Christmas can be an expensive time of year but there are ways to alleviate some of those costs. By turning your skills to creating a funky Santa sack you save money, create your own gift, and have fun at the same time. It's a great way to get double the value for little outlay.
What You Need to Make the Santa Sack
Per sack (27 inches x 17 inches) 57.5 centimeters x 42.5 centimeters) x 2
Scissors
Cotton
40 inches ( 100cm) of thick cord
Enough Velcro to stick on baubles and ribbon
Materials for making small candy canes, Christmas tree or Santa hat
For each sack, join together the two pieces of material. Turn the top over and sew, then thread cord through.
Merry Christmas Santa Sack
You can use new material or old clothes that the child/children have grown out of. If purchasing materials choose your son or daughter's favourite colours. Another simple and easy way to make a sack is to use a pillow case. The pillow case is possibly the easiest sack to make. A small Santa sack can be made by folding the pillowcase in half and cut, this will give you two bags, one of which has to have the bottom edge sewn. Then turning the top edge over (this is the open end of the sack) allow an approximately 1-inch turn. Do this twice to give it strength then sew using either a straight stitch or a zigzag, leaving enough room to thread elastic or thick cord. Leave enough cord to use as a carry handle. A larger bag can be made just by leaving the pillowslip in its original size. Just sew the cord into the top of the case.
Using coloured braid, lace, or buttons sew your child's first name or just the initials onto the sack. The reason the name is sewn on is because it will stay on the sack even when it becomes a library bag.
Then make a Christmas tree, coloured baubles, or candy cane and Velcro these onto the sack.
The sack is now ready for use to be hung up and filled with goodies for Christmas.
Library Bag
When Christmas is over and the sack is taken down it can easily be transformed into a library bag ready for the school year. Just take the Velcroed Christmas decorations off and sew items onto the bag that the child likes. Using a felt-tipped pen write the full name of the child on the inside of the bag. If you are industrious enough you can even sew a small pocket on either the inside or the outside to carry small items such as pencils, rubbers, erasers, and sharpeners.
Swim Bag
The last item that can be made from the original Santa sack is a swim bag. If the end product is a swim bag then make sure that you sew a plastic lined pouch into the bag that will hold the wet togs (swimmers).
Christmas is often an expensive time of year but by being a bit creative you can make items that can also be used for other purposes. It's a great way to save money, make something for your children, and use items that could otherwise have been thrown away. It's amazing what you can come up with.
Parania Wilson - Parania attained her degree with a double major in welfare and sociology then spent a number of years in welfare working in Mental Health, ...
