Gift bags are not only elegant and practical, they have a decisive advantage over wrapping paper - they canreused several timesand are therefore far more sustainable. However, they are not particularly cheap. Luckily, you have the opportunity to make your own gift bags. And it's not a difficult task once you know how. Since Christmas is approaching and you're starting to worry about packing, today's instructions are certainly just right. Learn how to make gift bags out of paper in simple steps.
Make gift bags out of wrapping paper
There wrapping paperOffered in a wide variety of colors and with great patterns and motifs, it is also ideal if you want to make Christmas bags. Our first instructions are from Martha Stuart and are for a model with handles. But you can't just make this bag with wrapping paper. Of course, other things are also suitable. You need a template, which you can find in the link at the end of the instructions and print out. This is how you can make the gift bags:
- Wrapping paper
- Template
- Lineal
- Falzbein
- Scissors
- Glue
- Metal eyelets and eyelet pressers
- Ribbon for the handles
Making gift bags – instructions
Cut a rectangle measuring 48 x 24 cm from the wrapping paper. Print out the template and use it to fold the cut wrapping paper. To get straight folds, you can use the ruler. Place it on the respective line and fold the paper over. Make holes in the circles provided (puncture or use a hole punch), add the eyelets and thereby create the holes for the handles. Make sure to make the holes through the two layers.
To close the bag, apply glue to the strip on the side. Then all you have to do is fold the tabs on the bottom of the bag inwards and fix each with a dab of glue. Now all you have to do is make the handles for the gift bags. Cut two pieces of ribbon of the same size, thread the ends through the eyelets from the outside to the inside and tie knots on the inside so that they don't slip out again.
Make gift bags – templatesfor paper bags for Christmas or birthdays
Kraft paper gift bags
You can also fold paper bags with regular kraft paper.
- Kraft paper
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Glue
- Band
- Decorations or colors
Making bags out of paper – this is how it’s done
Cut the paper into a rectangle the size of the bag you want. If you would like to make gift bags like in the example, then choose the dimensions 12.5 x 20 cm. Leave a margin of about 1 inch on both long sides and fold the rest of the paper in half. Use the edges you left to close the bag. So glue them together. Then fold one of the two open sides upwards (5 cm). Hold this fold firmly, then open the flap obtained and fold the two sides on the right and left inwards.
Next, alternately fold the top flap down and then the bottom flap up (or vice versa), with the edge overlapping the middle fold of the two side flaps. At this point you also glue the tabs in place with glue so that they no longer unfold. Now fold the two long sides of the bag over and then unfold them again. At the crease created, fold the paper in the opposite direction, so to speak towards the inside of the bag.
Now all you have to do is make the handles for the gift bags. To do this, cut two pieces of ribbon of any length and glue the ends to the inside of the bag. Design the paper bags according to your ideas with stickers, colors or other decorations.
Fold paper bags and tape them together
You can also simply use double-sided tape instead of glue to seal the bags where necessary. In the instructions above you can see again where the tape needs to be attached when making classic gift bags.
Idea for decorating with a simple folding technique
To close paper gift bags without handles, simply fold the upper, open edge over once. But an accordion look looks even nicer, don't you think? To do this, you first have to make the classic gift bags without handles. Then place it in front of you and fold the top edge down once. Turn the bag over and fold the edge back down. Then turn it over again and continue like this until you reach the desired width for the fold pattern. Then pull the “accordion” apart a little. Complete!
To get the look of a bow like in the picture, simply tie a nice ribbon down the length of the bag and in the middle. You have to pull this tight so that it can press the folded part down.
Make a gift bag with a “collar”
Would you like such a colorful border for your gift bagscraft for Christmas? Then you can choose the following bag variant, for which it is best to use stronger craft cardboard. You will now find out how to make the gift bags:
- Craft cardboard
- patterned paper for the “collar”
- Lineal
- Circle punch
- Band
- Glue
- Pencil
- Scissors
Make your own gift bags – instructions
Cut out two squares or rectangles of the same size (in the example 22 x 28 cm). On both sides, mark a distance from the two long sides and one short side (or from three of the four sides for a square). This should be the width of the bag, in the example it is 5 cm. On one of the two boxes, cut the squares created in the corners once vertically, then fold all the lines you have drawn in the same direction.
The two cut squares now serve as adhesive tabs that you stick to the future bottom of the bag to create a box. Place the other piece, also folded, inside the first and glue the sides that touch together, creating your gift bags. Your bag shape is now ready. Then you just need two colorful stripes of any width (5 cm in the example) for the “collar” with the same length as your starting rectangles/squares. Then fold the short sides at 5 cm and glue the two strips together on these tabs. Put the resulting frame over the bag and glue it in place.
Now you can also hole the bag and thread a ribbon or thin rope through it for the handles and tie a knot inside. Complete!
Fold the bag without gluing it
Would you like to make small gift bags quickly, but have realized that you no longer have any glue at home? Then we recommend that you make your own origami gift bags! you needfor origamiSo nothing more than paper – square paper.
Place it in front of you with the patterned side down, fold it diagonally once, unfold it again and fold diagonally in the other direction again. Turn the paper over (nice side up) and fold it horizontally in half once. Turn the unsightly side up again, the last fold is horizontal. Now bring the two outer sides of the paper together in the middle and form a triangle. The two pointed corners now consist of two layers, of which you fold the top one inwards.
Repeat this on the other side so that you get the shape of a house. Unfold one of the corners you just folded and now fold it up to the fold. Repeat with the opposite side and then fold both inwards again. The two inner tips should end up touching in the middle. Do the same thing again on the other side.
Turn your folded work open side up, open it slightly and fold the protruding corners inside. Now carefully press the tip in the bottom that points outwards inwards so that you get a cube.
Make a Christmas bag in the shape of Rudolph the reindeer
If you have made a beige or brown paper bag yourself as described above, you can make it more Christmassy with more than just paint and stickers. A reindeer like that is really nice to look at. Cut the antlers directly into the bag. Keep this in mind when choosing the size of the bag, as this will also make the fillable portion smaller.
So after making your gift bags, place one of them in front of you and use a pencil to thinly draw the shape of the antlers on the front. Then cut out the bags along this line. Finally, glue on a pom-pom for the nose (can also be black or dark brown for a normal reindeer) and paint on eyes. You can also stick on wiggly eyes as eyes.
Instead of cutting the antlers directly into the bag, you can of course also cut them separatelymade of paperCut out and then glue or staple.
Make gift bags with which paper?
That you with wrapping paper and craft cardboardMake paper bagsYou have already found out from the instructions. Simple bread wrapping paper, crepe paper, music paper, newspaper or whatever else you have on hand is also suitable. It basically depends on what the bag will later carry. Of course, stronger paper should be chosen for heavy gifts. Jewelry or other small items are also safe in crepe paper. Would you like to recycle old paper? How about making gift bags out of calendar sheets?
