Back when my daughters were younger, my oldest daughter came up with the idea of making reusable fabric gift bags. They had fun making them together and we kept the tradition of using Christmas gift bags to wrap our gifts Here’s the tutorial for how to create your own easy Christmas gift bags to give this season!
The 20-year-old paper gift bag
Before you fully understand why I’m so excited about these fabric gift bags, you need to understand the history of 20 year old paper gift bags. These gift bags are infamous for appearing every year.
I grew up in a family on a budget and while we never went without everything we needed, we certainly didn’t get everything we wanted (I’m very grateful for that). Many of my favorite gifts have come from garage sales. My own children even play with some of these things today. And then there was the gift bag…
The gift bag that never stopped giving…all by itself.
My mother loved not wasting things and filling landfills before being eco-friendly was fashionable. She wouldn’t throw away a perfectly good gift bag (it’s good for her), so they kept getting reused…year after year.
After Christmas, mom carefully folds the bags and puts them away for next year. Of course, this only worked with the gifts we gave other family members, but they had a system. They also saved the bags from the birthday parties and reused them to give birthday gifts.
They don’t make them like they used to
I’m convinced they don’t make gift bags (or most things) like they used to because those gift bags lasted for years (and years and years). I didn’t realize how much I had seen one a few years ago, which I first had when I was a child! This meant it was well over 20 years old and still going strong!
As impressive as it was that the bag lasted this long, I knew most paper gift bags wouldn’t do it these days. Our family has discovered that reusable fabric gift bags are a much better option.
Reusable fabric gift bags
Our family has used these fabric gift bags for years now. I love that they are completely reusable and high quality compared to the paper bags at the store. Surprisingly, they weren’t even that much more expensive to make than the disposable versions. And if you manage to take advantage of the Christmas sales, you’ll likely be able to find organic cotton fabric or muslin at a discount, making them even more affordable.
Different types of bags to make
Although we use these bags for Christmas gifts, there are many other options. You can make some in pastel colors for Easter gifts, or whip up a batch for birthdays and baby shower gifts. We have cotton bags, but making some with burlap would be cute too.
Make large gift bags to give as wine bags with healthier wine, or make larger ones that can double as storage bags. You can even create smaller bags to use as jewelry bags or goody bags for party favors. I even used some of the little organza bags to make my own naturally scented perfume. drawer fresheners Before.
Why we use fabric gift bags
There are several good reasons to use fabric gift bags!
1. Reduce waste
Holiday waste is a BIG problem and it just keeps getting worse!
Consider this, in the United States alone, we use more than 4 million pounds of gift wrapping each year and much of it ends up in landfills. There are also an additional 2 billion pounds of waste generated each week during the holiday season. Then there are over a billion greeting cards that also end up in the trash.
Reusable bags solve this problem…and you’ll never have to buy expensive wrapping paper again!
2. Easier to pack (and store)
Have you ever spent hours wrapping presents on Christmas Eve? With six kids and lots of family members, there’s a lot of gift wrapping every year. Even if each person only gets one gift, it adds up. Hours spent meticulously packing, so the kids could tear it off in 10 seconds!
These bags cut my packing time in half. Just put the gifts in the bag, tie them with a ribbon and that’s it!
Plus, there’s no point trying to keep partially used wrapping paper tubes from rolling around in the closet or attic. These simply fold up after use and stay in a box until next year.
3. They are more beautiful
This one is completely subjective, but I definitely think these bags are cuter than most wrapping paper! Add a kraft paper gift tag to the ribbon or jute twine and you have a lovely gift.
Do you want to buy them?
If you don’t have the time or desire to make them, you can find very pretty drawstring gift bags online. Discover them large festive gift bags made with Christmas themed fabric. Whatever you use, consider using reusable options for gift wrapping! Our overcrowded landfills will thank you.
How to Make Reusable Fabric Gift Bags
The only downside to these bags is how little sewing they require, although it is a very simple sewing project. My daughters first made these when they were 3-8 years old and they loved working on this project! For an even simpler no-sew option, try these DIY t-shirt bags which can be used as shopping bags.
You will need:
- Christmas fabric of choice: I definitely recommend supporting a local store and you may find great deals on Christmas fabrics after Christmas. We found some with snowflakes and a snowman, as well as other seasonal fabrics. You can even opt for red fabric to make it look like a mini Santa sack.
- Pinking scissors: Not absolutely necessary, but these pinking shears cut the edges of the fabric in a zigzag pattern so that it does not fray. This allows the bags to last even longer and can eliminate the step of sewing a hem on the top if you don’t mind a zigzag as a finished edge.
- Sewing machine: My daughters are heavy sewing machine for Christmas one year and they used it a lot. There are cheaper options, but this one has great reviews and a good warranty. I also like that it’s durable enough to sew denim, which has proven useful for some other projects. If you don’t have a machine, you can also sew by hand, although it will take more time.
- Ribbon: Instead of adding a drawstring, we went for the simpler option and decided to use a ribbon to close the bags. These can be simple or have holiday models on them. We reuse the ribbon as well as the fabric gift bag.
How to Make Reusable Fabric Gift Bags
Learn how to personalize your own fabric gift bags to use as an alternative to wrapping paper and disposable gift bags.
Yield
Remarks
To use your bag, place the gift inside and close it with a decorative ribbon.
What do you use to wrap gifts? Have you ever made DIY packaging like this?