Santa Sack

Santa Sack and Festive Pillowcase - a 2 hour project.


I love Christmas but it is always such a hectic time of year, especially as it coincides with the end of the school year for us in Australia. This year my two teens have part time jobs so I seem to be driving back and forth to the shopping centre to drop them off. This has cut into my Christmas crafting time, so I was pleased when I found a project I made two years ago in my sewing room (complete with instructions and photos). 


This is a super quick project that makes a pillowcase that can do double duty as a Santa sack on Christmas Eve - perfect for camouflaging those hard to wrap gifts that come down the chimney!

Your little ones will be dreaming of Christmas with this festive pillowcase. Then on Christmas Eve it can be placed by the fireplace. With its handy drawstring feature, it can double as a Santa Sack – the perfect size to hold a bounty of gifts. (Make it in 2 Hours).

Materials:

Main Christmas fabric –    Cut 1 pieces measuring 60 cm x 49 cm      (23 1/2 " x 19 1/4 ")

Pink Polka Dot fabric –    Cut 1 piece measuring 23 x 97 cm              (9 x 38 1/4 ")

Green Swirl Fabric –        Cut 2 pieces measuring 8 cm x 50 cm         (3 1/4 x 19 3/4 ")

2.5 m of co-ordinating grosgrain ribbon, 1.5 cm wide (2 3/4 yards)

Finished Pillowcase measures 48 x 70 cm

Note: All seam allowances are 0.5 cm

Method:

1.       Layer the Christmas print so that the right sides are together, and sew around three sides, leaving one short side free. Overlock or zig zag the raw edges.

2.       Fold the polka dot fabric in half widthwise with the right sides facing and sew across the short ends to form a tube. Check to ensure that the polka dot tube is now the same width as the pillowcase opening, and adjust if necessary.  Fold the tube in half with the right side facing out and press. This will form the opening of the pillowcase.

3.       Press under 1 cm at each short end on the pieces of swirl fabric, and press in half lengthwise so that the right side is facing out. Position the swirl fabric strips on top of each side of the polka dot tube so that the raw edges are aligned, and baste in place. Turn the pillowcase so that the right side is facing outwards. Position the polka dot and swirl edging so that the swirl edging is facing inwards, and all the raw edges are aligned, and stitch in place. Overlock or zigzag around the raw edges. Press the pillowcase.  Topstitch around the Christmas print where it meets the swirl fabric.

4.       Cut the ribbon into two equal lengths. Thread a piece of ribbon through each opening in the swirl channel to make a drawstring closure. Knot the ends of the ribbon and trim as desired.

* Note: If using with young children, I would delay threading the ribbon through the channels until Christmas Eve so that the ribbon does not pose a choking hazard.