FPP CHRISTMAS TREE BAG
YOU WILL NEED
■ Scraps for FPP: approx eleven
(11) fat sixteenths
■ Green fabric: 1/2yd
■ Inner fabric: 1/2yd
■ Interfacing: one (1) fat eighth
■ Ribbon or cord: 1yd
■ Batting: 1/2yd
■ Yellow felt: one (1) fat sixteenth
■ Black or brown felt: 9in x 7in
■ Toy stuffing
■ Six (6) copies each of the
Bauble Part A and B templates
■ One (1) copy of the
Star template
FINISHED SIZE
■ Approx 19in x 20in
Now you can practise your FPP skills and make a Christmas Tree drawstring bag to show them off!
NOTES
■ Seam allowances are ¼in,
unless otherwise stated.
■ Press seams open throughout,
unless otherwise instructed.
■ RST = right side together.
■ WST = wrong sides together.
■ FPP = Foundation Paper Piecing.
FABRICS USED
All fabrics are from the Hole Punch Collection by Ruby Star Society.
CUTTING OUT
1 From the green fabric cut:
■ One (1) 23in x 17in. Set aside for later.
2 From the remaining green fabric cut:
■ Five (5) 11/2in x 5in.
■ Two (2) 21/2in x 5in.
■ Two (2) 31/2in x 5in.
■ Three (3) 53/ 8in squares.
Cut in half diagonally to get a total of six (6) triangles.
■ One (1) 91/2in x 3in rectangle.
PREPARING THE FPP BAUBLES
3 Choose the colours for your first bauble and, if helpful, make colour marks on the FPP template to remind you which colours go where.
4 Using the techniques in the tutorial, complete template Parts A and B. Start with Section 1 of Part A and work in numerical order. Remember that you place the fabric on the side without the printed lines on.
5 Sew together Sections A and B to complete Bauble 1. Repeat to make a total of six completed baubles.
CONSTRUCTING THE BAG PIECES
6 Lay out your first three baubles with four 11/2in x 5in green rectangles. Sew them together and then add a green triangle at each end, using Fig 1 on p82 as a guide.
7 Lay out two baubles with one 11/2in x 5in green rectangle and two 21/2in x 5in rectangles. Sew them together and then add a green triangle at each end, referring to Fig 2.
8 Lay out the last bauble with two 31/2in x 5in green rectangles. Sew them together and then add a green triangle at each end, referring to Fig 3 as a guide.
9 Sew the three rows together and then sew a 91/2in x 31/2in green rectangle to the top (Fig 4). Where the bottom straight seams of the triangles are not sewn, fold under by ¼in and press.
10 Place the finished top right side up on the back of the 23in x 17in green rectangle and draw around. Cut out on the drawn line to get the back of the bag. Repeat with two pieces which will become the lining.
11 Place the front and back of the bag onto batting and quilt as desired. Paula drew lines to create some bauble string and quilted these with 12wt Aurifil thread. Once quilted, trim back to the original tree shape.
CONSTRUCTING THE DRAWSTRING BAG
12 Take a 9in x 3in green rectangle and fold in each end by ¼in twice. Top stitch the ends.
13 Fold the topstitched rectangles in half lengthways and press. This is the channel for the cord.
14 Place a folded rectangle RST with the bag top, so that the top raw edges are aligned and centred. Baste stitch in place at 1/ 8in. Repeat with the back of the bag and the second folded rectangle.
15 Place a bag inner RST with the bag top and sew across the top with a ¼in seam. Repeat with the back bag piece and the second inner piece.
16 Prepare the felt tree base by folding a 71/2in x 6in black or brown felt piece in half lengthways and top stitching around the sides and bottom.
17 Centre the tree base on the bottom of the bag front, aligning the raw edges and then baste stitch in place.
18 Open out both sides and match up, RST, the front and back bag pieces and the inner bag pieces. Pin all around and then carefully sew around all of the edges, except for a 6in gap in the bottom of the bag lining.
19 Trim the corners to reduce some of the seam bulk and trim into the sharp corners; this will help to push out the tree shape. Be careful not to cut through the seams.
20 Pull the bag outer through the inner, and then use a chopstick or pointed object to push out the shape. Once you are happy with the shape, sew up the gap in the lining and then push the lining into the bag.
21 Feed the cord through the cord channels so that it goes around twice, in order to finish the drawstring bag. Knot the ends to secure them.
ADDING THE STAR
22 Use the star template to cut out two star shapes. Place the stars WST and topstitch around the shape, leaving a gap in the bottom.
23 Add some toy stuffing to give the star a firm shape and then sew up the gap.
24 Sew a safety pin to the back of the star. Pin the star to the top of the bag to finish.