This easy drawstring bag sews up quick, and they are ideal for a beginning sewer. If you feel sewing is intimidating, this is the perfect project for you. All the seams are simple straight lines ...

A team of about 20 to 30 employees from both organizations, volunteers and former sewing students worked together to sew 650 bags. Each bag took about 3.5 hours to be made, Rex said.

So I decided to make my own Christmas gift bags. I used some plain red gift bags, which cost £3 for five from Hobbycraft, alongside a stamp - £5 from Hobbycraft - and an ink pad I already had.