Tags
Appliquéd gingerbread guys, Applique with felt, Buttons in craft, Caren's canvas and craft, Clever crafting, Colourful patchwork bag, Colourful tote, Cotton fabrics for patchwrok, Created from my own ideas, Creative crafting, Cute gingerbread design bag, Decorative button ideas, Etsy shop, Felt applique, Hand quilting, Hand sewing ideas, Handmade patchwork bag, One off designs in craft, Original, Patchwork and quilting, Patchwork tote, Pleasing patchwork project, Recycled buttons
Sweet Gingerbread Guys
Some of you may have seen my last post when I was busily creating my version of seasonal greetings cards, some of which included cards with Felt Gingerbread Guys on. Since then I seem to have caught some kind of gingerbread craze and needed to get this out of my system so I could move on with other creating both for my Etsy shop and the upcoming craft event I will be doing – Santa’s Christmas Cracker at the Greenmount United Reformed Church on the 30th November. So, to achieve this, I decided to make a handmade patchwork bag and applique on a couple of gingerbread guys to use the last of my felt of that colour and that would be that ….I thought!
But no…….decisions, decisions….Hmmmm… I couldn’t make up my mind which background cotton to use for the bag! After cutting out the little guys ready to sew on the centre panel I did a few ”dry runs” with different fabrics until I narrowed it down to two contenders, a navy print and a light brown/beige print. But still I couldn’t quite decide. So off I went rummaging in the felt box and lo and behold (because I had promised myself I will not go and buy any more felt in this colour until after Christmas – as that would make this gingerbread craze continue I am sure) I found a slightly different shade that would still pass for some more of the little guys….so there I was cutting out even more… the final decisions was made I would make two bags/totes, one of each colour.
After sewing the felt shapes to the cream cotton centre panel I added little beads for eyes and little buttons to decorate them, as always I love to use and recycle old buttons so also decided to hand sew a grass border beneath their feet with more colourful buttons to give the impression of flowers between them. After much constructing I was then ready to hand quilt around the little guys to ‘raise their profile’ a little and then also over the entire bag/tote. Inside I added one of my multi-pockets,one with a zip, and then a magnetic clasp on the centre flap. There finished……..bag/tote number one!
I took a deep breath…. ;-D …….
and then…..
set about bag/tote number two repeating the same process all over again. They might have the same idea but they are equally very different…AND I am pleased to confess – my gingerbread guy craze is definitely over now … for this years at least!
Below are a couple more pictures of the finished bags/totes
Reverse of the appliquéd ”gingerbread guys” bag/tote which has been hand quilted.
My multi-pocket feature inside the bag after is is finished – it has a large open pocket at the back with a zipped pocket in the middle and then a small open pocket at the bottom making organising easier!
A picture of the patchwork multi-pocket viewed flat before being put inside the bag. I even add little buttons here to strengthen
And then the second one…….
Handmade and designed patchwork and quilted gingerbread tote/bag…Again!!!
The hand quilted reverse of the gingerbread guys bag/tote with e magnetic clasp open for viewing purposes
My multi-pocket feature inside the finished bag/tote
A picture of the patchwork multi-pocket viewed flat before being inserted into the bag/tote
That really was the very last pieces of felt I had in those colours so as not to waste it I made one very very very last gingerbread guy and sewed it onto the last pocket! then I ironed the cream cotton and connected the fabrics to finish 🙂
Now I can finally move on!
Caren's Creative Canvas & Craft 
These totes are wonderful! I especially like the tiny gingerbread man. He is so cute! 😀
Oh Thanks Jackie, I really had to create him to get all the gingerbread guys out of my system – it really was the end of the felt – I am so pleased you like them too 🙂
Such a lot of work in this lovely bag! I especially like the tiny inside the bag man, a lovely hidden detail.
Thank you so much Jennifer There is a lot of work but I really enjoy creating them. I just love that one minute there is just a pile of cloth and the next a new unique fabric creation 🙂