Miniature P.E.I. Potato Bag Tutorial

Sharon Thompson recently requested that I help her make a Prince Edward Island Potato Bag - She provided me with a great collection of photos and real life dimensions which made the job very easy for me.  Thank You Sharon.

 

	Tools Needed: 10 lb Potato Bag -- 25 lb Potato Bag -- 40 lb Potato Bag Printer Miniature potato bag printout - Click Choice Above! Scissors or Craft Knife Glue Very fine String Fimo Potatoes and very fine mesh or paper towels About 15 - 30 minutes of time.
	Cut the bags out - Potato Bags are made from two layers of paper - using both help to make the finished product look best.
	Apply glue to one side of the bag
	Spread the glue, the edges and around the display hole for the potatoes are most important, the middle sections isn't, as the areas not glued will help with the wrinkling later!
	Glue the two sides together - start by lining up the tab at the bottom and top of the bag. As the glue is drying - I move the bag around a bit in order to have sections of one side of the bag come loose from the other side.  This allows the bag to wrinkle nicely and adds to the realism. Allow to dry and then cut off any excess that might extend beyond the outside edges of the miniature potato bag.
	If you want to fill your miniature potato bag with potatoes - then cut out the picture of the potatoes.  Cut from the outside of the bag - not from the lining side - as they may not line up exactly. Glue a fine mesh over the hole on the inside of the bag.  Silk screen should work well. You can find an excellent tutorial on how to make Fimo potatoes by Alex Zohar, Instruction by Carol Jones Here
	There is actually two different ways to make these miniature potato bags - Fold all the lines to make the bag square - or just fold the bottom flap lines and the glue edge line to make a round bag.  IMO the round bag looks best, so that is what I will make.  I you prefer the square bag just fold all the lines and glue the bottom flaps flat.
	I used my craft knife to roll the bag - It also helps iron in some nice wrinkles in the bag.
	Glue the folded edge tab to the bag and allow to dry completely.
	I like a rounded bottom to my miniature PEI potato bag, so I just roll over the flaps and glue making sure the flap with the pattern is on the outside.
	Next come the stuffing - Fimo potatoes or paper towels.
	Fold in the sides to close the top.
	Glue the top, making sure the section where the blue sewn strip goes is tightly glued.
	Take the blue sewn strips and measure how much you need.
	Cut the blue sewn strips to length and make sure you leave a little excess to hang over the edges.
	Attach a thread to the back side of each glue sewn strips.  Use thinner thread than I have for a better look.
	Just below the top of the bag, glue the blue sewn strips into place - these strips are rarely perfectly lined up so angle a bit.  Glue these blue sewn strips to both sides of the miniature PEI potato bag.
	Now using the two threads on either side - tie a chain stitch - or just granny knots (as I don't know how to do a chain stitch) and cut the excess string off.
	Put the completed bag in your hand and using your other hand rub back and forth until you attain the look you want for the bag.  Potato bags go through a lot before you get them - so they never look pristine. Put a sealer on the bag and you're done!

As always I would love to see your finished PEI Miniature Potato Bags, so if you don't mind a copy and I'll post it here.

Sharon Thompson's Potato Bags and potatoes.