A craft supply de-stash - simple Christmas drawstring gift bags

Earlier this Autumn I set myself a personal challenge to batch up five craft projects, with the intention of completing them by the end of the year. I'm pleased to say that it's going really well, and I've now completed project number four - some Christmas fabric gift bags.

This Christmas fabric has been in my stash for so long that I can't even remember buying it! I didn't have a project in mind when I did, and so I really wanted to find a use for it that would mean I could appreciate it rather than just having it stuck in a drawer.

I'm not a particularly talented sewing machine user, but one thing that I can make is super simple gift bags. I decided that this was the perfect craft for this Christmas fabric, because it's a useful item that can be brought out year after year. It was also an opportunity to use some of my stashed Christmas ribbon.

I prepared five rectangles of fabric, with co-ordinating cotton and ribbons.

When I came to do the craft it was so easy to get started, it took less than an hour and that included ironing the fabric and remembering how to thread the sewing machine with different coloured cottons! They are super easy to make. All I do is sew a hem along one side for the ribbon, then sew the sides of the bag together. Ribbon is threaded through the hem using a safety pin, and I added a plastic toggle just because I have some in my stash. 

I now have five gift bags in lovely Christmas fabric that I can enjoy every year.