How to Sew a Cloth Gift Bag

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Cloth gift bags are easy to make and last longer than paper gift bags.
The recipient will not only be flattered by the effort you put into it, but they’ll also have a bag they can reuse, either for gift-giving or for storage or carrying.
With a sewing machine that can sew straight seams and make buttonholes, and your choice of fabric, you can start making these thoughtful bags whenever you want.

Steps

1. Decide what size bag you want to make. You can do this two ways.
   • The easy way is to wrap the cloth around the object you want to wrap and mark its dimensions on the back of the fabric you want to use.
   • A more complex way is to measure your object’s dimensions (length, width, height) and add an inch or two in each direction for seam allowances. Bear in mind that these instructions are for two dimensional, rectangular bags, and that you will have to allow for all three dimensions of your gift to fit.In this example, the width of the rectangle equals the circumference of the object plus two inches (diameter times pi plus two) and the height of the rectangle is equal to diameter plus height plus two (you could add 3 or more inches instead of two for a roomier fit).
2. Cut the fabric. You can do this all in one piece or in two pieces, just remember to double the seam allowance if using two rectangles instead of one. The following pictures are for a small gift bag made from a single rectangle. If your gift is larger, it may require that you cut two rectangles and sew an additional side seam to make a bag large enough. Otherwise, the same principles apply.
3. Press a fold about 0.5″ (1cm) of fabric along the top edge.
4. Fold and press again, this time a 1″ flap (twice the previous fold). This will be the casing for the tie closure.
5. Press a vertical fold halfway across the fabric; this will be the side without a seam.
6. Unfold and mark the placement of buttonholes on the wrong side of the fabric as shown, positioned below the lower horizontal fold. These are to run the drawstrings through.
7. Make four buttonholes where they were marked. Make them about .75″ (2 cm) long.
8. Open the buttonholes with a seam ripper.
9. Sew the side seam(s) and bottom seam of the bag. It’s a good idea to clip the corner before sewing to prevent it from bunching up later. Zigzag the seam edges to prevent fraying. You can also pink the edges or sew a French seam to obtain the same effect.
10. Turn the bag right side out and turn the casing to the inside.
11. Stitch down the casing to the inside of the bag. Allow for clearance of the buttonholes.
12. Cut two pieces of ribbon, or cordage to use as drawstrings.
13. Tie your ribbon to a small safety pin for ease of threading through the casing.
14. Pull the ribbon through the casing.
15. Note: The photo shows only one ribbon, but if four button holes were made, you should use two ribbons as shown in the drawing… one “U” shape from each direction so that you’re pulling two ribbon ends from each side of the bag to snug down the opening.
16. Drop your gift in the bag.
17. Snug up the drawstring.
18. Tie a bow and add a tag if you like.

Tips

• Suggested (finished) dimensions:
  • 15″ x 24″ will hold a typical shirt box or game
  • 13″ x 18.5″ will hold a large book or medium-size game or toy
  • 7″ x 12″ will hold single DVD or a paperback book
  • 4.5″ x 8.5″ will hold small items such as hot chocolate pouches or jewelry
• Scraps can be used to test your buttonholes.
• You could use metal eyelets instead of buttonholes. You might need to reinforce your fabric with interfacing in the eyelet area.
• An extra large bag makes a great laundry bag to send to camp with kids.
• To prevent fraying, you can use pinking shears, a serged seam, or a French seam.

Warnings

• Scissors and needles are sharp. Handle with appropriate care.

Things You’ll Need

• Lightweight fabric to suit the gift-giving occasion. (e.g., a snowman print for Christmas)
• Tool for marking fabric: could be a sewing chalk or even a pen or pencil
• Scissors and/or pinking shears
• Iron and ironing board
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• Ribbon, yarn, or lightweight cordage for drawstrings
• A bodkin, yarn needle, or similar tool (a safety pin will work in a pinch) to thread the drawstring through the bag’s casing

Related wikiHows

• How to Sew a Button
• How to Machine Sew on a Button
• How to Use a Sewing Machine and Adjust the Stitches
• How to Make a Birthday Goodie Bag for Adults
• How to Wrap a Present
• How to Open a Package or Wrapper Without Damaging It

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PART ONE of a silly rhyme.

LOOK
BOOK

Let’s take a look at this book.

BOOK
SHOOK

We looked at the book, we shook and we shook.

BOOK
NOOK
MISTOOK

We looked in the book
We searched every nook
We looked and we looked,
but the book we mistook.

UNBOOK
REBOOK
GOBBLEDYGOOK

What we don’t like, we like to UnBook
What we don’t see, we see in ReBook
Take out UnBook and add in ReBook
What a beautiful book we call Gobbledygook.

NO
BOOK
NO

Don’t give me that book. That book is no good,
It’s Gobbledygook.

BOOK
HOOK
CROOK

Gobbledygook is a book, like the book
It’s really the same if you just take a look
Everyone will read it by hook or by crook
Everyone must read from our wonderful book.

BROTHER
MOTHER

You belong to each other like sister and brother.
Those here among us are like Father and mother.

ANOTHER
FUTHER

We all must learn to love one another.
We must help one another to reach futher and futher. (further)

BROTHERS
OTHERS

Remember to love each other as brothers
Though some of the brothers are more brothers than others
Some call them fathers, you call them big brothers
Though these big brothers are the same as the others

SMOTHER
EACH OTHER
ONE ANOTHER

We say that we love, some say that we smother
We are involved in the lives of each other
Aren’t you the keeper of the soul of your brother?
Our book says that we must love one another.

FACE
PLACE

We read our book for a smile on each face
A brother for each other, we all have our place.

RACE
RACE

We’re all in a race. We’re all in a race.
We encourage each other to stay in the race.

RACE
CHASE
PLACE
PACE

Whether in life or each other we race
Those that race faster, we chase and we chase
Those that race slower are in a bad place
So we encourage each other to pick up the pace.

28 and 20 can be fun. There is no fun for -6 with 20 mph winds.

It is snowing now and no one seems to feel comfortable forecasting the amount we’ll get. Since this time yesterday, the estimate went from 1 inch to 1 - 2 inches to 4 - 6 inches to 12 inches to 6 - 8 inches and back to 2 - 4 inches. It was also supposed to start at 3pm local time. It began a full four hours early. I’ve heard about the European model, the American model, the UNL model and a few others. Oh well.

No wonder people like to watch weather news so much - it’s pretty unpredictable for everyone including the experts.

Despite implications to the contrary, I haven’t stopped writing for good. I haven’t stopped writing about religion or Christianity. I’ve even had a couple of ICoC(all branches) discussions with folks.

I stopped publicly dealing with the ICoC(all branches) and I stopped reading the websites. I would prefer to not discuss them privately, either, but a note now and then is okay. It’s a far cry from the network of contacts that I had all over the US, Canada, and the world.

Instead, I’ve been writing a lot over at Sycarion. (It has a new look, too.) I’m playing Minimus with a friend online sometime next month. I’ve been helping an online acquaintance document his linguistic generator, yould.

It’s been a busy time.

I also am pursuing my largest goal for 2008 with great effort. I want to hear the voice of God. As it is, I hear the voice of Kingdom Teachers, Kip, dozens of evangelists, BT leaders, and others, Matthew Henry, Luther, Lucado, Bounds, Nee, Stott, C.S. Lewis, Tozer, Cecil Hook, Osteen, Robertson, Swaggart, Iacocca, Maxwell, Oral Roberts, and more often than not, my own voice.

All of these are not the voice of God.

However, I also hear silence. Nothing at all. I have no memory of reading the Bible and hearing nothing at all, even as a child. It is spooky, to say the least.

In one sense, I hear the voice of friends, Foster and Wesley speak of Spiritual Disciplines. As Wesley basically said, prayer, Bible Study and Communion are the ordinary channels God uses to bestow his grace on men. I also hear Foster talking about the need to be deep, not intelligent. I feel like I spend a lot of time being intelligent without being deep. Still, with all the noise in my thoughts, I know that it is good to keep at it as far as the basics go.

As Albert Camus would say

Ah, mon cher, for anyone who is alone, without God and without a master, the weight of days is dreadful.

What I would like is the read and pray and be unable to quote anyone at all. (Remember, I’m at work - I’m confirming the quotes, not finding them.) It doesn’t have to be permanent, just enough time to feel like I’m alone with God, not a room full of people.

Paul was accused of his great learning causing him dementia. I’ve wondered the same thing sometimes. The thing is, though, I don’t really have great learning, I’m just a product of the information age with almost unlimited access. That kind of goes back to Foster talking about depth vs. intelligence. We all know what God can do with man’s intelligence. (he frustrates it)

Faith is not a matter of intelligence or learning. I believe that Jesus would say to us (and me) that we search catalogs of Christian Literature because we believe it can keep us saved, on track, useful, or otherwise moving forward in our walk with God. I think I’ll read fewer Christian books this year and spend more time looking around me.

In any case, that’s all the news fit to print with me. I guess I’m just letting everyone that I haven’t quit. God Bless.