How to Decorate Fabric Bags
Fabric bags are a great resource for living a green life. Fabric grocery bags, gift bags and tote bags can be stored away and reused again and again. Decorating fabric bags is a fun way to personalize and make them beautiful. Start by recycling fabric for the body of the bag and use other recycled materials to decorate them. Yard sales and thrift stores can supply a vast amount of craft items by repurposing clothing and accessories that will allow you to make and decorate fabric bags on a budget.
Things You'll Need
- Old clothing, sheets or blankets
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Star cookie cutter
- Lightweight fusible web
- Iron
- Silk flowers
- Copy paper
- Sewing machine
- Straight pins
- Buttons, beads and sequins
- Hand sewing needle and thread
- Rick rack
Instructions
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1
Cut four squares or rectangles of fabric slightly larger than the size fabric bag you want to make. Two pieces will be the body of the bag and two will be the lining. Cut two handle pieces 2 1/2 inch wide by 12 inches long for a small gift bag, 18 inches long for a medium bag and 24 inches long for a large tote bag.
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2
Draw around the star cookie cutter six to 10 times on the paper side of fusible web. Lay a contrasting fabric wrong side up on your ironing surface. Place the traced fusible web glue side down on the fabric and iron to adhere. Cut out the star shapes and set aside.
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3
Remove the stem and the plastic bottom and top from the silk flowers. Separate the petals. Iron each of the petals flat. Lay the petals wrong side up on a piece of copy paper, filling the entire surface. Make sure no pieces are overlapping or touching. Cut a piece of fusible web the same size as the copy paper. Lay the fusible web over the flower petals with the glue side down and iron to adhere. You will be able to see the outline of the petals through the copy paper and the fusible web, use that as a guide to cut each petal out. The copy paper will fall away when cut.
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4
Place the two fabric bag body pieces right side up on your ironing surface. Peel the paper backing from each of the stars and the flowers. Arrange them with the glue side down on the bag body pieces and iron to adhere. Sew a zig-zag stitch around the edges of each star and petal. Choose buttons, beads and sequins to compliment the flowers and the stars and hand sew them to the center of each.
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5
Place the two body pieces together with the right sides facing. Pin the sides and the bottom of the bag. Sew a 1/4 inch-seam allowance on the pinned edges. Repeat with the two lining pieces, leaving a 2- to 3-inch opening along the bottom. Fold a handle lengthwise with the right sides together and pin. Sew a 1/4-inch seam allowance on the long pinned edge. Repeat with the other three handle pieces and turn right side out. Iron the handles flat.
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6
Turn the body of the bag right side out and press. Match the ends of one handle on the top edge of the bag. Center and separate the ends, 2 inches apart for a small bag, 4 inches for a medium bag and six inches for a large bag. Pin the ends to the bag edge. Turn the bag over and pin the other handle in the same way. Set the bag body inside the unturned lining. Match the edges and pin, making sure the handles are sandwiched between the bag and the lining. Sew a 1/4-inch seam allowance around the top edge of the bag.
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7
Turn the bag right side out through the opening in the lining. Hand sew the opening closed and iron the bag. Pin matching rick rack around the top edge of the bag and topstitch to finish the edges.
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