From Thanksgiving to New Years Day, household waste increases by more than 25%. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, food waste, shopping bags, packaging, wrapping paper, bows and ribbons add an additional 1 million tons a week to landfills during the holiday season. In the United States alone, annual trash from gift-wrap and shopping bags totals 4 million tons.
Fabric Gift Packaging Minimizes Waste, Personalizes Gifts
You can help reduce the waste reaching landfills by wrapping your gifts for birthdays, Christmas, or other special occasions in cloth bags and pouches that can be reused, instead of disposable wrapping paper that only ends up in the landfill.
A quilted fabric pouch gives a gift a personal touch and only takes a few minutes to make. It’s easy to make gift pouches in a variety of sizes. Small pouches make the perfect package for gift cards or cash. A medium-sized pouch can double as a child's purse with some decorative cording added to serve as a shoulder strap.
You can adapt this easy pouch pattern to any holiday simply by choosing a decorative fabric that matches the season.
Supply List for Fabric Gift Pouch
- Decorative fabric for the outside of the pouch
- Coordinating fabric for pouch lining
- Thin quilt batting
- All-purpose thread in a coordinating color
- Velcro dots or decorative button for pouch closure
- Sewing machine
- Rotary cutter
- Cutting ruler
Step-by-Step Instructions for Fabric Gift Pouch
The photos at the bottom of the page give a visual guide to these instructions. Click on any photo to enlarge it.
To make the pouch:
- Cut one rectangle each of the focus fabric, the lining fabric, and the batting. For a small pouch, cut rectangles 5” x 8”. For a medium pouch, cut the rectangles 6” x 12” each. For a large pouch, cut the rectangles 9” x 16”. (Any of these dimensions can be customized to fit the size of your gift.)
- Layer the fabrics in a sandwich, with the focus fabric right side up on the bottom, the lining fabric right side down in the middle, and the batting on top. (See Photo 2 at the bottom of the page.)
- To make a curved edge for the flap, fold the sandwich in half lengthwise and cut a curved line from the fold to the edge, as shown in Photo 3 below. You can either cut freehand or use a marking pen or pencil to draw a cutting line.
- Sew around the edge of the rectangles with a ¼” seam allowance, leaving a large enough gap on one side so you can turn the pouch right side out. (See Photo 4 below.)
- Turn the pouch right side out through the opening.
- Press the pouch. Pay special attention to turning under and pressing the seam allowance in the unsewn area.
- (Optional) Add quilting or decorative stitching.
- Fold up the bottom edge of the pouch as shown in Photo 5 below, then press.
- Sew a smooth Velcro dot to the underside of the flap, and a hooked Velcro dot to the body of the pouch. You can hand-sew the dots or, if available, use your sewing machine’s special stitch for sewing on buttons. If you prefer to use a button, sew a buttonhole on the pouch flap before you fold up and sew the pouch. Sew the button to the body of the pouch after you stitch the pouch together. .
- Sew each side of the folded area with a ¼” seam allowance, making sure your stitches catch the section where you turned the pouch right side out.
- Embellish as desired.
Voila! You have created a charming pouch that gives your gift a special personal touch, and can be reused again and again.
If you liked this article, try these other easy sewing projects:
How to make a simple throw pillow cover
How to sew easy quilted potholders
Make a holiday fabric postcard in 30 minutes or less
Christine Mann - Christine Mann writes about quilting, home decor sewing, and creativity in daily life.
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