Make your Christmas wrapping extra special – and reusable year after year – with a set of reusable fabric gift bags! These drawstring bags are easy to sew and never get wrinkled or torn. I’ve got an easy tutorial showing how you can sew reusable fabric gift bags in 2 sizes.
There’s no doubt that gift bags make wrapping a quick and easy job. Just put the gift in the bag, add some tissue and a gift tag and you’re good to go. But those bags tend to look worn out after just a couple of uses! But these reusable fabric gift bags make the wrapping even faster (no tissue paper required!) and they never wear out.
I’ve got a sewing tutorial for you below.
These fabric drawstring bags are fully lined, with an easy drawstring closure. Boxed bottoms give room for bulkier items.
You can make these bags in any dimension, but my tutorial has cutting dimensions to make them in two sizes. Use these bags to package up all kinds of small Christmas gifts. I’ve even got some gift bag suggestions to go with each size, though I’m sure you can come up with many more ideas for these cute little bags.
If you need the bags a little bigger (or smaller) than either of the two sizes included in the instructions, it’s easy enough to adjust the sizes. Just add a little to the height or width of the bag to increase the dimensions as needed.
The fabric gift bags are made from two coordinating quilting cotton fabrics – one for the main fabric, and the other for a contrast band and lining. This is a great project to use some of the fun novelty Christmas prints at the fabric store!
Measurements
Even though I refer to the bag sizes as Small or Large, that’s all relative. Both bags are pretty small. Fabric is floppy by nature, and the larger the dimensions the floppier the bag. These dimensions will still have plenty of “bag” shape without requiring any stabilizers to help them hold their shape.
Finished measurements for the Small reusable fabric gift bag are 5 ½” wide x 5 ¾” tall (including ruffle). The boxed bottom is 3 ¼” wide x 2” deep.
Finished measurements for the Large reusable fabric gift bag are 8 ½ wide x 9 ¼” tall (including ruffle). The boxed bottom is 5 ½” wide x 3” deep.
If you need the bags to be just a little larger (or smaller) it’s easy enough to adjust the measurements.
Here’s a photo of both sizes of bag with a coffee mug to give you a sense of scale.
And if you’re thinking they look small, I can tell you that they hold more than you’d think. I’ve got some gift ideas for each size.
Small Bag gift ideas:
- Pair of socks
- Pair of gloves
- Handful of snack sized candy
- Several bottles of nail polish or other small cosmetics
- Toy car(s)
- Blind box toy
- Christmas ornament
Large Bag gift ideas:
- Kids’ pajama sets
- Small stuffed animal
- Decorative hot pad, kitchen towel, and a few cookie cutters
- Cute mug, hot chocolate mix, and a hot chocolate bomb
- Hat and glove set
- Scarf
Materials
Small Gift Bag
- Main Fabric – 2 pieces, 6” wide x 6 ½” tall from quilting cotton
- Contrast Band – 2 pieces, 6” wide x 2 ¼” tall from quilting cotton (same fabric as Lining)
- Lining – 2 pieces, 6” wide x 8 ¼” tall from quilting cotton
- 3/8” wide ribbon – 2 pieces, 16” long
- Temporary marking pen
- ¼” wide Steam A Seam
Large Gift Bag
- Main Fabric – 2 pieces, 9” wide x 9” tall from quilting cotton
- Contrast Band – 2 pieces, 9” wide x 3” tall from quilting cotton (same fabric as Lining)
- Lining – 2 pieces, 9” wide x 11 ½” tall from quilting cotton
- 3/8” wide ribbon – 2 pieces, 23” long
- Temporary marking pen
- ¼” wide Steam A Seam
How to Sew a Reusable Fabric Gift Bag
All seam allowances ¼”. RST = Right Sides Together
Sew the Outer Bag
Place the Contrast Band pieces along the top of the Main Fabric pieces, RST. Sew along top edge.
Press the seam open, with seam allowances pressed to the Main Fabric side.
Place the two Outer Bag pieces RST, matching seams. Use a temporary fabric marker to mark 5/8” above the seam line. Do this for both sides (left and right).
Now, sew the Outer Bag pieces together, but leave the space between the marks and the seam line open. Backstitch before and after the 5/8” opening.
Press the seam allowances open. (The illustration shows the entire length of a seam allowance pressed open, but really you just need them pressed open at the 5/8” opening.)
Use ¼” wide Steam a Seam (or other fusible hem tape) to glue the seam allowances down at the 5/8” opening. This section will be the drawstring casing, and gluing down the seam allowance here will make it easier to thread the ribbon through the casing later.
Box the corners to create a 2” bottom (for the small bag) or a 3” bottom (for the large bag). If you haven’t boxed corners before, here’s a good tutorial showing how.
- Small Bag: To make a 2” bottom, the boxing seam should be 1” from the tip of the flattened outside seam.
- Large Bag: To make a 3” bottom, the boxing seam should be 1 ½” from the tip of the flattened outside seam.
Sew the Lining
Place the Lining pieces RST. Sew around sides and bottom, leaving 2” open along the bottom for a turning hole.
Make sure the turning hole is at least 1 ½” from the corners to keep it out of your boxing seam in the next step.
Box the corners to create a 2” bottom (for the small bag) or a 3” bottom (for the large bag).
Assemble the Reusable Fabric Gift Bag
Place the Outer Bag inside the Lining, RST. Stitch around the top edge.
Turn the bag right side out.
Then, turn the lining inside the bag. Press.
Now to sew the casing. First, stitch in the ditch along the seam between the contrast band and the main bag piece. Sew all the way around the bag. This will be the bottom seam of your casing.
Sew another seam all around the bag 5/8” up from the first seam. This seam will be the top of the casing.
This seam is far enough in from the edge that the seam guide on the throat plate of your machine won’t help. You can use a temporary marking pen to mark the seam line. Or, you can place a piece of masking tape on the bed of your machine as a temporary seam guide.
Now that your casing is finished, you can thread the ribbons through.
Thread one of the ribbons through the casing, starting at one of the openings then go all the way around (ignore the other opening) and back to that opening again. Knot the ends together.
Now thread the other ribbon through the casing, starting at the other opening and going all the way around to that same opening. Knot the ends together.
All that’s left to do now is to close up that turning hole in the bottom of the bag. Use a ladder stitch to hand sew the hole closed, or use a bit of Steam a Seam to fuse the hole closed.
Your reusable fabric gift bag is finished!
If you love these reusable gift bags, you will love these other holiday sewing tutorials from Anne:
Christmas Stocking with a Hidden Pocket
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What a charming and practical tutorial for the holiday season! ????✨ These reusable fabric gift bags are a delightful way to add a personal touch to gift-giving while being eco-friendly. I love how versatile they are, with the ability to customize sizes and fabrics to match any theme or occasion. Plus, the detailed instructions and thoughtful tips, like boxing the corners and sewing the casing, make this project accessible for sewists of all skill levels. The gift ideas for each bag size are especially helpful for sparking creativity! ????
Bonus points for including matching holiday tutorials – the Mug Gift Card Holder Ornament and Christmas Stocking with a Hidden Pocket sound equally fabulous. This is a treasure trove of festive inspiration! ????????