Why sew a gift bag instead of reaching for the paper?

Every December, UK households get through an estimated 227,000 miles of wrapping paper, much of it foil-backed and impossible to recycle. Add the plastic ribbon, the sticky tape and the cellophane windows, and a simple birthday present can generate a small bin bag of waste in under a minute. A fabric drawstring bag does the same job beautifully, then gets folded away and used again. And again.

There is a quiet pleasure in handing someone a gift in a bag you made from a curtain that once hung in your front room. It feels considered. It says you thought about the wrapping as much as the present. Best of all, a well-sewn bag lasts for years, passing from birthday to Christmas to harvest to cupboard, and never once blowing out of a bin lorry into a hedgerow where a hedgehog might nose at it.

Fabric from what you already have

You do not need to buy anything new. The best fabric for gift bags is already in your airing cupboard or at the back of a charity shop rail.

• Old curtains: cotton or linen curtains, especially linings, are ideal. They are wide, tightly woven and often plain enough to suit any recipient. Check for sun-faded folds and thin patches before cutting.
• Quilt covers and duvet sets: a single quilt cover yields enough fabric for six or seven medium bags. Old polycotton is fine, though pure cotton, linen and viscose feel better and biodegrade more readily.
• Pillowcases and flat sheets: perfect for small bags and produce nets. A worn sheet is a lovely thing to give a second life.
• Avoid: heavy upholstery fabric, stretchy jersey, and anything with a waterproof coating. They are miserable to sew and do not drawstring neatly.

Wash everything first, at the temperature you would normally use, then press it. Fabric that has shrunk in the wash will not surprise you later. Cut around stains rather than pretending they are not there.

Measurements and kit

Three sizes cover almost every gift you will ever wrap. These are the finished dimensions, so add a 1.5 cm seam allowance to every side when you cut.

• Small: 12 cm wide × 18 cm tall — jewellery, soap, seeds, a small jar.
• Medium: 22 cm wide × 30 cm tall — books, candles, a bottle lying flat, most birthday gifts.
• Large: 35 cm wide × 45 cm tall — jumpers, board games, generous Christmas presents.

You will need a sewing machine (or patience and a good backstitch), sharp scissors, pins, an iron, and either pinking shears or an overlocker for the raw edges. For the drawstring, use cotton tape, narrow ribbon, or a length of leftover curtain cord. A large safety pin is the simplest tool for threading it through. Thread colour matters less than you think; a mid-grey or cream blends into almost anything.

Sewing the bag

Cut two rectangles to your chosen size, or one rectangle twice as tall if you prefer a folded base — fewer seams, but a little more fiddly to line up.

Place the pieces right sides together and pin along both sides and the bottom. Sew with a straight stitch and a 1.5 cm seam allowance, reversing at the start and finish. Do not sew the top. Trim the corners diagonally, close to the stitching but not through it, so the bag sits square when turned out. Finish the raw edges with a zigzag stitch or pinking shears, then press the seams open with your iron. This one step makes the difference between homemade and hand-made.

Adding the drawstring channel

Turn the bag right side out and press. Fold the top edge over by 1 cm and press, then fold it down again by 3 cm and press once more. This double fold hides every raw edge and gives you a sturdy channel.

Sew around the base of the casing, roughly 3 cm from the top, leaving a 2 cm gap on each side near the seams. Backstitch firmly at both gaps. Thread one cord through the front channel and out the far gap, then thread a second cord through the back channel in the opposite direction. Knot the ends of each cord together, and add a wooden bead or a small toggle if you like. Pull both cords and the bag closes like a purse.

For a decorative touch, topstitch a second line just above the casing, or add a fabric patch with a name or a tiny embroidered leaf. It takes five minutes and makes the bag unmistakably theirs.

More than gift wrap

Once you have made a dozen, you will find them everywhere. Use the small ones for loose produce at the greengrocer or market stall — they weigh almost nothing and wash clean. Keep garlic, onions and shallots in a medium bag hung in a cool cupboard, where the airflow stops them going soft. Dried lavender, rosemary and home-saved seed all store beautifully in breathable cotton, and a bag of herbs hanging in the kitchen smells wonderful every time you walk past.

In the garden shed, they corral twine, plant labels and seed packets. In the wardrobe, they protect woollen hats and gloves from moths far better than plastic. And when a gift is given, the bag simply goes home with the recipient, ready for the next occasion. Sew a few this weekend and you may never buy wrapping paper again.