How to Wrap a Gift

Posted on August 11th, 2009 by aileen

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You can make your gifts extra special by wrapping them beautifully. You don’t have to pay extra for a very nice looking gift bag or box. You can do it yourself. Here is a guide for wrapping gifts in an economical yet creative way.

Things you’ll need:

A box big enough for your gift
A gift wrapping paper
A glue or a roll of tape
Japanese or colored paper
An old fabric
A needle and thread

Preparations

Gather all the materials you need.
Find a table big enough to place your materials and do you work.
Put your gift inside a box to make it easier for you to wrap it.
Decide on how you want to wrap your gift. This guide will teach you how to wrap a box, make a paper and a cloth bag.

Wrapping a Gift Box

Once the gift is already inside a box, lay down your gift wrapping paper wrong side up. (After using your gift wrappers, you could still use it, learn these Five funky ways to reuse gift wrappers)

gift wrapping

Measure the paper. It should be big enough to cover the entire box.
Cut the paper. Make sure to leave a few extra inches for folding later on.
Take one side of the paper over the box. Secure it with a tape or a glue.
Lift the opposite side. Fold half an inch of it. This will hide the cut edges and make your gift look neater by creating a smooth edge. Apply glue and bring it on top of the box. Wait for it to dry. Use tape sparingly. A gift with too much tape on it doesn’t look nice.
Lift the box so that one end is facing you. Fold 2 sides and tape these properly.
There should now be 2 triangles on top. Fold one triangle and secure it with a tape.
Use a glue to secure the other triangle on the box.
Repeat this on the opposite end.

Sewing your Own Cloth Bag

Measure your box.
Get 2 fabrics with different colors or designs. Choose one for your lining and other for the insides of your bag.
Cut these fabrics into squares or rectangles big enough for your box to fit in.
You should have 2 pairs of lining and 2 pairs for the insides of your bag.
The linings should be at least 1- 1 ½ inch longer on one side.
Get one lining and fabric. Sew the corners together using a simple running stitch. There should be an inch or 1 ½ inch extra on the opposite side.
Fold the lining and sew it properly on the other fabric.
Do the same thing on the remaining pair.
Once you’re done, put together the 2 fabrics with the insides facing you. Stitch the 2 sides and bottom together with a running stitch.
Turn the bag right side out.

Making a Paper Bag

Lay your colored or Japanese paper wrong side up on the table.
Fold your paper in to 3.
Glue the 2 sides together.
lift your paper so that one end is facing you.
This will be your bottom end. Fold it to make a line marking.
Unfold this side. Lift the corners and fold it inside.
Use a tape to secure the bottom flaps.
The open side will be your top end.
Fold the open side of the bag to make a line marking and unfold it.
Open the bag and put your gift inside
Fold one end to make a triangle. Do the same thing on the other side.
Secure the ends with a tape.
Fold the top and secure it with a glue.

Adding Style to your Gift

You may use ribbons, glitter wire and other accessories.
Wrap the ribbon around the box nicely.
For gift bags, you may opt to make a small hole and use a ribbon to close the bag.
You may also just gather the top end of the bag and tie a ribbon tightly around it.
Make your own gift tags by cutting a piece of colored paper to a size of a calling card and writing your message on it. Secure the tag with a tape, ribbon or glue.

Wrapping gifts is easy and fun. Add a personal touch on your gifts by wrapping them up yourself. If you enjoy reading this article, you’ll surely be interested in learning how to make your own gift tags.