The run of kinder friends’ birthday parties has started.  Clare is off to a 5th birthday party at the fairy shop (coincidentally where she’ll be having her own fairy birthday party in January) in a couple of weeks time.  The dilemma – what to take as a gift?  Mum gave me some fabric recently with nine panels of fairy prints.  So I decided that they could become simple tote bags that we can give as birthday presents.  Would you want one if you were five years old?

One completed – eight to go!  Clare has claimed this one as her own.  The remaining eight bags, which are all cut out with fairy panels fused in place, just need to be sewn up – hopefully this afternoon (if I can tear myself away from reading blogs).  This should keep us in birthday presents for little girls for a short while, at least!  We’re going to tuck a pair of socks inside the bag as a little extra.

These are super simple – a rectangle of outer fabric and the same sized rectangle of lining fabric. Fuse the panel on one side of the outside of the outer fabric and zigzag around the edges.  Fold the outer in half and sew up the sides and bottom.  Turn right side out.  Fold the lining fabric in half, sew up the sides and bottom leaving a gap in one side for turning later on.   Leave wrong side out.  The handles are made from cord; each is about fifteen inches long.  Sew one on the right side of each side of the outside of the bag, each end about seven centimetres in from the side, with the end of the cord lined up with the top of the bag.  Place the outside of the bag inside the lining with right sides of the fabric together, match up seams, and sew around the top, catching the ends of the cord handles in the stitching.  Turn through the opening you left in the lining, sew the opening closed, push the lining inside the bag, press, and topstich.  Well, something like that, anyway!  If you can understand those instructions you probably didn’t need them.  I’ll post a picture of the whole set once they’re done.

And apologies for the photo of washing on the clothesline!