Sustainable Gift Wrapping with Jingle Bells

Hello Makers! It’s Sara from Rose Hill Quilts ready to cut up a new seasonal panel. A few months ago I shared a Halloween panel project with you, and today I’m cutting up the Jingle Bells panel by Lindsay Wilkes. This fabric collection brings you the best festive nostalgia, with adorable illustrations and cute coordinating prints.

Cutting up the panel to maximise its use

There are many different ways that you can cut this panel, but I wanted to use the following elements:

• The motifs surrounded by the festive gingham pattern, which I used for drawstring bags
• The motifs inside the gingham without any framing, which I used as the centre of economy blocks
• The snowman (which is the main feature of this panel) with the patchwork squares acting as a border for the snowman and the boxy tote bag
• The red frame strips which can be used for binding and handles

Gift wrapping patterns for a sustainable Christmas

I chose three different free patterns which would make nice alternatives to wrapping paper next Christmas season. I adjusted the measurements according to the panel features and had fun picking coordinated prints from the collection to add to the panel.

1. Simple tote bag

This tote bag includes the star of the panel, the snowman! I used the main panel feature for one of the sides, and on the opposite side, I pieced some of the little motifs from the panel alongside the red lyrics print.

I had originally planned to use the red strips as bag handles, however, I found some stripy webbing which added an extra festive touch.

There are so many free tutorials available for different tote bags. If you have never made a tote bag before, check out the Riley Blake Youtube tutorial.

2. Quilted drawstring bag

This bag is more structured than the Jeni Baker one, and it has handles as well as a drawstring closure. You can find the video tutorial on Youtube.

I used the same Vlieseline H640 fusible fleece as I did for the big tote bag, but I quilted it more densely, using a matching 50-weight cotton thread. The quilting blends in nicely, but it also adds texture and structure to the bag.

3. Simple drawstring bag

This pattern is by Jeni Baker and she offers a Youtube tutorial which is really detailed. It will enable you to customise the size of your bag to be able to use this panel. In this case, I didn’t make boxy corners because I didn’t want to lose the gingham frame!

This bag is lined with a coordinating Confetti Cotton solid. You can find the list of coordinating solids on the collection storyboard. I used a ribbon, but you can also use the panel red strips to make a string for your bag.