Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Gift Bag--12th Finish for 4th Quarter Finish-A-Long (FAL) 2017

Finished gift bag
I enjoyed that pristine ironing surface for a couple of days and I kept wanting to press a project! So I decided I'd work on the gift bag project from my list.

I picked up this little gift bag kit at our guild quilt show last April at a vendor booth that always has interesting and fun one of a kind items. This project was goal number 23 on my 4th Quarter Finish-A-Long list. It is my twelfth finish for the quarter! It has been sitting in a basket for completion all this time. It takes two pieces of coordinating fabric 9 inches by 22 inches, four small bells and one 1 inch ring to make this bag. This bag took me a little more than an hour to make.

The little bells jingle and just made me smile when I viewed a finished bag at the guild quilt show last April. I thought this would be a great project to reduce the number of fat quarters that are overflowing a storage container.
Two more gift bags

After I finished this bag, I cut out and assembled two more gift bags. I realized while stitching the first bag, I didn't comprehend the directions as they were intended to be understood! I used to think that I was great at following directions. . . .now, not so much.

Writing directions is an art form as the meaning in what is written can often be interpreted differently from the writer's intention.  These days, fewer words and fewer diagrams are used to convey the instructions so allowing my own thoughts to take over usually result in a different method. It took me about an hour and a half to make the next two bags.

I used 6mm bells for the second bag session; but, I should have purchased 9mm bells because the 6mm bells don't jingle! There should be a law that bells that don't jingle can't be sold!

I have enough small bells to make three more bags which I will stitch to use up those small bells. Yesterday, I purchased a package of 9mm bells. I also am looking for a site to purchase a bunch of rings as well as bells online. If you have a resource, please share it in the comments.

I was thinking Valentine's Day and the grands as I was stitching. I like fabric bags because they are reusable; they are easily stored flat; they don't rip or tear and they are easy to fill!

Two fat quarters will make two bags. I've now used 44 1/4 yards of fabric and I'm inching ever closer to the 50 yard goal. I will be making more of these bags next year!


8 comments:

Unknown said...

Those look really cute! I'll have to try making a few of those myself. I've started making gift bags for all of my gifts, so it would be nice to have a couple of different designs to use. If you find an online source for the bells and rings, please share! Thanks!!

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

Nancy, will do. . .I'm sure there is a source. . .now to find it!!

Monica said...

LOL, at first I thought that second photo was a pair of elf boots! Either way, they look very well made. :D Happy holidays!

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

Tee hee!! The little gift bags do look like elf boots! Thanks for the giggle, Monica!

Diane-crewe said...

love those little bags x

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

Thanks, Diane! They were a fun diversion!

Sarah said...

Your little bags have given me a nostalgic flashback to when I first started machine sewing and our little local store sold kits for these Jester Bags (as she called them). I still refill mine with chocolates at Christmas! I hope you get to make more of them for all your family. Congratulations on finishing these ones! On behalf of the 2017 FAL Hosts, thank you for participating in this quarter's Finish Along.

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

Sarah, these bags also reminded me of a Jester and I called them Jester bags too! We think alike!!! I like the idea of filling them with sweet treats and I'm planning to make a bunch in 2018!! Thanks for hosting the Finish Along. Being involved, sure helped me finish some projects that had hung around the studio for years!