{"id":2024,"date":"2015-12-11T16:03:25","date_gmt":"2015-12-11T21:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedailysew.com\/?p=2024"},"modified":"2016-08-03T10:53:45","modified_gmt":"2016-08-03T14:53:45","slug":"easy-and-quick-fabric-gift-bags","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/easy-and-quick-fabric-gift-bags\/","title":{"rendered":"Easy and Quick Fabric Gift Bags"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"fabric<\/p>\n

I have a love hate relationship with gift wrap. I love the designs, the colors, the way they make the simplest gifts look so good. I don’t like that it can only be used onced and then\u00a0tossed away. (Yes, same with Kleenex, but\u00a0Kleenex serves a very useful purpose\u00a0before it is tossed).\u00a0Gift bags are slightly better since they can be reused a few times, until they get too crunched up and creased. However, I can never make the tissue paper that peeks out of the bag look good.<\/p>\n

Years ago, to save money and room in the trash can, I started making cloth gift bags for my family’s Christmas presents. I figured, if I used them to wrap gifts for my husband and kids I would be able to keep them and use them year after year after year. And I have. And I’ve made more. Every year I add a few to the collection and pass on a few to friends and far-away-family for them to reuse.<\/p>\n

So, they save money, but buying wrapping paper after Christmas does too. There’s more to it though. I feel they are worth making because they are reusable, they’re quick to make (super quick), they can be ironed out if needed, they can be\u00a0made any size and to store them away I just throw them in\u00a0the Christmas box as extra padding.<\/p>\n

\"fabric<\/p>\n

I have three versions to show you and all are easy to make. Version 3\u00a0requires the most time to make but it’s still pretty darn quick. I’ve also listed some variations that you can use on any of the versions at the end of this post.<\/p>\n

Since\u00a0gifts are given all year long you can make bags to wrap any\u00a0presents; Mother’s Day, Valentines, even as goody bags. \u00a0The fabric you use can be bought especially for the gift or gift’s receiver; a holiday theme fabric, the birthday child’s favorite character, or you may already own a large enough, festive, scrap. How much fabric you need will depend on the size of the gift you want to wrap.<\/p>\n

TIP: These bags are great for wrapping clothing (no box needed), odd shaped things, and small to medium objects. Large boxes, like some games, Lego sets and new sewing machines (I wish) will do better wrapped in paper*. A cloth bag has\u00a0to be large enough to go over the gift\/box and gathered together to tie shut. That could be a lot of fabric.<\/p>\n

* I do what I can. I reduce my use of paper wrap, I reuse it if I can, and I recycle it if possible. And I don’t worry about any of it.<\/p>\n

\"fabric<\/p>\n

All three versions of the bags are simply sewn together on 2 to 3 edges by machine. The only difference is how to finish the top edge. A ribbon is sewn\u00a0into the side seam which is used to tie the bag\u00a0shut. When I started making these bags\u00a0I used them for my husband’s gifts. I knew he wouldn’t be tempted to untie them for a peek inside. Later years, when I had\u00a0more bags to use, the kids presents were wrapped in them. So far neither of them have ever confessed to peeking but if you have a child who is very curious, and spunky, and excited about gifts, you may want to fasten the bag with\u00a0a twist tie under the ribbon as a deterrent.<\/p>\n

\"fabric<\/p>\n

For all three versions:<\/p>\n