Bag It This Christmas

Give your Christmas gifts a unique touch this year by putting them in bright fabric bags instead of wrapping paper. Rather than using name tags, choose a different color of fabric for each family member. Or let your imagination run wild! Red and green Christmas prints tied with contrasting solid-colored bows look cheerful under the Christmas tree. You can try endless combinations of polka dots, ginghams, stripes, or plaids. For a more dramatic touch, try solid-colored bags with printed ties. Special presents can be placed in velvet bags and tied with gold or silver cords.

To make the bags, cut two rectangles the same size from the same fabric. Place the right sides together, then sew the fabric on three sides, forming a bag. Fold the unsewn edge over to make a hem, and stitch it using a large zigzag or other decorative stitch. Then turn the bag right side out and iron it. Cut a tie from the same or coordinating fabric, and use it to tie the bag shut.

The best thing about “bagging it” is that the bags are reusable. They can easily become a Christmas tradition. You can make them from scraps of fabric saved from sewing projects throughout the year. “Bagging it” is also an excellent way to recycle drapes, quilts, or old clothes. Items that cannot be passed on to others or recycled can become a precious reminder of favorite outfits or bedroom decorations.

You can also use new fabric with the confidence that you are saving money. Your Christmas wrappings will not be carried off with the trash, but will be used year after year. Simply fold them up and pack them away with the rest of your Christmas decorations.

You can bag birthday presents and other gifts as well—and save wrapping time as well as money. LaRene Gaunt, Sandy, Utah