Tutorial: Santa Sack

I wanted to revisit a tutorial that I made back in November 2011 for home made Santa Sacks.

I don't know what your Christmas was like as a child - but one of my highlights was the stocking. The arrival of Santa (Father Christmas) and the stocking was huge. The stocking was one of my father's thread bare socks (it was not at all attractive.) So when we had children I knew that the stocking was going to be one of my little Christmas obsessions.





I had made a few of these sacks back in 2011 - but only kept 2. I knew when bunny #3 came along we would have to make another sack. I know he will notice Christmas this year - he fully understands the concept of presents now. In fact I am unsure how we will restrain him.

This new sack came together really really quickly and if you shop at JoAnns for cheap fun stuff these sacks came be made very inexpensively. I love the sacks - they are so cute. The girls sacks have held up really well AND they can fit a surprising amount of bounty in them.

My little chap was very pleased with his sack but could not understand why I was shoving his toys into it and asking him to hold it while I took photos. 

His older sister - bunny #2 - was all too eager to stick her favorite toys in and pretend it was Christmas!

So if you feel like making some sacks this year - either to use as stockings like we do - or as just pretty gift sacks please remember my tutorial which you can find here - it seems to still make sense (to little me at least!)

 Santa Sack Tutorial from November 2011

Nativity Pageant: Shepherds Costumes

Not much crafting is going on here - with too many small children under foot and not enough time (or energy!) But I have been able to squeeze in a bit of sewing for our local Nativity Pageant that happens every year. They needed some new shepherd costumes so I set to work using this very simple pattern. (Please e-mail me if you would like this file - it shows how to cut a length of fabric into simple shapes that then make the tunics and cloaks.)

I managed to make 4 complete costumes. 

 With frayed edges ...

 ... grommets and cord to make fancy shepherd necklines ...

 ... simple gathered slings ...

 ... and some attention to corner detail.

 I can't wait to see them being worn this year!

Happy Holidays everyone.

Recycle Old Holiday Cards into Quick Gift Tags

Its not to late to add those cute finishing touches to the presents all wrapped up under the tree. I like to keep all bows and cards from any occasion and recycle them. This year I have recycled the ribbons and cards from holidays gone by. It really takes no time at all to make your own gift cards and it is great to recycle. Use normal scissors or pinking shears, a hole punch and a bit of ribbon. Some of them are so cute they could pass as brand new gift tags!

Candy Cane Mice

Ever since I got Martha Stewarts Handmade Holiday Crafts I've been dying to make these guys. I made a couple of adjustments. I used bobbly wobbly eyes and folded the ears ... ... while hooking the candy cane through the ear loop at the back - which made them perk up a little. The mice are in browns and greys, with little red rudolph noses and colored ear inserts which match the color of their tails.They are just as cute as I dreamed they would be.
UPDATE & TIP: If giving these guys as a gift to children - put them in a cellophane bag - little fingers rip these apart quicker than you can say quick. They also make cute Christmas tree decorations.

Giveaway & Tutorial: Santa Gift Sack

Reading A Spoonful of Sugar's Christmas Fabric Gift Pouches made me remember I too had holiday gift bags to make. No precise sewing or much time is needed to make these cute Santa Sacks. Perfect to use as a gift bag, holiday decoration or substitute for a stocking (the girls will be getting these instead of stockings this year.)

Materials:
- a square of hemp, quilt batting and a holiday cotton print - all the same size (I have used 36" squares - but smaller or large squares would also work)
- elastic
- ribbon

• Layer the three squares - batting, hessian and cotton print wrong side up.

• Pin layers together and sew around the edge leaving enough of a gap on one side for turning. I used a 1/4" seam. (Tip: A walking foot makes it easy to sew multiple layers together.)
  
• Trim seams and turn - sew remaining hole shut.

• Pin layers together and sew a circle (approx 2.5" from edges) and then another circle 1/2 “ inside first circle.

• On the cotton print side make small incision between the two sewn circles. Thread elastic through. Pull the elastic as tight as possible. Secure elastic and close incision.

• Tie bow on front. Add gift tag and any other decorative items as desired.

AND because I have made too many for my needs this year - I am giving away one of these Santa sacks. I'll pick a number at random on 6th of December. Just leave a comment telling me what was the best holiday present you ever received as a child!

Pompom Christmas Tree Tutorial

I have very early memories of making pompoms. We would cut out wonky circles of cardboard - make wonky holes in them and then awkwardly ... for what seemed like the longest time ... thread yarn through the hole around the wonky cardboard until we could thread no longer. I had this idea for a Pompom Christmas Tree and I thought that there should be some gadget out there that would make pompoms easier to make. The Clover pompom makers gets good reviews - and I liked them a lot too.

Materials
- green yarn
- wooden skewer
- hemp or Christmas wrapping paper
- pot of old Playdoh
- glue
- cling film/saran wrap
- decorative buttons
- ribbon

Equipment
- pompom makers or previously mentioned wonky circles of cardboard in ascending size
- scissors

• Make your pompoms in ascending size. For my trees I used anywhere between 2-5 pompoms.
• Put pompoms in ascending size onto a skewer - squish them tightly together and trim. Remember to leave some skewer empty on the base and on the top of the tree.

• Put glue on to the top of the skewer and shape pom pom at the top.

• Add any tree topping decoration - I used plastic star shaped buttons.

• Wrap a lump of old Playdoh in cling film/saran wrap (you can use anything that has weight to it and can be speared with a skewer), then again in hemp or wrapping paper. Secure with a bow.
  

• Trim skewer to desired size and put the remaining skewer into the Playdoh. Trim hemp/wrapping paper.

Homemade Christmas Cards

Draw some shapes on some heavyweight paper.Carefully paint the shapes.
Carefully cut out the shapes and add some glitter in a delicate fashion.
Stick the shapes onto a folded piece of card.
Grandma will love these!