Easy Felt Messenger Bags

 

Chloe had a birthday party coming up that we were planning to attend. I had already purchased a small gift for the little girl. It would have been fine on its own but I wanted to add a personal touch. That’s when I got the idea for these little messenger bags. If I had thought of it a little earlier I could have purchased cute things to go inside of it instead of the original gift, but it was a last minute decision. Anyway, I loved them so much I thought I’d share the idea with you. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 squares of felt measuring desired size, mine were 9×9″
Scrap piece of yarn, mine was a multi-colored, thin yarn
Yarn needle
Button
Thread
Scrap fabric to make strap
Scissors
Sewing machine (not required) 

1. Begin by stitching a whimsical shape or object on one piece. I have NO embroidery experience. I just went with it. The thickness of the yarn is very forgiving.
2. Next, sew the button on the other piece of felt, towards the top in the middle.
3. Then make the strap. Cut a piece of fabric measuring 4″x20″ (or however long you’d like it). Iron the edges in about a 1/4″ on each side then fold the whole thing lengthwise, in half and iron again. Then stitch the length of each side. I used a piece of bleached muslin and stitched it with red thread to make it more fun. 
4. Now pin the ends of the strap between the two layers of felt and sew. I began at the inside edge of one strap and sewed all the way around with a zig-zag stitch to the inside of the other strap. Sew as close to the edge as you can. The great thing about felt is that you can leave the edges raw. 
5. Lastly, cut a button hole. That’s right, just cut it. The easiest buttonhole you’ll ever do!

I made the red one first and my daughter loved it, so I made another one for her friend. The whole thing took under an hour and was embarrassingly inexpensive; $.33 for each piece of felt. Everything else I used was a scrap from another project. The yarn, which I love, came from this hat! 

Why I do what I do ~ This is what my daughter prayed at bedtime tonight (while my husband is in Peru), “Thank you Jesus, for our food, and Daddy’s plane, Nana Papa’s plane, Uncle Josh Britny at the house, Auntie Crystal, Jazmyn Aliyah in bed sleeping, and Mommy and Daddy miss each other, I miss each other too, I miss Daddy.”

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Tagged as: Crafts, Gifts, Sewing