Adventures in Fabric Remnants - Gift Bag

Fabric Remnants are Amazing

Next time you are at the fabric shop make sure to check out the fabric remnant bins.  Remnants are created when there is 1 yard or less left on the bolt (every once in a while you will find a remnant over 1 yard but this is very rare). These bins can be hit-or-miss; however, I have found some amazing fabrics in there. During Christmas I found tons of fleece in these bins as well as normal fabric.  The best thing about the remnant bins is that they are half off of the current price, meaning, if the fabric is already half price you get an additional half off of that price.  The price marked on the remnant is the full price so your cost will be half of that at the most.

Below is an example of a remnant. It lists the length, original price/yard and total price.  This price is based off of the original price so the remnant would be 50% of this cost at most. If the fabric is on sale then it will be even less.

Each week I will be showing a different project to make with these remnants.

Fabric Gift Bag

Fabric Gift Bags are easy to make and can be done with just about any amount of fabric. One thing to look for in the fabric is the direction of the pattern.  If the pattern is random; it is easier to make because there is one less edge to sew.

These bags are great for giving gifts but can be used for storing all sorts of items as well. They could be used for travel, accessory cords, kids crayons, etc.

Step 1:
Unroll the remnant and figure out what size bag you would like to create. With the piece below I made two bags. If the pattern had been more deterministic I would have had to do two more cuts so that the pattern faced the same direction on both sides. The directions below will be the same except in Step 4/5 where there will be one more side to do.

Step 2:
Fold over the two ends (or top of two pieces if going that method) by roughly 1.5".

Step 3:
Sew with a 1" seam allowance.

Step 4:
Bring the two ends together and pin the sides. If using two pieces of fabric; pin the bottom as well.

Step 5:
Sew the sides with 3/8" seam allowance.  Cut the corners at an angle (do not cut the thread).

Step 6:
Flip the bag inside out and use a pencil or other pointed object to push out the corners.

Step 7:
Cut two pieces of ribbon, each piece measures twice the width of the bag as seen below. 

Step 8 & 9:
Put a safety pin in the end of the ribbon.
Thread this safety pin through the top opening on one side and then back again through the other side.

Step 10:
Tie the end and repeat on the other side.
Use a lighter to lightly singe the ends of the ribbon so that it won't fray.

Step 11:
Pull the two ends of the ribbon to sinch the bag!

This is a perfect project for sewing beginners. I learned to make these bags in elementary school and have been making them for various reasons ever since.