Gingerbread House Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial

Welcome to the first post of the 2023 Lined Drawstring Bag Sew Along! We're kicking things off with this cute Gingerbread House Bag!

I'll be updating the Sew Along Page each week with all the posts so that you can easily catch up or reference these posts after the sew along ends!

I hope you'll sew along with us! Sew from the tutorial or the patterns:
Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial
Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern
Lined Drawstring Bag Expansion Pattern


Here are a few to-do items for week 1 of the sew along!

This week's task is to plan your bags! It's time to decide how many bags you'd like to make, what sizes, and pick out fabrics. A few things you might find helpful when tackling this:

- I've got a post full of tips for choosing fabrics, specifically for drawstring bags. It includes a bunch of sample fabric pulls too. Find it here: Tips for Choosing Fabrics for Drawstring Bags

- This post is specifically about making drawstring bags for wrapping gifts. I've got some gift ideas for each size, to give you an idea of what would fit in all the different sizes: Tips For Using Drawstring Bags to Wrap Gifts

- Still looking for fabric combination ideas? I'd recommend checking out my Lined Drawstring Bag Pinterest Board and well as the #lineddrawstringbag hashtag on Instagram. You'll find lots of finished bags to take inspiration from!


Today I am sharing a tutorial for making this gingerbread house bag! The block itself is paper pieced, and is perfect for fussy cutting! I put a christmas tree in the picture window! You could put a figure, or animal (or something else) in the doorway! If you're looking for some other pieced bag options, you can find tutorials from the last two years here:

Patchwork Star Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial
Present Quilt Block Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial


Sewing Level: Intermediate
Finished size: Approx. 10" tall, 7" wide, 3" deep

Gingerbread House Lined Drawstring Bag Materials:
- 1 Fat quarter for Exterior Main*
- 1 Fat quarter for Exterior Accent
- 1 Fat quarter for Interior
- Scraps for paper pieced block
- Gingerbread House Paper Pieced Block Pattern
- 2 yards of 1/2" twill tape, nylon paracord or 1/8 yd fabric
- Coordinating thread
- Acrylic ruler
- Large safety pin
- Pencil

*I would recommend using a non-directional fabric for the exterior main, which also serves as the background in the gingerbread house block.

Looking for supplies? Check out my Pattern Supplies and Resources post.

Gingerbread House Block Cutting:
Gingerbread House Color:
- Cut (1) 2.5"x1.5" piece for spot 2
- Cut (3) 3.5"x1.5" pieces for spots 3,4,6
- Cut (1) 5.75"x1.5" piece for spot 7
- Cut (1) 6"x3.25" piece for spot 10

Picture Window:
- Cut (1) 3" square for spot 1

Door:
- Cut (1) 2.25"x3.25" piece for spot 5

Roof:
- Cut (1) 5"x1.25" piece for spot 11
- Cut (1) 6"x1.25" piece for spot 12

Background (Exterior Main):
- Cut (2) 4"x1.5" pieces for spots 8, 9
- Cut (1) 4.5" square and cut in half on the diagonal for spots 13,14

Gingerbread House Lined Drawstring Bag Cutting:
From Exterior Main Fabric:
- Cut (1) 9”x10.5” piece
- Cut (2) 6.5"x2.5" side pieces
- Cut (1) 1"x10.5" top piece
- Cut (1) 2.5"x10.5" bottom piece

From Exterior Accent Fabric:
- Cut (1) 4”x21” strip
- Subcut into (2) 4”x10.5” pieces

From Interior Fabric:
- Cut (1) 12.5”x21” strip
- Subcut into (2) 12.5”x10.5” pieces

If using fabric for ties:
- Cut (2) 32”x2” strips

If using twill for ties:
- Cut (2) 32" pieces

Gingerbread House Lined Drawstring Bag Instructions:

*Use a 1/4” seam allowance unless otherwise noted*

1. Before constructing the bag, we first need to make the Gingerbread House Block. The block is paper pieced, you can download the free block pattern here: Gingerbread House Paper Pieced Block Pattern

If you're new to paper piecing, be sure to check out my paper piecing tutorial.

2. Remove papers from block and trim to 6.5" square. Press well.


Now it's time to add the borders to the Gingerbread House Block.


3. Sew the two 6.5"x2.5" side exterior main pieces to either side of the star block. Press seams away from block.

4. Sew the 1"x10.5" top side exterior main piece to the top edge of the block. Press seams away from block. Sew the 2.5"x10.5" bottom side exterior main piece to the bottom edge of the block. Press seams away from block. Trim piece to 9"x10.5" if necessary. This is the Exterior Main piece for one side of the bag.

Optional: You may choose to add additional structure to your patchwork with a lightweight interfacing. I would recommend something like SF101 by Pellon, and interfacing both Exterior Main pieces.


For the bag construction, refer back to the free tutorial or the everything size in the lined drawstring bag pattern, start at step 1.

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial! I can't wait to see your bags! Please share them with me on instagram @jenib320 + #lineddrawstringbag or via email (jenib320 @ gmail.com)!

Don't forget to pin this post to your Pinterest for future reference!

Happy Sewing!