Make Christmas Gift Bags Out of a Shower Curtain!
I was walking the aisles of Homegoods one day and spotted an adorable seasonal shower curtain adorned with Christmas images. I didn’t really need a shower curtain that is decked out for Christmas, because, well, I just don’t decorate the bathroom in seasonal decor. Yet I began to envision the curtain put to better use….as fabric for Christmas gift bags!
Supplies:
- To make 2 Christmas gift bags similar to mine, you’ll need the following:Seasonal Christmas fabric shower curtain, 72″ by 72″. I purchased mine at a Homegoods store, and it is made by Envogue. It costs only $15, so that breaks down to only $7.50 per yard of (extra wide) fabric!
- Sewing machine, thread, sewing scissors, measuring tape, fabric pen, iron.
- Ribbon or twine to loop through top of bag. This will allow closure of the gift bag. I used a hand-dyed muslin ribbon for my bags
Cut fabric for 2 bags:
Fold the shower curtain in half vertically, right sides together, lining up the 12 holes at the top hem with each other (6 and 6). (These holes are meant for your shower curtain hooks).
Measure 16″ down from the top of the shower curtain and mark with a fabric pen in several places. This will be the height of your gift bag (approx. 15″ after sewn), so feel free to customize your height here depending on the curtain pattern.
Cut across along these 16″ marks.
Next, cut down your vertical fold line. Now you have two fabric pieces to make the two gift bags. Each fabric piece has 6 shower curtain hook holes at the top.
Sew each gift bag:
Take one of these two fabric pieces (should measure approx. 36″ wide by 16″ tall) and fold it in half vertically, right sides together.
As you fold the fabric piece, align the 6 holes at the top together (3 and 3). One side edge will overlap a bit. (see photo above)
Pin the folded piece at the two raw edges: bottom and one side.
Sew the raw edges together, with approximately 1/2″ seam, making sure to sew on the inside of the existing side hem edge. (see dotted lines in photo above)
Trim the raw edges with pinking shears, turn right-side out, and press seams with iron.
Weave a ribbon or twine through the top shower curtain hook holes, and pull to gather the gift bag closed. Make a knot or bow to secure. I used my hand-dyed muslin ribbons for these bags.
Repeat above steps for second gift bag. Easy!
Tuck gifts insideThese fabric gift bags would be perfect to hold soft gifts, such as pajamas, clothes, stuffed animals, or perhaps skeins of yarn. Fluff them up with tissue paper, too.And unlike paper bags, they’re more durable to reuse year after year.
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Comments
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I truly hate using wrapping paper to be just ripped up and tossed! My Mom and pretty much everyone I knew saved and reused their wrapping paper, so we always tried to wrap a gift so that the paper was easily reused! That frequently was a challenged, then I started trying to make the wrapping a part of the gift. For instance, When my Nephew graduated from H.S., I wrapped his gift in a bath towel, used a wash rag to to create a flower. that I tied to the top. He loved the gift and esp. appreciated the towels when he went to College! : ) I have done the same with other gifts, with an effort to make the wrap appropriate for the recipient. This idea is excellent, and will just through the years make gift giving every so much easier! some effort now, produces a gift that keeps on giving for years and is washable as well.
Thank you!
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Fantastic idea. And you can use next year too. You don’t have to limit fabric choices to shower curtains either. Old plaid skirts or a sweater; on and on. Recycle and reuse for some time to come. Thanks for sharing
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