I’ve been making these Santa bags for a lot of years now, but this is the first time I’ve ever shared a how-to for it.

Other similar bags I’ve made include Rudolph, Christmas kitties and Christmas trees.  Change the basic bag to any color and add polka dots or stars for an easy birthday bag!

Smiling Santa is reusable, giftable, and darn cute.  He’s fast to make with simple embroidered stitches and a button nose.    If hand stitching isn’t your thing, fabric paint will work in a pinch!

You’ll need:

• Smiling Santa reference
• 9″ x 12″ acrylic felt – 2 white, 1 red, 1 flesh
• scissors
• large needle
• embroidery floss:  white, red, blue & green
• red button
• ruler
• optional:  sewing machine
• optional:  rotary cutter

supplies

I use eco-friendly acrylic felt.  It’s easy to find, cheap (20 cents a sheet) and sturdy.

Find the bottom of your bag and cut 1″ squares out of the opposite corners for each white sheet. This will create a faux gusset and allow your gift bag to stand up.

Cut the flesh-colored felt sheet down to 8″ x 5 1/2″.  Fold in half and cut a gentle curve.

Open flesh-colored felt.  Align 1″ from top of bag, centering so that each side has approximately 1/2″ of white felt showing.

Using the white embroidery floss, hand stitch a running stitch around the two sides and bottom of the face.

Add eye details with a straight stitch (eyebrows) and chain stitch (eyes).

Add button nose with red embroidery floss.  Add mouth, also with red embroidery floss, using the chain stitch.

Pin two pieces of white felt together, face inside.  Machine stitch 1/4″ seam on two sides and across the bottom.

Optional:  hand stitch on the inside OR hand stitch on the outside using red embroidery floss.

Fold the open corners on the bottom together, matching outside seams.  Fold seams in opposite directions to reduce bulk.  Pin in place.

Machine stitch bag corners.

Turn bag right side out.

Fold 1″ down on top of bag, overlapping face.  Pin, then straight stitch around.  Stitch under side seam.

Finished stitching on the top of bag.

Cut two 12″ x 2″ strips from red felt.

Fold straps lengthwise.  Straight stitch along the length with green embroidery floss.

Pin handle to outside of bag 2″ in from the sides.

Straight stitch snowflake or asterisk to hold handles in place.  Repeat for the back of bag.

Stuff with goodies and gift it!

Feeling creative? Try your hand at a Christmas Tree!

fun variations, Dec. 2000

Add your Sewhooked-related photos to my flickr group and you might be featured in a future post.

 

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This is part of my “Way Back Craft” series; patterns, crafts, tutorials and general crafty memories before the days of this craft blog.