Reusable Gift Wrap Sewing Projects

Reusable gift wrap sewing projects are fun and useful. There are many good reasons for reusable gift wrap, not the least of which is to cut back on the large amounts of trash generated by traditional paper gift wrap. Reusable gift wrap is also fun to make, unique and distinctive, and can become a family tradition year after year. The waste that traditional paper wrapping contributes to landfills each year can make an eco minded person feel less than jolly, but reusable gift wrapping is a good step in the right direction. You may not convince everyone you know to reuse their holiday gift wrap, but these cute bags will certainly help you to convince some of them.

Felt bags made for wrapping holiday gifts are cute, fun to make, easily personalized and reusable for many occasions. Because felt doesn't ravel when cut, and is relatively sturdy, it is a good choice for reusable gift bags. To make a very simple felt bag, fold a rectangle of felt in half and stitch up the two sides. At the top, punch holes on the front and back to use for threading a ribbon. This cute bag can be decorated with felt appliqué shapes and personalized with family names and dates.

Sewing fabric gift wrap cloths is an effective project for homemade reusable gift wrap as well. These can be as elaborate or as simple as you'd like. Searching for the Japanese art of gift wrapping with fabric, Furoshiki, will turn up many sites that teach a variety of different ways wrap and tie the fabric gift wrap around a gift.

Very large fabric gift bags, for big gifts, like bicycles or grills, can be made from recycled sheets or large yardage of holiday fabric. These are also simple to make, being constructed like a giant pillowcase. Tie the top closed with ribbon or yarn, are just pull the whole top on the bag into an overhand knot.

A reusable wrapping option that you can sew yourself also includes a personalized tote bag. Tote bags are easy, even for beginners, to sew, and very useful all year long as well. A personalized tote bag for each family member is a nice thing to have at home or even at grandma's house, so that all the odds and ends that go back and forth can be collected in one place for each person. They are also good when reserved just for reusable gift wrapping, since gifts found through the year can be tucked inside and they're ready and wrapped when it's time to pull them out for the holidays.

Reusable gift wrap sewing projects are a great way to flex your creativity during the holidays and really cut back on all the wasted resources and landfill space that traditional wrapping paper produces.