Mother's Day gift bags & free cross stitch pattern

Mother's Day is just around the corner. I am so happy that I will get to spend it with my Mom. A little sad though, that I am not going to be able to give my Mother-in-Law a big hug.

With these great women in mind (and with great help from my aunt) I put together these cute gift bags. I will bake some sugar cookies and put it inside the bag and give it to these lovely ladies on Sunday.

Ooh Leela's Mother's Day gift bag

Materials:

Aida cloth: this piece is 16''x15'', but feel free to use your own measurements
embroidery floss in black, yellow, red and orange
embroidery needle
sewing machine
red ribbon
ceramic rooster (optional)

Step 1: Fold aida cloth in half; sew 2 sides (1 long side and 1 short side)

Step 2: Fray top edge. To do this, take the strands out of the edge; feel free to take as many strands as you'd like, to create the desired length of fringe effect. In addition, also fray 1 strand (1 block tall) approximately 3 inches from the top (this is where you will insert the red ribbon to close the bag).

Step 3: Using this cross stitch template, embroider the rooster. Make sure it is centered. For help, click here.

At this point, your bag should look like this:

Did you know that displaying ceramic roosters in the kitchen is a very traditional Portuguese custom? It is supposed to bring good luck. I found my rooster here.

Step 4: Insert the red ribbon.

Then insert some goodies (chocolates, cookies, jewelry, or whatever tickles your fancy), the rooster and a tag. Lastly, be sure to hug your mom. Hug her, hug her, hug her.

And to make it easier for you, I designed a gift tag that you can use. You can download it here.

If you come across any other Mother's Day projects, I would love to hear from you! Thank you so much for stopping by!

Have a lovely day!!!