Trikotine Candy Favor Bags
Sweet Treats Bags for any Holiday or Special Occasion
Step-by-step crafting instructions
Create your own old-style candy or gift favor bags! These step-by-step instructions show three basic styles of metallic net bags, from simple to advanced. Our 'ruffle twist' bag is the easiest to make, so we recommend that you start with this design first to "get your hand in" and familiarize yourself with the feel of working with Trikotine.
These metallic net bags can be used to hold small gifts and treats in addition to candy. So popular as elegant table favors at weddings, they can be embellished to suit any holiday or special occasion.
And lastly, be inspired ~ and have fun!
• Straight edge ruler
• Scissors
• Sewing needle
• Thread to match the Trikotine:
gold - use beige thread
silver - use light grey thread
copper - use caramel thread
1) Cut a 7-1/2" long strip of Trikotine: the wire
mesh is quite stretchy, so don't pull the tubing
tight when laying it out to measure, or the cut
strip will "bounce back" to a shorter length.
2) Make the bottom ruffle: fold the end 1" up
into the inside of the mesh tubing. Gather the
doubled section into an even ruffle, then make
two or three tight twists 1" up from the bottom.
3) Fill the candy bag with sweet treats: for our
example, we used 16 Jordan almonds. You can
also fill them with small gifts or toys to create
uniquely charming, custom party favors.
4) Close the top of the candy bag: make the
top ruffle by repeating the step 2 instructions.
Adjust both twists so that the ruffled ends are
even in length.
5) Tie on the ribbon bows: our example has
3/8" wide satin ribbon cut in 12" long pieces.
Make sure to tie the bows tightly at the knot
to
keep the filled bag securely closed.
6) Embellish the ribbon bows with flowers,
and you're done!
So easy to customize, add
place cards to make favors for a party table,
or attach a loop to create holiday ornaments.
'Classic Drawstring' Candy Bag
1) Cut a 7" long strip of Trikotine: the knit wire
mesh is quite stretchy, so don't pull the tubing
tight when laying it out to measure, or the cut
strip will "bounce back" to a shorter length.
2) Make a bottom ruffle: fold the end 1/2" up
into the inside of the mesh tubing. Gather the
doubled section into an even ruffle, then pinch
the top of the ruffle closed. Tie the ruffle with
thread, then sew the ends of the thread down
through the ruffle, trimming the ends close so
that they don't show.
3) Prepare the bag drawstring: cut a 7" long
piece of string or cording, and tie it together at
the
end. The distance from the loop to the knot
should measure 3" in length. Trim the ends of
the string loop neat.
4) Form the drawstring casing:
fold the
top
edge 3/4" down over the outside of
the candy
bag.
Position the string loop over this doubled
section
so that it is centered in the middle. To
hold the string loop and casing in place on
the
back
of the bag while you are sewing on the
front, use a piece of tape to tack them down.
5) Sew the bag casing: start on the front by
folding the top edge of the bag down so that
the drawstring casing will be about 3/8" high.
Begin near the loop knot, sewing the casing
closed using a small running stitch, 1/4" down
from the top edge.
Sew the front, flip the bag
over and remove the positioning tape. Fold
down the back casing, and continue sewing
to meet up at the knot. Measure the width of
the bag opening, which should be no larger
than
2-1/2" across -- if it is too wide, gently
tug on the sewing thread to tighten. Tie the
threads together, then sew the ends into the
inside of the bag for a neat finishing touch.
6) Congratulations, your candy bag is ready
to be filled with sweet treats! We show our
example drawstring bag holding 10 chocolate
coins, because as recently as the 1970's this
was the customary way these candies were
sold for the holidays.
The finished candy bag
will measure
approximately 3-1/4" high from
top to bottom, not including the ruffle end.
1) Cut a 7-3/4" long strip of Trikotine: the wire
mesh is quite stretchy, so don't pull the tubing
tight when laying it out to measure, or the cut
strip will "bounce back" to a shorter length.
2) Make a bottom ruffle: fold the end 3/4" up
into the inside of the mesh tubing. Gather the
doubled section into an even ruffle, then pinch
the top of the ruffle closed. Use your sewing
thread to spin around the top gathers to make
a
1/8" high space for adding the ribbon bow.
Sew the ends of the thread down through the
ruffle; trim close so that they won't show.
3) Prepare the ribbon drawstring: cut two 7"
long pieces of 1/8" wide ribbon. Tie together
at both ends, so that the distance between
the knots will be 5" in length. Trim both ends
of the ribbons neat.
4) Form the drawstring casing:
evenly fold
the top edge 1" down over the outside of
the
bag. Open the ribbon loop and position over
the doubled section
so that it is centered in
the middle. To hold the back ribbon in place
while you are sewing down the front casing,
use a small piece of tape to tack it down.
5) Sew the bag casing: start on the front by
folding the top edge of the bag down so that
the drawstring casing will be about 1/2" high.
Beginning on the right side near the ribbon,
sew the
casing closed using a small running
stitch, about
3/8" down from the top edge.
When you've sewn across the front to the
left side, push up a bit on the Trikotine casing
to
make an opening for the drawstring ribbon.
Stitch below the ribbon, flip the bag over and
remove the positioning tape. Fold down the
back casing, and continue sewing to meet at
the starting point. Measure the width of the
bag
opening, which should be no larger than
2-1/2" across -- if
it is too wide, gently tug on
the sewing thread to tighten. Tie the threads
together, then sew the ends into the inside
of the bag for a neat finishing touch.
6) Decorate your candy bag with fancy frills,
and it's ready to be filled with party treats! To
embellish our candy favor bag, we added a
small bow over the the bottom ruffle,
sewed
a large polka-dot
bow onto the front casing,
and made a
custom hang tag using one of
our cute Jack-O'-Lantern scraps.
Easy-to-make ~ fanciful favors for
Summer picnics and parties
To create these cute "berry" favor bags, we used the 'Ruffle Twist' instructions that are listed below, but with a few changes:
Cut a piece of Trikotine that is 6-1/2" long.
To make the bottom of the bag, fold one
end up 1/2", make a tight double twist
and tie with thread. Trim end to 1/4" long.
Turn the bag right side out so twist end
is now on the inside of the bag. Fold the
top edge down into the inside of the bag,
about 1" or so.
Fill with candy, then make
two tight twists to create the top ruffle.
Finish with a sprightly fabric flower and
leaf, or tie on a festive ribbon bow.