December birthday bags

I love to make bags for birthday gifts. Bags can be practical and pretty, which is my favourite combination for handmade items. Bags are also fast to make, which is great for last-minute crafters like myself, who tend to leave birthday crafting until a few days before the deadline. Even more so when the birthdays fall in December, the busiest time of the year.  I thought I'd link up with Elm Street Quilts 2017 Bag It sew along and share some bags that I've made for December birthdays.

First up is my Mum, who celebrates her birthday in a few days. I made my mum a Zip Up Tray Pouch (pattern by Aneela Hoey), after she admired the one I made for myself. I used a single print for this one; a pretty floral pattern that I think she'll like.

Next up is my friend Maree, who celebrates her birthday a few days after Christmas. I made Maree a pretty zipper pouch (pattern by Sotak Handmade) using various scraps, including some turquoise linen leftover from making a bento bag for another friend also named Maree.

I also made a bag for myself, since my birthday falls on the second last day of the year. I used the scraps from making my December bee blocks to make a colour block pouch (a tutorial by Sotak Handmade).

I'm hoping that next year I'll up my bag-making game and have a go at using hardware other than zippers. I've got a lot of bag and wallet patterns ready to go - I just need to find the courage to give it a go.

Kat