DIY Fabric Gift Bags for Christmas: Tree-Shaped Drawstring Bags in 3 Sizes

Every December I watch mountains of wrapping paper get torn off, balled up and binned within minutes, and the maker in me winces a little. There's a better way, and it happens to be a lovely quick sew. DIY fabric gift bags are reusable, they make even a simple present look special, and once you've made a set, wrapping gifts takes about ten seconds per present. Mine are shaped like little Christmas trees, and they come back out of the cupboard every year like part of the decorations.

After years of sewing professionally, I've never lost the habit of finishing things properly. So these aren't flat rectangles with a ribbon; my Christmas tree drawstring gift bag pattern is fully lined, with crisp stitched points that give each bag its tree shape and a contrast drawstring channel at the top. The pattern comes in three sizes, small, medium and large, so you can cover everything from a chocolate treat to a generously sized present.

It's a genuinely beginner-friendly project and a brilliant scrap buster, and you can watch me sew one from start to finish in the free video tutorial below.

Why DIY Fabric Gift Bags Beat Wrapping Paper

The obvious reason is waste. A fabric bag gets used year after year instead of heading to the bin on Christmas morning. But there are quieter benefits too. Fabric bags hide awkward shapes that paper never wraps neatly. They close with a drawstring, so there's no tape, no scissors and no wrestling at midnight on Christmas Eve. And a gift that arrives in a handmade bag is really two gifts, because the bag stays with the person you gave it to.

They're also a lovely thing to make in batches for teachers, co-workers and neighbours, and if you sell at craft fairs or holiday markets, this pattern allows small-scale handmade sales, so a stack of these in different prints makes a sweet stall item.

What You'll Need for a Set of Gift Bags

• The pattern: the Christmas tree drawstring gift bag PDF pattern. The PDF is emailed to you after purchase and includes written instructions with colour photos, a link to the full step-by-step video tutorial, and tiled pages for printing at home on A4 or Letter paper. Print at 100%, never "fit to scale".
• Outer fabric: festive cottons are perfect, and because the bags come in three sizes, this is a wonderful project for using up scraps.
• Lining fabric: every bag is fully lined, which is what gives them that clean, high-quality finish inside and out.
• Drawstring material: ribbon, cord or twill tape all work, and a contrast colour against the tree fabric looks lovely.
• The usual kit: thread, scissors or a rotary cutter, pins or clips, and your machine.

How the Bags Come Together

Here's the shape of the project so you can see how manageable it is; the video and the written instructions carry the detail.

1. Assemble and cut. Tape the tiled PDF pages together, cut your pattern pieces, then cut your outer and lining fabrics in whichever of the three sizes you're making.
2. Sew the tree shape. Stitch the corners and trim them so the points of the tree come out neat and sharp. This is the step that turns a bag into a Christmas tree.
3. Add the lining. The lining goes in to hide every raw edge and give the bag a professional finish.
4. Create the drawstring channel. A contrast channel is made and attached at the top of the bag.
5. Thread the drawstring. Run your ribbon, cord or twill tape through the channel, pull it up, and admire your little tree.

That's it. These are quick enough that one evening at the machine can produce several, which is exactly what you want in December.

My Tips for Better Fabric Gift Bags

Make all three sizes as a nested set. Coordinating prints in small, medium and large look wonderful grouped under the tree, and you'll always have the right size on hand when a gift needs wrapping in a hurry.

Take your time trimming the points. Sharp tree points are what make people ask "wait, you made this?". Trim carefully before turning, and press well. I show you my method in the video.

Raid your scrap basket first. The smaller sizes need surprisingly little fabric, so audition your leftovers before buying anything new. If you enjoy scrap-friendly makes like this, my fabric butterflies tutorial is another quick one that eats up pretty offcuts.

Wrapping Wine Bottles Too

Bottles are the hardest thing to wrap in paper and the easiest thing to wrap in fabric. There's a companion pattern for that: the Christmas tree drawstring wine and gift bag, which has a boxed bottom so it stands upright with a bottle inside. Between the two patterns you can cover pretty much everything on your list, and you'll find both in my Christmas drawstring gift bags collection.

DIY Fabric Gift Bags FAQ

What's the best fabric for reusable gift bags?

Quilting cotton is my go-to: it presses crisply and holds the tree points well, and there's no shortage of Christmas prints to choose from. Because these bags are fully lined, even lighter cottons feel substantial once they're made up. Sturdy fabric matters more than fancy fabric, since the whole point is that these get reused every year.

What can I use for the drawstring?

Ribbon, cord or twill tape all work in this pattern. Ribbon looks the most gift-like, cord is the hardest wearing, and twill tape gives a lovely rustic, homespun feel. Pick a contrast colour so the drawstring reads as part of the design.

Is selling finished gift bags allowed?

Yes, for small-scale handmade sales such as craft markets. The pattern itself is an original design for personal and small-batch use, so you can't copy, share or resell the pattern, or use it to create your own tutorials, but selling bags you've sewn at your local fair is absolutely fine.

Start Your Set This Weekend

A pile of DIY fabric gift bags in the cupboard is one of those small December luxuries, and future-you will be so grateful when the wrapping is already done. The tree-shaped gift bag pattern in three sizes is a PDF that's emailed to you after purchase, with written photo instructions and my full video tutorial included, so you can start cutting as soon as it lands in your inbox. And if you're in a festive sewing mood, there's plenty more in my Christmas sewing projects collection. Happy sewing!