The sewing thread

PollyWollyDoodle

Some great ideas there Laura! I will admit that although I would like to reduce my use of paper, I am also motivated by the fact that I absolutely loathe wrapping gifts. I am useless at it, they never look right and it's a job I hate doing. Gift bags would make life so much easier! I have some red fabric upstairs doing nothing, I may just make a few and put some green felt Christmas trees on.

Daft question, do you expect the recipient to return the bag, or hang onto it and reuse it?

silvasava

Polly - TBH I would expect them to re-use it. Maybe a little note on the gift tag to say please reuse or return?

PollyWollyDoodle

That's a good idea - I like the idea that we will be spreading the message about not using wrapping paper. I wouldn't normally expect to retrieve them, but I'll be spending my Christmas with family, so there is an opportunity to get them back.

I'm thinking about possibly doing a bag with an envelope closure and some Velcro-type tape. My sister finds it very hard to resist prodding and peeking at presents, I think a drawstring bag might prove too tempting!

Laura_Elsewhere

PollyWollyDoodle wrote: »

I'm thinking about possibly doing a bag with an envelope closure and some Velcro-type tape. My sister finds it very hard to resist prodding and peeking at presents, I think a drawstring bag might prove too tempting!

You could use some tartan ribbon to tie it up firmly, whatever the fastening!

silvasava

Or cord with sealing wax lol

Laura_Elsewhere

silvasava wrote: »

Or cord with sealing wax lol

Oh Yes!!!!! Oh, yes, that's how to do it... genius!!!

Actually, that would be how to seal a giftbag in a way that means it can be re-used - you'd seal the very end half-inch of the two drawstrings in a blob of sealing-wax. You could just use a couple of coins to flatten the blob and make sure it grips the drawstrings. Then it can be cut off, to open the bag. If the drawstrings were longish, you could pull them tight, then wind each one round in opposite directions, tie a simple reef knot and then seal the ends.

PollyWollyDoodle

Oh that's genius! I have sealing-wax - that would make it really Christmassy and send a clear message about No Peeking.

My sister is well-known for it in our family, when we were children she would always be the one climbing up to look on top of my parents' wardrobe! I have been known to label things incorrectly, and then swap them back on Christmas morning just to confuse things…

silvasava

Glad to be of service ladies

zebedy

Wow thanks for all the ideas. Wraithlady, the wine bag link is perfect! That’s the exact type of drawstring bag i like with the tuffle too having the drawstring lower down.
I expect folks to keep the bag or use it for giving a gift to someone else - it would be so funny if you got it back a fee years later after it had gone round a group of friends.
I also make them for birthday gifts out of any available fabrics and i know some friends use them for storing cotton wool balls and another friend uses hers to store attachments for an electrical item. Often people are almost as happy with the bag as with the gift.
For me it is an rnjoyable hobby making them and it means I don’t have to wrestle with sellotape (i hate wrapping)

silvasava

Don't know if its any use to any of you on here - there's a free simple pattern on 'tinternet called Morsbags. Thought it might be good if there's any budding sewers in the offing as its so simple.