Fabric wrapped presents

[TheOneWithTwoParties]

I was thinking of getting fabric to wrap presents this year, for the kids and us so we get it back, not distant relatives. Do you do this and how well does it work if you are a bit rubbish at creative stuff?

Has anyone bought kits from Etsy or similar? Do you use pillow cases? How do you make sure things don't slowly unwrap under the tree because you didn't knot them well enough?

I hate wrapping. I used brown paper last year in a bid to be greener but reuse is better than recycle so now I'm thinking a bigger switch might be good.

@Hoghgyni

If you want to be more sustainable, don't buy from Amazon. The environmental impact of their servers, the social impact of their poor working practices and the fact that their profits margins are funding pointless adventures into space cannot possibly offset recycling fabric instead of wrapping paper.

Yeah thanks for that.

We have Christmas fabric we use every year. One year I will turn some of it into drawstring bags as that will make some things easier to ‘wrap’. I feel so much better not using reams of wrapping paper!

When my eldest was born 6 years ago I started collecting sparkly, pretty fabric from charity shops. Cushion covers are favourite, because they just zip up and then you can wrap a ribbon around, or table clothes for large items. Clothes at a push. I've used it every since for all in-family presents (and DPs/in-laws) and everyone just gives it back to me afterwards. It still looks festive and sparkly and exiting under the tree, and we don't drown in acres of one-use paper every xmas and birthday. I love it.

Bags would definitely make things easier. I always keep gift bags we are given anyway, but some nice Christmassy fabric drawstring bags would be nice. Most presents requested by the kids are Lego or books (bought from my local indie bookshop, I actually do try to avoid Amazon) so they are pretty standard shapes. I used to throw duvets over things when they were in the toy kitchen/etc stage.

If you want to make bags then
Look up
Japanese Rice Bag
Tutorials

And yes, I read that you intend to reuse the fabric, but in my experience this only ever stays a good intention.

YMMV of course.

I think fabric sounds like a good idea, but I wouldn't buy a kit. I've used either clothes which aren't good enough for the charity shop, or old tea towels/sheets/whatever I've had lying around.

Go to a charity shop and buy it. They have duvet covers, scarves, pillow cases. Give something a second life.

I use newspaper. The ethnic shops often have free ones, and I use those. If not, I'll use an unread section out of a broadsheet newspaper.
It's cheap and recyclable.

We use cushion covers (that zip or button) for birthday presents that are staying in the home.

Or pillow cases for larger things, with a ribbon tied around the opening. I did once roll something up in a sheet.

I really should get some Christmas-themed covers and cases as we've always used paper for Christmas... no idea why.

I have moved to fabric wrap where I know I'll get it back and be able to reuse - for example my partner; a few friends who also use it so we pass it back and forth each birthday/Christmas; and my MIL who even reuses normal wrapping paper if you open the present nicely enough :D
Wouldn't use on extended family who are likely to bin it though.

If it is something small, you can use something like a bandana to wrap it, so the wrapping can be reused too

A few years ago I bought some very cheap Christmas fabric and made drawstring bags. I have about ten, one is big enough for a chunky jumper, other smaller ones for things around the size of a chocolate orange or a DVD and a few larger ones for packs of socks or T shirts etc. My parents thought it odd at first but are ok with it now.

Everyone who is here at Christmas is told they can’t keep the bag, they all know now. They don’t leave my house. Although I did make bags for daughter and her boyfriend last Christmas but I know she will use them like I do as a sustainable reusable wrapping, and they have been using the, for other storage during this year.

A lot easier to wrap a gift in to. For the family we are thinking next year of buying other daughter who has two young sons a voucher for a year’s entry to a zoo near us. She’s asked for a story book for each child this year and we are going to have a family day out next year when things improve.

I could have used an old king sized duvet for this purpose, cut up into different sizes, I had abandoned it, as gone off it, although still fairly decent,, and put it in an otttoman thing in my attic room.

I got it down a couple of weeks ago, for another purpose. I live in a small cottage place, and not much room, I was doing a bit of wallpapering, but dont now have a paste table, so spread the old duvet out on the floor, and pasted my sheets of wallpaper on it, a bit novel, but it worked fine. Its all sticky with paste now, so will end up in my shed, cut up,and used for any dirty work in there,

@schoggiweggli

We have Christmas gift boxes for people who live in our house. We bought them in the sale after Christmas a couple of years ago and reuse them each year. Very easy to use, tie labels to the ribbon, keep well and can be recycled in future decades when they reach the end of the lifecycle. Potential issue is where to store during the year but we have space and managed to get some that came folded flat and can be stored that way.

You could use them to store tinsel, baubles and other Xmas decorations.

I have moved to fabric bags that I can use for close family members. I made them myself quite easily by sewing fabric to make rectangles (and I am not experienced at sewing). Wrapping presents now is so much easier and the gifts look much more luxurious (imho). I was in TK Max today and noticed that they had nice fabric gift bags for sale.

I made drawstring (actually Christmas ribbon ) fabric bags a few years ago & wrapping has been really easy ever since.

Presents that won't be opened in this house get wrapped in reused paper gift bags or brown paper & ribbon.

I just put the fabric bags away with the advent calendars so they come out in plenty of time for wrapping.

Just something else to wash and iron in my mind. Not for me.

I bought fabric last year, it's sitting ready in our airing cupboard ready to be used again. Really not rocket science - though I am going to go for the coloured elastic idea though, we've already repurposed all the ribbon.

My mum used to use the same wrapping paper every year and use string/ribbons for ties. Some bits are still going 30 years later! Must have taken her hours to match our stocking fillers to the bits of paper...

I bought a load of recycled gift bags and I just reuse those every year within the household, and my family reuse them outside it.

I reuse the same wrapping paper every year. I have a big bag of birthday paper, and another of Christmas paper.

Some of it has been going for years and years!

I obviously lose some when I give it to other people, but gain what presents to our family were wrapped in.

If I'm wrapping something huge I sometimes have to buy a new roll, maybe every other year.

I'm happy not to contribute to landfill, and it's nice recognising familiar paper.

@Mantlemoose

Just something else to wash and iron in my mind. Not for me.

They don't get dirty & I don't iron

I made fabric drawstring bags last year and will re-use them this year and maybe make some more. Scarves are a good idea too.

@2319inprogress ah mine would end up covered in dog hair!!

I am going to be incredibly smug. I found a Japanese silk box in the chazza filed with various silk and cotton squares with Japanese prints for 3 quid. Some too small for scarves. I realised it’s a fukoshika set. They are incredibly beautiful and will make lovely wall hangings, or the small cotton ones - hankies. Or be used again.
You could rake round charity shops for square scarves-60s style ones can still be picked up cheaply.

[quote Mantlemoose]@2319inprogress ah mine would end up covered in dog hair!![/quote]
😂 vacuum? Ah now I'm remembering how our old lab loved to be vacuumed 🤣😍she was a strange dog!