Like many of you, I'm becoming very aware of the amount of paper waste I alone generate each day. But the great thing about being sewers is how easy it is for us to do something about it!

So, in addition to the cloth napkins I made recently, to reduce our use of paper napkins, I am going to try to make cloth gift bags whenever possible, instead of using wrapping paper.

This is a bag I made for a friend's baby shower gift. The gift inside is a book, but the bag itself can be used to hold toys or any small items. Or my friend can even use it to wrap a gift she gives.

Making the bag was a cinch. Cut the fabric to a few inches wider than the width of your gift. Wrap the fabric around the top of the gift to see how long the bag needs to be in order to close around the gift. Cut to that length.

Sew the two sides of the bag closed (with right sides of the fabric facing each other). Hem the opening of the bag by folding the edge in 1/4-inch, then fold over again, this time 1/2 to 3/4-inch (to accommodate the width of the cord you'll use as a drawstring). Sew the hem down. 

Cut two parallel slits in one fabric layer of the hem for the cord. Whipstitch the edges of the slits with a needle and thread to keep the fabric from fraying. Attach a safety pin to one end of your cord and thread it through one slit in the hem and out the other. Tie a knot in each end of the cord, and dab the knots with a bit of fabric glue to secure.

I simply used nylon cord for the drawstring and applied even more glue to the cord ends to keep it from fraying. The embroidery design is one I had made from a drawing by my sister.

My goal is to create these for as many Christmas presents as I can this year, too. I know I have a few Christmas fabrics in my stash that will work perfectly.

How are you doing on your Christmas sewing? We'd love to hear all about it in the comments.

Until next time,

Christine