Elegant DIY Gift Bags with kraft-tex
Who is ready for gift giving? This month, I’m sharing a tutorial for how to sew this elegant gift bag from kraft-tex! This heavyweight present bag can be used over and over again. It would even make a nice mini tote.
The snowflake applique makes it a great holiday tote, but you can customize it with your own design or leave it plain and attach a cute hanging gift tag.
Want to make your own?
Materials:
– 1 roll Blue Iris kraft-tex
– 1 piece 8 1/2″ x 11″ and two strips 1 1/2″ x 11″ Linen kraft-tex
– white glue
– sewing machine and thread
– rotary cutter, ruler, and cutting mat
– glitter glue (optional)
– paper scissors
1. From the Blue Iris kraft-tex, cut two squares 14″ x 14″. From one piece, cut and remove a 3″ x 3″ square from the left bottom and right bottom corners. Repeat with the other piece.
2. Stack the two pieces on top of each other so the cutouts are aligned. Stitch together 3/8″ from raw edge across the left side, bottom, and right sides, making sure to backstitch at each end. Sew a second seam 1/4″ from each raw edge to reinforce.
3. Open the kraft-tex and fan out the cut-away corners as shown below. Align the seams and clip into place. Stitch across the seam you just clipped, 3/8″ from edge. Reinforce with another line of stitches 1/4″ from seam.
4. Turn the bag right side out, making sure to poke out the corners.
5. Fold down the top of the bag about 1″ toward the center to make a nice rounded top edge. Clip in several places and measure the bag from top to bottom on each side to make sure it is the same height all around. Topstitch around the perimeter, 1/8″ from the edge.
5. Use the 8 1/2″ by 11″ sheet of kraft-tex and send it through your printer. That’s right! Send it right through. Print a snowflake design onto the kraft-tex. I downloaded a free design from Suncatcher Studio and printed it at 50% scale. (Note: depending on your printer, you may be able to use a slightly smaller piece of kraft-tex, as I did.)
6. Cut out the snowflake from the kraft-tex with paper scissors and add glitter glue to one side if desired.
6. Use white glue to attach the snowflake to one side of the bag. To make sure it dries flat, you can lay the bag down flat and place a heavy book and several dinner plates on top.
7. To sew the handles, take the 1 1/2″ x 11″ strips and fold one edge over 1/2″. Fold the other edge over top of that, making it three layers thick. Stitch a single line of thread down the center of each strap to hold the folds in place. Work the handles, bending them between your fingers to make them more flexible like leather.
8. Place each strap’s raw edge inside the top of the bag, about 2″ from the left and right sides. (Adjust the strap length as desired by lowering more of the strap ends.) Clip in place. Stitch over top of each strap end in a straight line, sewing right along the previously sewn topstitching line.
And there you have it! You can add a bit of white glue to reinforce the straps inside the bag. Just clip in place while they are drying.
This bag is super sturdy and measures 10″ tall x 8″ wide x 6″ deep when finished. It could easily hold a stack of CDs (who gives these any more?), a couple t-shirts, jewelry, a big candle . . . or many other things!
Best of all, when you are done gifting it, the bag can be reused again by the recipient. This is a bag that will stay in the family Christmas swaps for years a years without losing its luster!
Want some more ideas for using kraft-tex in accessories, bags, and home decor? You can check out my book kraft-tex Creations: Sew 18 Projects with Vegan Leather; Print, Stitch, Paint & Design
kraft-tex Color of the Month 2020
I’m looking forward to sharing more kraft-tex project ideas each
month of 2020 as a #krafttexambassador ! Each month I’ll share a
different kraft-tex project in the color of the month (hint: think birthstones). Here are my past projects.
September: AirPods case with kraft-tex
August: kraft-tex Journal Necklace and Fringe Necklace
July: kraft-tex Boxy Zipper Bag
June: kraft-tex Woven Basket
May: kraft-tex Succulent Plant
April: kraft-tex Pillow Boxes for Gift Wrap
March: kraft-tex Flat Zipper Pouch Tutorial
February: kraft-tex Wallet
January: Wide Zipper Pouch
To shop all of the colors of kraft-tex and get more project ideas, visit CTPub.com and search kraft-tex.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission.
