Drawstring Gift Bags Christmas
Drawstring Gift Bags Christmas - For the past few years, I've been working to replace wrapping paper with reusable gift bags for Christmas and birthday gifts. In this tutorial, I'll show you how to make a drawstring fabric gift bag (lined and unlined) - no measurements needed! This is a simple sewing project perfect for beginners.
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Drawstring Gift Bags Christmas
You don't measure the wrapping paper before you wrap the gift, do you? So let's make sure that making homemade gift bags is as easy as wrapping them in the usual way. The best part is that the more bags you make in different sizes, the less prep, packing and bag making you will have to do next year.
You'll end up with a stash of easy-to-reach gift bags of all shapes and sizes! Of course, you will give away some bags when you give gifts to people outside of your home, but I love the idea that they will reuse them too, and I inadvertently reduce their use of wrapping paper too!
p.s. printable instructions and video tutorial at the end of this post! Below you'll find all the supplies and instructions you need to make quick and easy handmade gift bags. The second option is pretty self-explanatory and doesn't require any extra guesswork - so if that's what you're going to do, go ahead and move on to the next step.
How To Make A Fabric Gift Bag
To figure out what size fabric to cut for a particular gift, I do this: I pull out holiday fabric or other fabric scraps, anything from fat quarters to large scraps or even a yard of fabric if your gift is very large. You can make these bags by folding one piece of fabric in half or using one piece for the front and one for the back.
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So, fold the fabric or place the "front" fabric down and place the gift on top. Consider the depth of your gift. How many fingers deep (approx)? Make sure there is enough fabric on both sides of your gift (when sitting on the fabric) not only for the 1/4″ seam allowance, but also for the depth of the gift.
So if your gift is 2 fingers deep (like a book), add at least 2 fingers width to each side of the book. Even more is fine if you want to be sure. Also consider how high your gift is compared to your merchandise. You add the drawstring bag about a quarter of the length of the bag – more or less – so there should be some space above the gift before the wrap comes down.
Once you're happy with the size, cut off any excess fabric or any frayed pieces on the top or bottom of the fabric (I'm not measuring here, I'm just making sure the front and back of my folded fabric are roughly the same size to start with. For an unlined bag: Fold one piece of fabric
Step 2: Topstitching The Top Of The Bag (Unlined Version Only)
and cut both sides the same or cut the "back panel" to match the size of your "front" panel For a lined gift bag: cut 2 folded pieces of fabric to the same size or cut 4 panels - two on the outside of the bag and 2 for the lining.
I used some thin polycotton dachshund fabric for the fronts of the two lined bags and cut the back and inner fabric from some of my husband's old shirts I like to use upcycled materials like shirts and old denim jeans for all kinds of sewing projects including
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with these DIY gift bags You can even use Christmas quilt blocks as the outer fabric for your bags, like these cute Christmas tree blocks. Again, I didn't measure - I just used the edges of my top panel as a pattern for the other panels.
For both: If you are using separate panels instead of a folded piece of fabric, sew the outer right side of the bag along one of the long edges before proceeding to the next step. (See below for sewing the lining if using one). If you choose an unlined bag, the next step is to hide the raw edge at the top of the bag.
Step 2: Topstitching The Top Of The Bag (Unlined Version Only)
To do this, fold the top edge over twice to hide the raw edge inside. Again, we don't measure, you can make it small or a little thick - it's up to you (see photos for approximate instructions). You can also watch the whole process in the video at the end of this post if you're not sure what I'm talking about here!
Press the first fold and then fold again and press again. The only thing you want to check is that the fold is about the same width as the entire length of your piece of fabric. Then take it to the machine and 'stitch' it on the bottom fold line - but bring that wrong side of the fabric up - so you're basically sewing on the back.
I do this from the back so I can make sure I catch the folded fabric in the seams. I use a 3.5 stitch length. Note: if you will be lining the bag - skip this step! Next, you need to find a long strip of fabric (or you can fold two if necessary).
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The length should be equal to the width of your bag. Note: At this stage, the outside of the bag is not yet sewn on both edges. If you are using a folded piece of fabric, unfold it for this purpose. When you join the front and back pieces, they should lie flat on the cutting mat as one piece.
Step 3: Making Your Drawstring Casing
A strip of leftover jello is perfect for this, but if you have a strip that's a bit thinner or thicker, that's fine too! This strip of fabric will be visible on the outside of the bag as it is a drawstring bag - so make sure it matches your main fabric.
Hide the raw edges at both ends of the ribbon (the short ends!) by folding twice and sewing along the fold (same as step 2 above). Again, you don't need to measure, but you can probably safely make these folds a bit smaller than those in step 2 above.
Once you've done this, sew the entire strip together, wrong sides to wrong sides, using a 1/4 stitch along the long raw edge. Back seam at both ends. The one that is sewn, bring your ribbon to a pressing mat or ironing board and press the ribbon so that the seam is at the back and the "pretty" side is at the front.
Then press The seam can be opened or pressed to the side, it doesn't matter. You just need to hide it on the back of the case. This step is the same whether you are making a bag with or without a lining. Place the prepared string with the seam down on the fabric of the bag.
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