Felt (or fabric) envelope gift package tutorial

Finding new ways to pack my homemade presents is always a challenge. And when I made the Frozen art bag last weekend I knew I wanted something original.

I toyed with the idea of customizing a cereal box (using the cereal box to gift bag tutorial I posted a couple of weeks ago) but the Frozen bag was too big to fit into a cereal box. Then I decided I wanted a fabric covered box but after tweaking with the idea, I realized I would not have enough time to finish it before the party. And so I came up with the felt envelope gift package: 

When I got the felt to make the bag, I bought an extra piece. I didn't know at the time exactly what kind of bag I would end up making and I didn't want to find myself needing more felt and not getting it again in the same shade of blue. Bottom line, I ended up with an extra piece, a square roughly the same size as the one I used for the bag (in the second picture you can see how it compares to the finished bag).

Looking at the felt and the bag, it became obvious what I had to do to, and it was so easy that I decided to make a small tutorial.

If you want to create your own envelope gift package, just follow the steps below: 

1. Keeping the gift you are wrapping centered as shown above (this is easy if your gift is flat or at least not too thick, so it's perfect for folded clothes, books, art bags, puzzle boxes, etc), fold the sides over and pin them together (be careful not to damage the gift below; you'll remove it in a bit, but it's easier to keep it there now for an accurate sizing of the envelope)

2. with matching thread, sew a couple of stitches to secure the sides in place. Alternatively, just glue the edges together.

3. Now fold the bottom over and pin in place. Again, sew or glue the edges and the folded over sides (the bits at the bottom of the envelope where the bottom flap folds over the sides). Sewing (or gluing) the sides is only necessary if you're using a thick felt of fabric, like me. Otherwise, just pressing in place will do the job.

 

4. Your envelope is now ready. Put your gift back inside and fold the top flap over: 

5. Secure it in place with a piece of ribbon or cord and add a tag if you want (I had printed an extra tag when I made the Frozen art bag so I used it here): 

Finished!

You can embellish the envelope as much as you want. I kept it simple because I thought the Frozen art bag already had enough glitter and I didn't want to overdo it. 

Felt is a great to create these envelopes because it doesn't fray, but fabric works great too, as long as you cut the edges with pinking shears. 

And it's a wonderful way to use fabric leftovers from your projects while creating an unique gift package. 

Enjoy,