As much as I love wrapping paper or a cute paper gift bag, my favorite way to give gifts is wrapped in a handmade Lined Drawstring Bag. Especially if the gift itself is handmade, I like to coordinate the bag with the same fabric or similar colors. I thought today I'd share my tips for using these bags for wrapping, plus which size I use for different gifts.


So first, why make a handmade gift bag? A few reasons. I think it instantly adds a little something extra to whatever you're giving. The bags are reusable, so they're an eco-friendly alternative to gift wrap. Adding a handmade element can also help jazz up store bought gifts too, making them more fun and adding a personalized touch. For quilts, I find drawstring bags are a great way for the recipient to store the quilt while it's not being used. Finally, they're just fun to make, so it's a good excuse to make one!


One quick thing I like to do before gifting is to tie up the strings in a bow! It's simple, but is a nice finishing touch!


Looking for other sizes? Check out the Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern which includes 8 sizes and instructions for creating your own custom size!

I'll share a few gift ideas that should comfortably fit into each size included in the pattern, starting with the Everything Bag, which is the same size as the free tutorial.

Everything Bag (tutorial size)

- Bubble bath/lotion/soap set
- Swap goodies (pincushion, candy, fabric, cute scissors)
- Small flower pot + seed packets
- Baked goods
- Scarf or other small accessories

Tiny Bag

- Enamel pin
- Jewelry
- Gift card
- Candy
- Earbuds

Snack Bag

- Small toys like Tsum Tsums, toy cars, Littlest Pet Shop, etc
- Make-up
- A few fat quarters and a spool of thread
- A cute mug and some hot chocolate mix or tea
- Candle

Project Bag

- Set of potholders or dishtowels
- Small stuffed animal
- Knitting/crochet kit (yarn, pattern, needles)
- Dvds
- Framed photo

Artist Bag

- Baby quilt
- Art supplies
- Children's book and a toy
- Small electronics (tablets, ipad, large headphones)
- Quilt kit

Laundry Bag

- Throw quilt
- Large toy
- Handmade pillow
- Dishware
- Small kitchen appliances


Want to customize your drawstring bags? Check out the new Lined Drawstring Bag Expansion Pattern! Learn how to center a design on the front, make a drawstring backpack, add patchwork and much more!


Here is where to find the basic bag tutorial and pattern:
Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial
Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern
Lined Drawstring Bag Expansion Pattern

Happy Making!

April Monthly Report

Happy May! It's time for April's monthly report. See past reports here.


I actually sewed quite a bit this month! I didn't finish many projects, but I made progress. It's been slow getting back into a groove, mostly because I keep getting sidetracked. All of the house projects I've been tackling are eating up my time.

One project I did finish this month was a set of coasters to use in my sewing room! I saved these quilted square cutoffs from my Dreamin' Vintage Sew Portable Travel Set that I made a few years ago, not wanting them to go to waste. I finally decided to turn them into coasters. I used binding scraps to finish them, so they're extra scrappy!


I pulled out my scrappy pineapple blocks and made a new block, bringing my total to nine blocks. I love how these are turning out, and I'd like to start working on this project more regularly again.


Most of my sewing this month was on samples for my class at Glamp Stitchalot in November! Here is a little peek.


Lots of block sewing, including these fruity cat blocks. Fruit prints are from Sugar by Erin McMorris. Block tutorial can be found here.

See the plus quilt I made with this collection last Summer, here.


I am trying to get back into knitting too, it's a very relaxing activity for me, and I've missed it. I decided a hat would be a good way to get back into it!

I love matching my project bags to my knitting, of course. Using a lined drawstring bag made from Nordika for this one.


To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I'm tracking my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track my here. Here is how I did in April:

April Fabric
Used up: 4.5 yards
Brought in: 3.75 yards
Net: -.75 yards
Year to date: +22 yards

April Yarn
Used up: 0 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: 0 yards
Year to date: +218 yards

I managed to buy no fabric until the very end of the month. I was working on my Glamp projects and I ran out of the neutral dot from Mochi. I was only short a 8"x2" piece, boo! Since it's a work project I didn't want to sub it out, so I ordered some more, plus a few other colors fell into my cart.


Speaking of finishing projects, we were able to cross our pantry off the list this month! Here's a little before/after of our kitchen pantry. It's at the top of the basement stairs, and as you can see it was pretty gross and non-functional when we moved in. So, we tore out the old shelving, did a lot of wall repair, primed, painted, installed new shelves, and ripped out/replaced the old linoleum. It was a big project, but was so worth it. We have so much more storage space now, and it looks a lot cleaner and taken care of. I used this tutorial from Young House Love for the shelves.


A fun thrifting find from April, this candy colored wizard of oz sheet!


Last but not least, George bunny taking a break from running around to wash his face!

Have a great month!

Free Quilt Pattern: Fenced In Throw Quilt

Photo taken by Holly DeGroot.

Happy Tuesday! Today I have a free quilt pattern download to share. This quilt pattern was originally released in my short-lived newsletter, but I thought I'd make it available for download here on my blog!

Fenced In can be made with 15 fat quarters or 50 jelly roll strips. For my quilt I used my friend Holly's Brushstrokes fabric collection.

Find fat quarter bundles of Brushstrokes in Holly's shop, here.

Photo taken by Holly DeGroot.

 It takes advantage of strip piecing, which means the blocks come together fast!

Photo by Holly DeGroot.

I chose to finish mine with simple diagonal lines through each block. You can find my full blog post on my quilt here: Fenced In Quilt. I loved making this quilt, and I hope you'll make one too! You can't go wrong with simple strips.

Sewing Level: Beginner Friendly
Finished Size: 54"x66"
Finished Block Size: 6" square

Fenced In Quilt Materials:
- 15 fat quarters OR (50) 2.5” jelly roll strips
- 3 1/2 yards of backing fabric
- 62” x 74” piece of cotton batting
- 1/2 yard of binding fabric
- Coordinating thread

Download the free quilt pattern here: Fenced In Quilt Pattern.


Photo taken by Holly DeGroot.

I hope you've enjoyed this free pattern! I have lots of other free tutorials for everything from quilts, pillows, bags, and holiday items to informational series and techniques. Find all my tutorials here: Tutorials. My online shop is filled with patterns for quilts and bags. Find my patterns here: Jeni Baker Patterns

If you make something using one of my tutorials or patterns, I hope you'll tag me @jenib320 and use my hashtag #jenibaker on instagram!


Photo taken by Holly DeGroot.

Pattern: Fenced In Quilt Pattern
Fabrics: Brushstrokes, Cirrus Solids in Lilac*, Bespoken*.

Happy Quilting!

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

March Monthly Report

Happy April! It's time for March's monthly report. See past reports here.


I didn't finish many projects this month, but I did make more progress than I did in February, so that's something! Even though we moved here over three months ago, I still haven't fallen into a good work routine. I'm definitely looking forward to feeling more settled. Maybe once the weather gets nicer? We'll see.

I stitched up a Giant Vintage Star Quilt from a beautiful Liberty selection from Alice Caroline Fabrics. Still trying to decide how I want to quilt it!


I am pretty close to being out of thank you cards. I remembered I picked up a box of plain kraft cards/envelopes from Target last year. I decided to put my Circut Maker to work and use it to cut the "Thanks" out of some cards. Add in some fabric scraps and voila! I was really pleased with how well this worked out. I made a little video of how I made them here.


I stitched up this cute little mouse for my Mom for Easter! The pattern can be found here. It was fun digging through my Liberty for the ears and her little dress. I can't wait to make one for myself too!


No gift would be complete without a Lined Drawstring Bag to put it in! This sweet house print from Yours Truly by Kimberly Kight reminded me of my Mom, and I pulled the other fabrics around it.


To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I'm tracking my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track my here. Here is how I did in March:

March Fabric
Used up: 2.75 yards
Brought in: 19.75 yards
Net: +17 yards
Year to date: 23.25 yards

March Yarn
Used up: 0 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: 0 yards
Year to date: +218 yards

I really went off the deep end fabric-wise this month. Red Beauty Textiles, which had an amazing Nani Iro selection, closed in March. I used this as an excuse to build up my double gauze stash. Add in my birthday as an extra excuse to treat myself and there was no hope! On top of that I ordered another quilt back and finally checked out a local quilt shop. I'm going to try to buy ZERO fabric in April, because this trend is not good for my stash!



Right at the end of March I pulled out a leftover quilt top from my book (Patchwork Essentials: The Half-Square Triangle). I got a quilt backing made and basted it, so I hope to finish it up this month.


Last but not least, I decided to sit in on George's Easter picture this year! He is such a love bun. He was spoiled all day with extra treats and pets :)

Have a great month!