How to make gift bags out of wrapping paper
Got an oddly-shaped gift that is hard to wrap? Discover how to make gift bags out of wrapping paper and solve all your wrapping woes and save £££ with a few simple folds
Published:
Ah, the joys of wrapping presents – or should that be the trials and tribulations of wrapping presents? It’s all fine and dandy if your gift is a nice regular box shape, but what about if it is wobbly, squashy or just a plain awkward shape to get paper around. This is where learning how to make gift bags out of wrapping paper can really help you out. Gift bags made out of wrapping paper work with gifts of all different shapes and sizes, and you will see the savings in your spending too if you are used to buying gift bags instead of making your own. Don’t blame us if your pockets get stretched out with all the money you will save using out how to make gift bags out of wrapping paper tutorial!
In this how to make a gift bag out of wrapping paper tutorial we’ll share a quick and easy method that you can adapt to all different shapes and sizes. The only limit on size is the width of wrapping paper on your roll. Read on to learn how to make a bag out of wrapping paper and up your gift wrap game without forking out for store-bought bags.
Want to make more of your gift wrapping generally? There are plenty more ideas here on Gathered as well as our how to make gift bags out of wrapping paper! Check out our DIY gift bags roundup, with 31 great styles to make yourself, or our gift wrapping ideas for creative ideas to make your gift stand out from the crowd. Looking to invest in your paper craft essentials? Read our best printer for card making article, best die cutting machines guide or our best glue gun review feature.
How to make gift bags out of wrapping paper: video
Sometimes it is much easier to see a processionals in action – and that is certainly the case with out how to make gift bags out go wrapping paper technique. So we’ve made a video demonstrating how to make a bag out of wrapping paper. If you prefer a walkthrough guide with photos, we have a how to make gift bags out of wrapping paper in 13 easy steps below.
How to make gift bags out of wrapping paper in 13 easy steps
You Will Need
- Wrapping paper
- Sticky tape
- Scissors
- Hole punch
- Length of ribbon
Step 1
When you want to make a bag out of wrapping paper, lay your gift on your roll of wrapping paper. Cut a length of paper the length of your gift plus about 20cm, or more if your gift is especially wide, as you will then need extra length of paper to make your bag wider. Using paper with a striped pattern makes it much easier to keep your cut lines straight!
Step 2
Fold both sides of paper in towards the centre, so that they overlap a little in the middle. These two folds determine the width of your bag, so its a good idea to keep your gift in the centre while you check the bag will be wide enough for it. Use tape to stick the two flaps together.
Step 3
Fold the bottom of the bag up. The width of this fold determines the size of the bottom of the bag, so if you have a very wide gift, make your fold bigger.
Step 4
Keeping the bottom flap folded up, open it out so you can see the paper inside, then fold the flap on either side to make two triangles sitting across the fold line
Step 5
Do the same on the other side of the bottom fold, so you have two neat triangles sitting on either side of the fold line.
Step 6
Fold the top panel in, so that the cut edge is sitting just below the fold line.
Step 7
Do the same with the bottom panel, so the cut edge is sitting just above the fold line, and the two folded panels are overlapping very slightly.
Step 8
You’ve made the bottom of your gift bag! Secure along all the folds with sticky tape to give the base structure. You can make it even more stable by inserting a bit of cardboard the same shape as the bottom of the bag inside, too.
Step 9
Open out the gift bag and insert your gift inside.
Step 10
Fold the top flap of your gift bag over so that the gift is concealed inside. It is best to leave a bit of space above the gift before you fold, as folding too close to the gift can warp the shape of your bag.
Step 11
If you have any overhanging bits of paper where you can see the back of the paper after you have made your top fold, trim these off for a neater finish.
Step 12
Use a hole punch to punch through the two layers in the centre top edge of your bag, insert a length of ribbon through the holes and tie in a bow to secure your gift inside the bag.
Step 13
Alternatively, punch two holes offset from the centre of the top edge of the bag, and thread a length of ribbon through both before tying the bow for a different decorative finish. Congratulations, you’ve learned how to make gift bags out of wrapping paper!
We hope you have found this how to make gift bags out of wrapping paper tutorial useful. Why not also learn how to do furoshiki wrapping? It’s another great eco-alternative and we have a tutorial showing you exactly how it’s done here on Gathered. If video tutorials are your thing, check out our how to make a paper rose project, too.
Looking for more craft inspiration? Take Gathered’s craft hobbies quiz to see which craft is right for you, or browse a selection of 100 of the free patterns we have for you on Gathered in our craft patterns round up. If you want to know what is hot in the world of crafts right now, check out our craft trends article.
Authors
Hannah has worked on Gathered for 3 years, since our launch in 2019. At school Hannah learned to knit collaborating on dorcas blankets – now she edits our knitting section. She inherited her love of stitching and embroidery from her talented grandmother, and her passion for thread led her to be Editor of The World of Cross Stitching for six years. Card making is a more recent passion, developing from her position as editor of Cross Stitch Card Shop. She loves using kinetic techniques to make cards that move – she was editor of Papercraft inspirations magazine for over four years, creating loads of card making video tutorials at www.youtube.com/PapercraftTV.
