How to make a Christmas gift sack

Pop on your favourite Christmas tunes, pour your favourite sewing tipple and get making this DIY gift sack pattern. It's the latest in our series of Christmas sewing patterns, designed by Rebecca Reid.

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Rebecca Reid

Published: September 3, 2019 at 2:58 pm

You will need...

Main fabric: 68x106cm (27x42in)
Top fabric: 13x106cm (51/4x42in)
Appliqué fabric: 15x15cm (6x6in)
Lining fabric: 78x106cm (31x42in)
Thick piping cord: 150cm (60in)
Matching sewing thread
Download our Christmas star template here

We've used:

Main fabric: Imprint by Katarina Roccella for Art Gallery fabrics. Cross thread Pure (ref: AGFIMP10454). See Hantex for stockists. Top fabric: Curiosities by Jeni Baker for Art Gallery fabrics. String Lights Carmin (ref: AGFCUR29133). See Hantex for stockists. Appliqué fabric: Festive by Jo Clark for Cloud9: Festive Snowflakes (ref: C9FES140702) Lining fabric: Cotton solids – white (ref: CCPF100)

See Hantex for stockists.

Measurements

The finished present sack measures 75x50cm (30x20in)

Notes

Use a 1.5cm (5/8in) seam allowance unless otherwise stated and press all seams open as you go.

Due to available fonts, we can't show fractions in the correct scale here on our website, so we use a space to indicate where a number includes a fraction. For example: 1 1/4in = One and one quarter inch).

Step by step: how to make a gift sack

Cutting the fabric

Step 1

Cut the main fabric into two pieces, for the front and back of the present sack, 68x53cm (26 ¾ x 21in) each.

Step 2

Cut the top frill fabric into two pieces, 13x53cm (5 ¼ x 21in) each.

Step 3

Cut the lining fabric into two pieces, 78x53cm (30 ¾ x 21in) each.

Appliquéing the star

Step 1

Trace the star template from the pattern sheet and cut it out.

Step 2

Place the cut out star on the back of the appliqué fabric and draw round it in pencil. Cut it out 1cm (3/8in) outside the drawn line all the way around the star.

Step 3

Turn the edges of the appliqué fabric over to the wrong side up to the drawn line and press. Fold the corners over and snip off a little of the excess if the fabric is too bulky. Tack these folded over edges into place.

Applique the star

Step 4

Measure to place the star in the centre of one of the main pieces of fabric and tack it into place.

Step 5

You can appliqué the star to your fabric by machine or work a blanket stitch round the edge using red stranded cotton as we have.

How to make a gift sack step 2

Assembling the sack

Step 1

Place one top frill piece right sides (RS) together along the top of the appliquéd main piece matching raw edges and stitch.

Step 2

Repeat with the other top frill piece and the back main piece.

Step 3

Place the joined front and back RS together matching frill seams and stitch together down the sides and across the bottom.

How to make a gift sack step 3

Step 4

Place the two lining pieces RS together and stitch down the sides and along the bottom but leaving a gap in the centre of the bottom seam for turning.

Step 5

Place the joined sack outer inside the lining so that RS are touching and sew together all the way around the top edge.

Step 6

Turn the sack RS out through the gap in the lining. Turn the gap edges under. Slip stitch closed. Push the lining inside the sack outer.

Making the casing

Step 1

Work a line of machine stitching along the seam between the main fabric and top frill fabric though the lining. Work another line of machine stitching 3cm (1¼in) below this.

Step 2

Snip the stitching between these two casing lines through the outer fabric only and oversew the top and bottom of this to make sure the stitches don’t come undone.

How to make a gift sack step 4

Step 3

Thread the piping cord through the casing and tie the ends in a knot to complete.

If you’re sewing up your own version of this gift sack, we’d love to see! Tag a photo of your finished make online with the hashtag #simplysewingmag and #hohosewalong.

Crafter, designer and TV presenter

Rebecca is founder of Amber Makes and has previously worked as Senior Technical Editor of Love Embroidery and Simply Sewing magazines. She works with sewing TV channels including Sewing Street, Yarn Lane and Sewing Quarter. She been stitching since she was a child and has worked on many craft magazines as well as running her own curtain-making business. She is known by her colleagues as a sewing oracle – you name it, she can sew it. She’s hugely knowledgeable about sewing techniques, fabrics and tools and is full of helpful advice for her fellow sewists, from the best place to buy curtain-making materials to which books and websites are handy for that sewing problem you’re stuck on.