drawing tool and draw the artwork lines from the backdrop image. Apply a column fill stitch to the artwork areas.

   5. Arrange the embroidery design to your specifications and save the design in the format that your machine will recognize.

   6. Print out a template of the embroidery for accurate placement of the design.

   7. Click on Save and send the design to the embroidery machine.

2. From the two fat quarter prints cut the following sections:

   1. From the first Christmas print cut one 9” piece for the bottom.

   2. From the first Christmas print cut two 4” x 9” pieces for the sides.

   3. From the first Christmas print cut four 3” squares. These sections will be the side front and back.

   4. From the second Christmas print cut two 3” squares. These sections will be the side front and back.

   5. From the second Christmas print cut two sections 9” x 2½”. These sections will be the lower front and back.

3. From the muslin and batting cut the following sections:

   1. Cut one section measuring 9” x 4” from each piece for the bottom. This will be the bottom lining sections.

   2. Cut two 4” x 9” pieces for the sides. These will be used for the side lining.

   3. Cut two pieces from the muslin that measure 6½” square. These two sections will be the embroidery sections. They are the front and back sections for the outside of the bag.

   4. Cut two 9” square pieces for the front and back lining panels.

4. From the grosgrain ribbon cut two 12” lengths for the handles.

5. From the decorator trim cut two pieces 9” long.

6. Hoop the Baby Lock Tear-Away stabilizer in the 130mm x 180mm hoop and lightly spray with the temporary spray adhesive.

7. Determine the position of the embroidered holly design on the 6½” square muslin section and place that area centered in the hoop. Finger press smooth.

8. Embroider the design.

9. Repeat for the back panel.

10. To stamp the holly design on the embroidered section use a foam brush or a cosmetic sponge to apply fabric paint to the stamp.

    1. Always remember to shake the paint before applying. Dip the brush in the paint and then spread on the stamp.

    2. You will need to re-coat your rubber stamp each time you stamp the fabric. Place the fabric on a lightly padded surface. I used four paper towels stacked on top of each other.

    3. Do a separate test for each of the different fabrics that you use. After you are satisfied with the look let the paint dry and then heat-set the paint to make the stamp permanent.

    4. Use a hot dry iron to heat set each painted area for two minutes while using a pressing cloth or a piece of parchment paper. Iron both sides of the fabric. Do not wash for two weeks.

11. Using a ¼” seam allowance place right sides together sew one 3” square from the second Christmas print section between two of the 3” square from the first Christmas print sections.

    1. With right side together sew the three panels to the embroidered panel. With right sides together sew the 9” x 2½” panel to the bottom edge of the pieced section.

    2. Press all of the seams in the same direction. Piece the back section together in the same manner.

12. Layer each front back side and bottom sections with its coordinating muslin section. Sandwich the batting between the lining and the outer sections.

13. Attach the walking foot to the machine and stitch in the ditch down the seam lines.

14. On the front and back sections sew the two pieces of 9” trim along the lower seam line.

15. On the side and bottom sections quilt as desired to hold the sections together.

16. To assemble the bag place wrong sides together sew the sides to the front and back sections stopping ¼” from the lower edge.

    1. With raw edges even sew the bottom section to the front back and sides. Top stitch along the top edge of the bag.

17. Cut a piece of cardboard to fit in the bottom of the bag. This will give the bag shape and support any gift you place in the bag.

18. Fold under the ribbon ends and sew to the bag 1½” from the side seam.

19. Sew buttons over the ribbon ends.