Candy Bags

Hello, and Happy Monday to you!  I got up early this morning and began to clean...clean...clean.   I also had a nice visit this afternoon from my Mom and her good friend Kay.  So nice to take a break and sit at my kitchen table with them over some fresh iced tea, and a few laughs.
Today, I want to show you a quick, easy, and very inexpensive way to make party bags.  On Saturday morning, Erika and Noah were on their way out to a friend of Noah's birthday party.  His party was that afternoon, and as they were flying out the door, Erika said, "OH NO, I forgot to get the little bags for the candy!"  So I was looking around to see if I had something that would work.  She had already spent a lot of money of the party, and I knew she didn't have time to make another stop, so.....here is what I came up with.
I had a new package of red and white striped paper that I had purchased on sale from Target, I think.  It wasn't tissue paper, but more like paper to be used as a liner for a burger basket or something.  It almost had a tiny bit of waxed paper feel to it.   Here it is right out of the package.  Folded in half, then into thirds.

I used my paper cutter, and leaving it folded, I cut the paper into three stacks, at the crease.

Then I needed to decide how tall I wanted the bags.  We didn't need them to be very big.  They were for the kids and parents to put candy into them.  So, keeping the fold in the paper, I cut the bags at the top, to the size I wanted.

See, the fold is still at the bottom.

Now, I am going to sew them together at the sides.  And I did this, in the same style as I do when I am piecing a quilt.  When we have many of the same pieces to be sewn, we just strip piece them together, one after the other.

I had a spool of red thread in the top, and a navy blue in the bobbin.  I pieced them all on the one side.  Then snipped the thread between each piece, turned them over and did the same thing to the other side.  With the fold in tact, you only have to sew the two sides!!

After sewing both sides, and snipping the threads, I took them to my cutting table and used my pinking rotary blade to lop off the top for a cute pinked edge on top.

And there you have it.  I made 32 candy bags, lickety split.  And with the pieces that were cut off the tops, I will have some paper gift tags.

They were so cute.  A red zig zag stitch up one side, and a navy blue zig zag up the other, with a pinked top.  Erika made these darling candy dishes.  Putting a bright colored candy in each, with a paint dipped brush in coordinating color tied to the front with raffia. 

I put them in a Longaberger basket and placed this sign in front.   One of Eri's friends at the party said she had been pricing little bags for an upcoming party, and the ones she wanted were 4 dollars for 12!!  Ridiculous!  I think I may have to add these to my Etsy shop!
If you do any sewing on paper with your sewing machine, just be sure to remove the needle you used for the paper, and keep it to use again for another paper project, and not fabric!!!  I remove the needle, mark an index card with paper only on it, and will reuse it again in the future, but won't accidentally use it on fabric.
If you have a machine that does decorative stitch work, sewing on paper can be a fun way to make gift tags, and cards, etc.  Try it!
XO  Kris