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Lately I’ve been using all my fabric leftovers to make cloth wrap squares. It just occurred to me that this might be something worth sharing in a tutorial. It takes about 3 steps and 5 minutes. And zero sewing. Which is why it is totally my style. Plus it is so fun snipping up an old shirt or fabric scrap into beautiful wrap.
DIY Cloth Gift Wrap
Start with a square of fabric. My general rule for making cloth wrap is that the square of fabric should be four times as tall and wide as whatever it is you’re about to wrap. If you’re going to use two pieces of fabric as an inside and out, cut them together, just as you’ll wrap with them.
Side note. If you don’t have a rotary cutter and a cutting matt, you need to reconsider your values in life. I don’t even sew and I live by my rotary cutter and cutting mat. Go get a half off coupon and bring one home. It’s worth it. You will love it and it will love you.
Pick up your sponge roller and roll it either in fabric glue or this good stuff. It’s acrylic medium used for thinning acrylic paint. You can find it at any art store. Mine is leftover from high school art class. Good times.
Roll a thin even border around the edge to stop fraying. Allow it to dry, then snip off any loose threads.
That’s it. You are now ready to make pretty pretty packages and amaze all your friends.
p.s. You can get super awesome tutorials for wrapping with fabric here (and some beautiful fabric wrap) and here.
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I love your blog and love this tip! Do you have a rotary cutter that you recommend? How do you cut straight with one? I have always wondered that. I have been wanting to get one for a while, but am not sure what would be the best kind to get . . . Thanks for all the inspiration!
Hi Amber!
Thanks for the sweet note! My rotary cutter is an OLFA and I love it. I am constantly astounded by how sharp it is. I one used it to shred six sheets into one-inch-strips to decorate a huge room for a friend’s bday, and it is still impossibly sharp. You can pick up an plastic ruler w the cutter designed to be used for it. But save up your coupons, b/c the cutter, ruler, and cutting mat add up. But they make projects that used to be a headache a total piece of cake.
I love this! So useful.
This is awesome! Now you need to show us how you did that fabulous wrapping!
Hi Toni! Thanks for the note. You can get some awesome tutorials here (and some to-die-for cloth wrap) and here. Seriously, the possiblilites are endless. I should probably add the links to the post! Thanks for making me think of that!!
xo
I too, love your blog, and I am a quilter and have lots of scraps! Love this idea! I use an Olfa cutter, which I think is hands down the best of all that I’ve tried. I also like the Olfa mats. I was not happy at all with the cheaper Fiskars brand cutter and mat. The markings are too far apart. You’ll use them so much and it’s worth it to invest in a good tool that will last a long time. You can always buy replacement blades for your cutter when it does become dull. It will dull quickly if using it on paper. I have two and one is for paper, the other for fabric!
Hi Layne!
Thanks for your sweet note. You completely made my day. I’ve been totally amazed with my Olfa too. I’m glad I happened to pick out the right one. Loved the advice on mats too, and on having a paper blade. Totally invaluable. Thank you!!
Even after writing a whole Furoshiki Week on my blog, I’ve never given an idea for making your own to my readers. Definitely bookmarking this!
Thanks for the tip about using fabric glue or acrylic medium on the edges of the fabric. It’s not hard to hem squares, but after making a set of cloth napkins I found out the hard way that it’s not terribly thrilling, either. : )
Love it!! I have oodles of fabric from my Mimi, and she would have loved for it to be used for gifts! And *ahem* I do have a rotary cutter. And acrylic thinner. :) All set!
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