A Paper Gift Bag Tutorial

All you need to make a paper gift bag is one rectangular piece of paper, some scissors, double-sided tape, and a glue stick. Your inner three year old is going to love it.

The paper I am using for the tutorial is roughly A4/letter size, which makes a small but useful gift bag, and for an even smaller party favour bag I would halve it to A5.  Don't get carried away with exact sizes though, as long as it's a rectangle, you're good.

Side note: you can use any kind of paper you like, but heavier paper does make for a better shaped end product.

Fold the short sides of the rectangle so that they meet in the middle, overlapping by a little bit more than the width of double sided tape.  Run the tape down the length of the overlap and secure to other side.

 

Take the end of your paper that will form the base of your bag, and fold it up by a good 4cm (1 5/8 inch).  Use a ruler or the handle end of your scissors to mark the creases sharply - this applies to all the folds and will help shape the bag nicely when you open it out.

Take the top edge of your fold and pull it down, while holding the underneath edge in place.  This will form two triangles pointing away from each other. 

 

Take one edge of your base and fold it back in, just over the centre line.

Open it back out and put a spot of glue on the small triangle that has formed on the outside edge as shown.  What you are trying to do is glue the fold down, without gluing the base to the inside of the bag. 

Fold and glue the other edge (add a touch of glue to the same small triangle but also this time on the outside edge so that it will stick to the fold underneath it, forming a nice solid base).  As always, crease folds as sharply as possible.

Take the outside edge of your bag, and fold it in towards the middle, so that the bottom corners mitre, keeping the folds even all the way up the sides.  Repeat on the other side.

Now gently open out your bag.  It will form the basic shape of your finished bag, except for the side creases.  This is where the difference between thin paper and heavier will show up - if you have used thin paper you will need to spend a bit of time fiddling about with the creases, especially at the base, to make them all sharp and pretty.  It's no biggie.

Now invert the side fold as above, taking it all the way down to the base. 

And there you go, one finished bag.  To close the top I just fold it over and peg it down with a tag, but you could sew it shut, or staple it, or punch a hole and tie it with string.  Etc., and so forth.

Comments

[ellen]

I love this...the bags and all..but as I kept reading, I thought about my life: Folding, keeping close, forming the shape of my life, gently opening up to a form, and maybe taking it all the way down to the base that is my life...and sometimes being "stapled" closer and tighter than I wished.
Thank you...I know that this is not what you meant, and I will truly execute one of these bags...I just cannot express very well how this seemed like such a metaphor for my life.
Best to you.

[theresa/ t does wool]

aaaah!!! I do so love these...and I will make one...thank you Megan...for this simple beauty.

[carol]

et voila! Beautiful bags abound! Thank you, Megan. I wasn't going to ask, but I was so hoping you would share your bag expertise! (now I don't have to tear my bags up trying to make a pattern....):)

[Rani]

Beautiful! thanks for sharing. We now have a better picture :)

[Ali]

I see many of these in my future!! Fa la la. Thank you Megan!

[Carolyn]

Thank you for a great tute! I'm definitely going to make some for Christmas. This is such a great technique because the size can be adjusted to fit the gift. And there isn't too much maths involved!

[Marcie]

Thanks, Megan, that was nice and clear. I'll definitely be using some of these for Christmas wrapping.

[Alex]

Love this! Thanks for sharing, Megan.

[Alison]

Oh me oh my. Thank you for sharing, no wonder you needed the cup of tea before writing the instructions. Loving your blog and adorning my pressies with lots of homemade bows and now bags xx

[Nirmala Patil]

Thanks for the Tutorial. I like!

[Tanya]

Aaahhh!! This is so great...and you know what I did? I read this EARLIER today, and jumped straight into the car for the nearest thrift store to see if I could find old paper. Of course, I wanted what you had there....not found ;-)...but I did find a book about old Apothecaries. For 1,80 Euros. With heavy paper and all that German writing that comes alongside.

I am convinced that what really makes this look you have going up above is that clothespin with the tag!! P-E-R-F-E-C-T. Shameless Copying is about to happen on this side of the world. And how do you like that I didn't even comment? Just ran straight out of here, idea in hand, like my hair was on fire? :-)

THANK YOU, Megan!

[Meghan]

Just now discovered your blog, and obviously at the right time! I seem to often want to indulge my inner-three-year-old and with a result like this, how could I resist! It's gorgeous - thanks for the tutorial!

[urban craft]

these bags couldn't be a more perfect way to give gifts. I am on a quest for the right paper to make some. Thanks!

[BlueCastle]

This is the most adorable gift bag I've ever seen. LOVE this!

[nic]

fantastic. i see at least a dozen handmade bags in my future. i'm a little worried about their gorgeousness, though...i think it psychologically raises the giftee's expectation of what's *inside* the bag.

so now i need a tutorial on how to pretty up my actual gifts...

:)

[kslaughter]

Super tutorial---great photos! Thanks so much. Lovely blog you have here : ).

[Oanh]

Thanks for this tutorial! I've made quite a few now and they *rock* (as do you!) Have a great Christmas etc.

[Clementine]

Hi Meg,

Somewhere, Martha Stewart is weeping (out of jealousy). The bags are beautiful. I've been following your blogs since they began (back around the BSher days), and I wanted you to know how much I enjoy your writing. Between that, your photographs, your crafts, your lovely family, and what looks from here to be a sparkling personality, I think you are a smashing success.

Best wishes!

[kirsten]

oh. my.
i beg to differ:
YOU do the best wrapping.
xx

[Annie]

I think I am in love with this tutorial. I have three year old boys that are very rough on books. This is a perfect way to reuse the remaining pages.
Thanks,
Annie

I will be sure to link back when I post about this very cool project.

[generic viagra]

I just want to emphasize the good work on this blog, has excellent views and a clear vision of what you are looking for

[Maria Karathanasis]

I have done every tutorial on bags I could find....taken bags apart and so on...but this is far the easiest, most simple bag ever...like Carolyn said, no math needed!!! I'm going to make a lot of these for my handmade jewelry!!
Great!!!Thanks!!!

[gina]

i just made a teeny tiny gift bag for a teeny tiny ornament! so fun..what a great tutorial! the best i've found anywhere. thank you!

http://oaxacaborn.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/handmade-teeny-tiny-gift-bag-with-easy-diy-tutorial/

[ankita kannojia]

thanx 4 this wonderful tuts.:)

[Danielle Malsbary]

I wanted to see if I could also use this pattern with a piece of 12x12 (square and not rectangle) scrapbook paper. It worked amazingly! Love this pattern!!