Win eco-friendly brownie points with these stunning and sustainable ideas
As we all know, one of the few downsides to Christmas is the mountain of used wrapping paper that gets thrown away afterwards. Amanda Walker has the answer with not one, not two, but three different gift bag options to make, using Art Gallery Fabrics’ new Christmas in the City collection! Not only will they make your presents look extra special, but they can also be reused by the recipient. The first project is waxed fabric that can be used again and again to wrap gifts, sandwiches or cover food in the kitchen, it just needs a wipe down after use.
We used...
Art Gallery Fabrics Christmas in the City fabrics Satin cord: orange, red Orange felt pom-pom Button Wax pellets Greaseproof paper Pinking shears Iron
Waxed Fabric Wrap
1 Cut fabric to the size needed to wrap your gift and neaten the edges to stop them from fraying with a pair of pinking shears. Cut two pieces of greaseproof paper a little larger, then lay the fabric face down onto one of these pieces.
2 Scatter the wax pellets over the surface of the fabric and lay the remaining sheet on top. Move a hot iron on top of the paper to melt the wax and distribute it evenly over the surface of the fabric. Carefully lift the top layer of paper and if there are any areas that are not waxed, lay a few pellets over them, replace the paper and iron again.
3 When you are happy that the wax is evenly distributed over the entire surface, remove the fabric from the papers and leave to cool thoroughly. When the fabric is dry it can be used as paper to wrap your gift and secured with cord.
Drawstring Bag
1 Cut two 24cm x 25cm rectangles from one of the patterned fabrics from the collection. Next, cut two 10cm x 25cm strips from a contrasting fabric, these will become the channels for the drawstrings.
2 Pin the two rectangles right sides together, making sure that the fabric design is running in the same direction on both pieces. Stitch with a 1cm seam allowance down the 24cm side across the base, then up the remaining 24cm side. Neaten the edges of the seam allowance by either overlocking or with a zig zag stitch. Turn the bag right side out, tease out the seam edges and the corners, and press flat.
3 Fold and press in 1cm on the 10cm ends of the channel strips, then edge stitch in place. Fold the strips in half lengthways, wrong sides together. Pin one of the strips to the top of one side of the bag and the remaining strip to the other side, matching all the raw edges together. Stitch the strips in place again with a 1cm seam allowance. Neaten the edges, then fold
