Big Bigger Santa Bag Sewing Tutorial

Big Bigger Santa Bag Sewing Tutorial

Sew our Big-Bigger Santa Bag with Christmas Fabrics and Red Cotton Canvas that expands to handle Christmas gifts, laundry and/or storage needs. It’s a bag or tote that has both function and style! Reverse the Big-Bigger Santa Bag for a whole new look. The sewing is streamlined with a few rectangles of sturdy canvas fabric and cotton quilting fabric. Included our exclusive Pattern are directions for adding secondary handles, located 10″ below bag top edge. This secondary set of handles lends versatility to the Big-Bigger Laundry Bag! Plus, pattern includes Classic Timesaving Tips by Nancy Zieman!

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Watch Stitch it! Sisters Program 109: Big-Bigger Laundry Bag

Big Bigger Santa Bag Sewing Tutorial

Approx. finished size 11″ W x 30″ H x 9″ D

Big Bigger Santa Bag Tools & Supplies

• NEW! Christmas Big-Bigger Santa Bag Bundle Box
• Rotary cutter, Ruler, and Cutting Mat
• Quilter’s Starch Savvy
•  1″ Bias Tape Maker
• Straight Tailor’s Awl
• Jeans/Denim Needle, size 90/14
• Super Nonstick Needle, size 90/14
• Double-Sided Basting Tape
• Hot Ruler
• Wonder Clips
• 6-1/2″ Square Ruler
• Eze-View Pressing Cloth
• Erasable fabric marking pen, or Chaco Liner
• Supersize 5-in-1 Sliding Gauge
• Point 2 Point Turner
• Flower Head Pins
• 7-3/4″ Bordeaux Ultimate Shears

Prepare Fabrics

Pre-shrink coordinating fabrics by steaming and pressing, and steaming and pressing a second time, and then spray press and starch fabric with June Tailor’s Quilter’s Starch Savvy — press and starch, press and starch.

You’re the designer! Choose to make self-fabric bag handles with a 1″ Bias Tape Maker, or opt to make bag handles from ready-made cotton webbing (below).

Big Bigger Santa Bag Sewing Tutorial

1-1/6 yd. Cotton Quilting Fabric for outer bag and handles; 1-5/8 yd. Canvas Fabric for inner bag, contrasting outer bag, and handles; 1/3 yd. Pellon Peltex One Sided Fusible Ultra Firm Stabelizer.

Streamline the sewing process by cutting easy fabric rectangles!

Cut Fabric and Interfacing

• Cut two 1-3/4″ crosswise fabric strips from cotton quilting fabric for self-fabric handles.

• Cut two 22″ x 36″ rectangles from cotton quilting fabric for outer bag.

• Cut two 1-3/4″ crosswise fabric strips from canvas fabric for self-fabric handles.

• Cut two 22″ x 36″ rectangles from canvas fabric for inner bag.

• Cut two 22″ x 14″ rectangles from canvas fabric for contrasting outer lower accent.

• Cut one 9″ x 11″ rectangle from Pellon Peltex One-Sided Fusible Ultra Firm Stabilizer.

Optional: Cut four 14″ lengths of Red Cotton Webbing (for handles made with webbing).

You’re the designer! Choose to make make bag handles from ready-made cotton webbing, or opt to sew self-fabric bag handles with a 1″ Bias Tape Maker (below).

Prepare Self-Fabric Bag Handles

• Use a 1″ Bias Tape Maker, awl, and iron to create bag handles.

• Place one 1-3/4″ cotton quilting fabric strip through Clover’s 1″ Bias Tape Maker, and use an awl to help advance the fabric strip through the bias tape maker.

• Pin fabric strip end to ironing board, and iron the folded fabric strip as you pull the bias tape maker.

• Place one 1-3/4″ canvas fabric strip through Clover’s 1″ Bias Tape Maker, and use an awl to help advance the fabric strip through the bias tape maker.

Pin fabric strip end to ironing board, and iron the folded fabric strip as you pull the bias tape maker.

• Position Double-Sided Basting Tape on the backside of one folded canvas fabric strip. Finger press in place. Remove paper backing from tape.

• Center and place one folded cotton quilting fabric strip over the tape on the folded canvas fabric strip, wrong sides together, and finger press to secure.

• Edgestitch along the two long edges of fabric strip set.

• Repeat steps above for remaining self-fabric handle fabric strips.

• Sub-cut fabric strip sets into four 14″ handles.

• Using Clover’s Hot Ruler and an iron, press under 1/2″ along each short end of handle strips. Place a Wonder Clip at each pressed handle end and set aside.

Optional: Prepare Ready-made Cotton Webbing Bag Handles:

• Sub-cut purchased cotton webbing into four 14″ handles.

• Using Clover’s Hot Ruler and an iron, press under 1/2″ along each short end of handle strips. Place a Wonder Clip at each pressed handle end and set aside.

Prepare Bag Accent

• Turn the two 22″ x 14″ rectangles of canvas fabric horizontally, with wrong sides facing up.

• Using Clover’s Hot Ruler and an iron, fold and press under 1/2″ to wrong sides along 22″ top edge of both rectangles.

• Using a 6-1/2″ square ruler and Chaco Liner, mark and cut out 5″ squares from each of the lower corners of both canvas rectangles. Cutouts will later form gussets at bag bottom!

Create Outer Bag

• Turn two 22″ x 36″ rectangles of cotton quilting fabric vertically, with wrong sides facing up.

• Using Clover’s Hot Ruler and an iron, fold and press under 1/2″ to wrong side along 22″ top edge of both fabric rectangles.

• Using a 6-1/2″ square ruler and Chaco Liner, mark and cut out 5″ squares from each of the lower corners of one cotton quilting fabric rectangle. Cutouts will later form gussets at bag bottom!

• Place one canvas accent rectangle to lower edge of one cotton quilting outer bag rectangle, wrong side of canvas fabric to right side of cotton quilting fabric. Wonder Clip/pin.

• Topstitch along upper edge of canvas accent fabric, near fold.

• Baste canvas accent to outer bag along remaining fabric edges, using a 5 mm stitch length and scant 1/4″ seam.

• Repeat steps above and create a second outer bag unit and set aside.

Machine basting is a great way to keep fabric layers together during the sewing process and eliminates pinning! Machine baste with long running stitches, 5mm in length, to hold 2 or more layers of fabric in position. And, there’s no need to remove the basting stitching – they’ll be hidden within the seams of the finished bag project.

• Place the two outer bag units right sides together. Wonder Clip/pin.

• Stitch or serge bottom bag seam.

• Using an iron, press seam open or to one side.

• Unfold pressed under outer bag top edges and align side seams, with right sides together, Wonder Clip/pin.

• Stitch or serge side seams.

• Using an iron, press seams open or to one side.

• Meet bag gusset cutouts on one lower bag edge, right sides together, folding side seam to align/stack with bottom bag seam.

• Stitch or serge gusset seam. Press seam flat.

Repeat steps above for opposite outer bag gusset and set aside.

Create Inner Bag

• Turn two 22″ x 36″ rectangles of canvas fabric vertically, with wrong sides facing up.

• Using Clover’s Hot Ruler and an iron, fold and press under 1/2″ to wrong side along 22″ top edge of both canvas rectangles.

• Using a 6-1/2″ square ruler and Chaco Liner, mark and cut out 5″ squares from each of the lower corners of one canvas rectangle.

• Repeat steps above for second canvas rectangle.

• Place the two rectangles of canvas fabric, right sides together. Wonder Clip/pin.

• Stitch bottom inner bag seam.

• Using an iron, press seam open or to one side.

• Position and center 9″ x 11″ Pellon Peltex One-Sided Fusible Ultra Firm Stabilizer rectangle over center of canvas inner bottom bag seam. Using June Tailor’s® Eze-View Pressing Cloth, press and fuse Peltex into place – following manufacturer’s instructions.

• Unfold pressed under inner bag top edges and align side seams, with right sides together, Wonder Clip/pin. Stitch side seams.

• Using an iron, press seams open or to one side.

• Meet bag gusset cutouts on one lower bag edge, right sides together, folding side seam to align/stack with bottom bag seam.

• Stitch gusset seam. Press seam flat.

• Repeat for opposite inner bag gusset.

Use your standard sewing machine to sew gusset seams. The layers of fabric may become too thick to stitch with a serger.

Assemble Inner and Outer Bag and Attach Handles
• Using Clover’s Point 2 Point Turner, turn outer fabric bag right side out.

• Re-fold pressed under top bag edges at 1/2″ pressed line.

• Insert inner canvas bag inside outer bag, wrong sides together, aligning side-seams. Pin or Wonder Clip.

• Topstitch inner and outer bag together, near folded edge. Press.

• Using an erasable fabric marking pen, or Chaco Liner, and Supersize 5-in-1 Sliding Gauge place a 3″ mark on each side of side seams, 1″ down from upper edge of outer bag (make a total of four markings.)

• Position the folded end of one handle to one of the marked lines. Carefully pin through layers with a sturdy Flower Head Pin.

Because we’re stitching through Double-Sided Basting Tape, use a Super Nonstick Needle Size 90/14 – to topstitch handles in place.

• Topstitch fabric strip set handle or optional ready-made Cotton Webbing handle to bag – stitching along handle side, top, and bottom, forming a stitched 1″ square with optional “X” pattern.

• Repeat steps above and attach handle at opposite edge. Be sure handle is not twisted!

• Repeat for second handle on opposite side of bag.

• Turn bag wrong side out.

Attach Secondary Handles 10″ Below Bag Top Edge

• Using a Chaco Liner and Supersize 5-in-1 Sliding Gauge, place a 3″ mark on each side of side seams at 10″ down from upper edge of inner bag. Repeat marking a total of four markings.
• Position and pin the folded end of one handle to one of the marked lines.

• Using a Super Nonstick Needle size 90/14, topstitch handle in place:

• Topstitch fabric strip set handle or optional ready-made Cotton Webbing handle to bag – stitching along handle side, top, and bottom, forming a stitched 1″ square with optional “X” pattern.

When sewing handles to bag, convert sewing machine to free arm position.

• Repeat steps above and attach handle at opposite edge. Make sure handle is not twisted.

• Repeat for second handle on opposite side of bag.

Big-Bigger Santa Bag Features

• For a “big” fabric bag, fold top edge over at secondary handles.

• For “bigger” fabric bag, extend bag fully up.

• Reverse Big-Bigger Laundry Bag for a whole new look!

Big Bigger Santa Bag Tools & Supplies

• NEW! Christmas Traditions Big-Bigger Santa Bag Bundle Box
• Rotary cutter, Ruler, and Cutting Mat
• Quilter’s Starch Savvy
•  1″ Bias Tape Maker
• Straight Tailor’s Awl
• Jeans/Denim Needle, size 90/14
• Super Nonstick Needle, size 90/14
• Double-Sided Basting Tape
• Hot Ruler
• Wonder Clips
• 6-1/2″ Square Ruler
• Eze-View Pressing Cloth
• Erasable fabric marking pen, or Chaco Liner
• Supersize 5-in-1 Sliding Gauge
• Point 2 Point Turner
• Flower Head Pins
• 7-3/4″ Bordeaux Ultimate Shears

Shop Exclusive Big Bigger Santa Bag Bundle Box and Christmas Fabrics at ShopNZP.com

Shop ALL Hanukkah Fabrics on SALE at ShopNZP.com

Shop ALL Christmas Fabrics on SALE at ShopNZP.com

For a chance to be the random winner of a 5 pack of Super Nonstick Needle size 90/14,  from NZP, please leave a comment below sharing which Wildflower Boutique Big-Bigger Laundry Bag you would like to make! 

NZP will give away one 5 pack of Super Nonstick Needle size 90/14, to one US resident in the 48 contiguous states. Winner must reply within 30 days to the official giveaway announcement email message sent from Nancy Zieman Productions. 

Happy Sewing!

Team Nancy Zieman

Nancy Zieman Productions. LLC.

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