Gift Bags - Free PDF Sewing Pattern

Sew fabric gift bags: reusable wrappings, closed with a ribbon, that replace wrapping paper for good. A gift wrapped like this is two gifts in one: the present, and the bag the person keeps.

This free PDF pattern gives you full-size pieces in three sizes. Enough to wrap a small piece of jewellery as well as a big jumper, and to match the wrapping to the person it is for. The making is simple: a single piece, cut twice on the fold of the fabric, with the seam allowances already included.

What you get:

✨ Three sizes in one pattern: Small, Medium and Large
🎁 Wrappings you reuse year after year
🧵 A beginner project, with a single piece to cut
🎄 An alternative to wrapping paper, with nothing to throw away

The three sizes

- Small: 17 × 12 × 8 cm
- Medium: 22 × 16 × 10 cm
- Large: 24 × 24 × 11 cm

Supplies

- A fabric with some body: poplin, cretonne, cotton, linen or milleraies velvet
- A ribbon or cord for the closure
- Matching thread
- Pins or clips
- A sewing machine and a needle suited to the fabric

Fabric needed

The three sizes are designed to be cut across the width of the fabric: you only buy the height, and the two sides of the bag sit side by side across the width.

- Small: 30 cm of height, 50 cm of fabric width
- Medium: 37 cm of height, 60 cm of fabric width
- Large: 40 cm of height, 80 cm of fabric width

For the ribbon, allow 1.10 m for the small, 1.25 m for the medium and 1.30 m for the large. Take a little more for a generous bow.

The video tutorial

The making is explained step by step in the video: cutting on the fold, assembly, attaching the ribbon and the finishing touches.

Printing the pattern

The pattern prints on A4 paper at 100% (never "fit to page"). The sheets include a 5 cm test square: measure it before cutting, it confirms the scale is right. The seam allowances of 1 cm (3/8 in) are already included, so there is nothing to add.

What's in the download

- The pattern in French: FR-A4-Pochettes-Cadeaux.pdf (3 pages)
- The pattern in English: EN-A4-Gift-Bags.pdf and EN-LETTER-Gift-Bags.pdf (3 pages)
- The pattern in German: DE-A4-Geschenkbeutel.pdf (3 pages)
- The pattern in Spanish: ES-A4-Bolsas-de-Regalo.pdf (3 pages)

Level: beginner
Suggested fabric: poplin or cretonne
Pattern languages: French, English, German, Spanish
Making instructions: French (video)