craftgrrl | Fabric gift bag & drawstring pouch Tutorials

Here is a use for that leftover fabric you have sitting around ~ fabric gift bags! & just in time for Christmas ;) They can be for any sized gift and decorated how ever you like. Sewing takes about 30 mintues to make (it's great not to have to worry about lining for once!)

I've made up a tutorial for three styles of bags ~

Drawstring Pouch
These flat pouches are good for thin gifts, like DVDs,
or gifts that are not box shaped ~

1. Cut out a rectangle of a light-weight fabric. The size will depend on how big your present is, so you can guess, or use the measurements at the end of the post. Serge or zig-zag stitch around all four sides to keep the fabric from unraveling (about ¼ inch).

2. Fold the fabric in half, right sides together (the fold will be the bottom of the bag). Find some ribbon to use for the drawstring and measure how wide/thick it is. From the top edge of the bag, measure the width of the ribbon + 1 1/4 inch and draw a light line with pencil. Do this on both sides of the bag.

3. Sew up the sides of the bag, going from the bottom fold to ¼ inch above the line you have drawn. Press the seams outward, all the way to the top of the bag.

4. The top edge of your bag should have an open slit on each side of the bag. Topstitch down one side of the seam to your line, across the seam, and back up. Do this for each side.

5. Fold the top edge of the bag down to the line you have drawn & crease the fold. Cut two pieces of ribbon at least twice as long as the width (opening) of the bag.

Place one ribbon under the fold so it starts at the slit on the left, wraps around the bag and come back out by the slit (like a "U" shape). Repeat this with the other ribbon, using the right slit. Make sure the ribbons are pressed up against the top fold so they will be out of the way of your sewing. (Use longer pieces of ribbon if you want to tie it into a nice big bow)

6. Pin the fabric in place and sew just above the serged line around the whole bag. (If you used a zig-zag stitch, you may want to draw a line for a guide). Repeat this for both sides.

7. Cut the ribbons to the same length and put a knot in both ends. You now have a drawstring pouch!

Square-bottom Drawstring Pouch

If you have a boxed gift with some depth to it, these pouches have a great fit ~

8. Decide how deep you want your bag to be and divide that by two. Use that measurement to cut out a square from each bottom corner. Measure this from the side stitching (not side of the fabric).

9. If you want to paint, stamp, stencil (etc.) a design on the bag, you might want to flip it inside out and do it now. It will be easier to decorate while flat.

10. Crease the bottom fold of the bag at the corner. Match the crease up to the side seam and flatten out the bag. Pin in place and sew together, then serge or zig-zag stitch to finish it off. Repeat for both corners.

Finished square-bottom pouch ~

Gift Bags (with straps)

This is a more traditional looking gift bag, and can be made with any weight of fabric (Heavy-weight is better for heavier packages of course!).

Sew all the way up the sides in step #3, you won't have to worry about the top slit at all. Flip down the top edge 1 inch and stitch above serged edge.

Skip down and follow #8-10 to give the bag a square-bottom.

Make some straps, or use some sturdy ribbon, and attach them to the top of the bag.

Measurements
If you are interested in measurements for your orignal rectangle of fabric ~ Use these equations for a tight fit. If you would like to wrap the gift in tissue, add 1/2 inch to your measurements before using the equations.

Flat drawstring pouch (good for DVDs):
Height ~ (height of gift x 2) + (width of gift) + (width of ribbon x 2) + (1 1/4 in.)
Width ~ (width of gift) + 1 inch

Square-bottom drawstring pouch:
Height ~ (height of gift x 2) + (width of gift) + (depth of gift x 2) + (width of ribbon x 2) + (1 1/4 in.)
Width ~ (width of gift) + (depth of gift) + 1 inch

Gift bag with straps:
Height ~ (height of gift x 2) + (depth of gift) + 6 inches
Width ~ (width of gift) + (depth of gift) + 1 inch

Have fun crafting! ;)
If you notice any problems with the tutorial please let me know. I'll be fiddling with the measurements as I make more bags but I wanted to get this up early for Christmas.
~Tiffany