12 Weeks of Christmas-Week 5

Looking for a quick yet impressive hostess gift this holiday season?  Need something to make a dull and boring bottle of wine a little more personal?
How about whipping up an easy wine bag?

Whether you're gifting wine, spirits or olive oil, this fabric gift bag adds a special touch.

Change up your fabric and this makes a great gift for a hostess, your girl friend or that hard-to-buy-for guy.

It's a great way to use some fun and festive fabric, and it takes 30 minutes or less to sew. (Gotta love that!)

Supplies:
2 Fat Quarters (coordinating prints)
rotary cutter
quilting ruler
Quick Turn tool
iron
coordinating thread
hand sewing needle
scissors

* The fabric used for these wine bags is Seven Wonders by Parson Gray.
* All seams are 1/4."

Let's get started!
1. From both fat quarters, cut a piece 12" x 17."

2. Decide which fabric will be your outer fabric and which will be your lining.

3. Fold your fabric in half length wise, right sides together.  With your outer fabric, start at the bottom of the fold and sew along the bottom and along up to the top. No need to backstitch.

4. Press your fabric. Using your ruler, mark a 1.5" x 1.5" square on each bottom corner of the bag.

5. Use your scissors and cut away the squares you just marked.

Pinch your bottom seam and side seams together on each corner to make gussets. Match up the edges and sew with a 1/4" seam. Backstitch at the beginning and end.

6. Repeat steps 3, 4, and 5 for your lining fabric however, leave a 2" opening along the tall side of your fabric, backstitching at both ends of the opening. You will turn the fabric bag inside out through this opening in a few minutes.

7. Now, turn your outer fabric right side out. With your lining fabric (still wrong side out) place your outer fabric inside the lining fabric so that right sides touch. Nestle the bottoms of the bags together and line up your seams and top raw edges.

Sew the top seams together, all the way around, back stitching at the beginning and end.

8. Pull the outer fabric through the opening in the lining then press the opening closed. Using a blind stitch or ladder stitch to sew the opening closed.

9. Push the lining fabric down into the outer fabric and shimmy things around a bit until it fits nicely. Now topstitch along the top seam to give it a nice finish.

10. To make the coordinating tie, cut a 2.5" x 20" piece of lining fabric. Fold the fabric in half, right sides together and sew using a 1/4" seam.
Use the Quick Turn to turn the fabric tube inside out. Press with the seam centered in the middle. For each end, fold the raw ends inside the tube about 1/4" and stitch closed, backstitching at both ends.

Ta-da! You're done! Pop in a bottle of wine, spirits or olive oil and you've got something special!

If you enjoyed this tutorial, check out my other projects, tutorials and quilt-alongs at Ellison Lane Quilts!

Happy Sewing!