Never mind Christmas stockings – learn how to make a Santa sack big enough for all of your presents!

Did you have a small stocking or a huge Santa sack for Christmas when you were a child? You can do better than a plain pillowcase, so Rebecca Reid is here with a fabulous free Santa sack sewing pattern for you to try!

• Make our free Christmas bunting sewing pattern
• 21 DIY Christmas stocking ideas
• Christmas embroidery motifs

Our Santa sack sewing pattern features a fun appliqué star that looks fabulous when used with festive fabrics, but if you’ve got multiple Christmas sacks to make you could always appliqué your kids initials onto it instead for a more personalised make. Alternatively, you could try use our free Christmas appliqué templates if you’d like to mix things up!

You will need…

• Main fabric: 68x106cm (27x42in)
• Top fabric: 13x106cm (5¼x42in)
• Appliqué fabric: 15x15cm (6x6in)
• Lining fabric: 78x106cm (31x42in)
• Thick piping cord: 150cm (60in)
• Matching sewing thread
• Download our Christmas star template here

Measurements

The finished present sack measures 75x50cm (30x20in)

Notes

Use a 1.5cm (5/8in) seam allowance unless otherwise stated and press all seams open as you go.

Step by step: how to make a gift sack

Step 1

Cutting the fabric

Cut the main fabric into two pieces, for the front and back of the present sack, 68 x 53cm (26 ¾ x 21in) each.

Step 2

Cut the top frill fabric into two pieces, 13x53cm (5 ¼ x 21in) each.

Step 3

Cut the lining fabric into two pieces, 78x53cm (30 ¾ x 21in) each.

Step 4

Appliquéing the star

Trace the star template from the pattern sheet and cut it out.

Step 5

Place the cut out star on the back of the appliqué fabric and draw round it in pencil. Cut it out 1cm (3/8in) outside the drawn line all the way around the star.

Step 6

Turn the edges of the appliqué fabric over to the wrong side up to the drawn line and press. Fold the corners over and snip off a little of the excess if the fabric is too bulky. Tack these folded over edges into place.

Step 7

Measure to place the star in the centre of one of the main pieces of fabric and tack it into place.

Step 8

You can appliqué the star to your fabric by machine or work a blanket stitch round the edge using red stranded cotton as we have.

Step 9

Assembling the sack

Place one top frill piece right sides (RS) together along the top of the appliquéd main piece matching raw edges and stitch.

Step 10

Repeat with the other top frill piece and the back main piece.

Step 11

Place the joined front and back RS together matching frill seams and stitch together down the sides and across the bottom.

Step 12

Place the two lining pieces RS together and stitch down the sides and along the bottom but leaving a gap in the centre of the bottom seam for turning.

Step 13

Place the joined sack outer inside the lining so that RS are touching and sew together all the way around the top edge.

Step 14

Turn the sack RS out through the gap in the lining. Turn the gap edges under. Slip stitch closed. Push the lining inside the sack outer.

Step 15

Making the casing

Work a line of machine stitching along the seam between the main fabric and top frill fabric though the lining. Work another line of machine stitching 3cm (1¼in) below this.

Step 16

Snip the stitching between these two casing lines through the outer fabric only and oversew the top and bottom of this to make sure the stitches don’t come undone.

Step 17

Thread the piping cord through the casing and tie the ends in a knot to complete.

Show off your sewing skills this season

Make this Christmas a crafty one with our list of the 20 of the best Christmas decorations to sew!

Rebecca Reid

Rebecca is founder of Amber Makes and has previously worked as Senior Technical Editor of Love Embroidery and Simply Sewing magazines. She works with sewing TV channels including Sewing Street, Yarn Lane and Sewing Quarter. She been stitching since she was a child and has worked on many craft magazines as well as running her own curtain-making business. She is known by her colleagues as a sewing oracle – you name it, she can sew it. She’s hugely knowledgeable about sewing techniques, fabrics and tools and is full of helpful advice for her fellow sewists, from the best place to buy curtain-making materials to which books and websites are handy for that sewing problem you’re stuck on.

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