Happy Wednesday, and welcome to the third week of the Lined Drawstring Bag Sew Along! This week I'm very excited to share ideas for how to tag your drawstring bag wrapped gifts! I'll be updating the Sew Along Page each week with all the posts so that you can easily catch up or reference these posts after the sew along ends!
I hope you'll sew along with us! Sew from the tutorial or the patterns:
Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial
Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern
Lined Drawstring Bag Expansion Pattern
As we've shifted more of our holiday gift wrapping to reusable drawstring bags, I quickly realized I needed some different options for marking the gifts. I could put a sticker gift tag directly on the fabric, but sometimes they don't like to stick very well.
I also felt like since I was going through the trouble of making a reusable bag, it would be nice to have a reusable tag option too! Not only is it better for the environment to avoid something single-use, it saves money over the long run. Some of these ideas cost more than others, but there is a good mix, and I bet you have some of these things in your craft supplies already.
Plain Paper Gift Tags
Let's start with the simplest idea, plain paper gift tags! This is what I used last Christmas for our gifts. I wrote the names on the tag and safety pinned the tags directly to the drawstring bags. They didn't see much wear, so I saved them to use again. Any tags will do!
DIY Paper Gift Tags
A great way to use what you already have on hand is to make paper tags! I made mine with my Cricut Maker* and some double-sided scrapbook paper. You could make a template and cut them out by hand, or invest in a tag punch. I was pretty tempted by this one: Fiskars Tag Maker*.
Laminated Paper Gift Tags
If you want to take your paper tags up a notch and make them a bit sturdier, you can laminate them before writing on them. This adds versatility too, since you're not permanently writing on the tag. I found these tags at Marshalls.
If you have a laminating machine or have access to one, use that! I don't, so I tried out these self-sealing laminating sheets by Scotch*. I think the results are great! It didn't take much effort, and I was able to cut the sheet down before using it, so the waste was minimal.
Follow the instructions included with the sheets to laminate. I went slowly and used a square ruler to press out any bubbles as I went. Afterwards I used a bone folder to go around all the edges and make sure they were all sealed up.
Once the tags are laminated, you'll need to use a hole punch (I used one that is slightly smaller than standard size) to make a new hole. I trimmed away the extra laminated material with a rotary cutter (my dedicated craft/paper one), but a pair of scissors works well too. Then attach your string or a safety pin.
Now you can write on them with dry erase marker and wipe it away when you're done!
Chalkboard Gift Tags
Another similar idea is to use little chalkboard tags! I found these particular ones at JoAnn fabrics in the woodcraft section, but I've seen them at other craft stores, and I think Target. You could also make some of your own using chalkboard paint. I wrote on mine with a bistro chalk marker*, but regular chalk works great too! I was a little skeptical that the pen would erase well, but it came right off with a damp cloth.
Ornament Gift Tags
If you're planning to use your bags just amongst your family and don't need specific to/from tags, consider a cute little object to mark your bags. You could use small ornaments, charms, buttons, etc. I picked up a box of small plastic ornaments in a variety of colors. I can assign each family member a color and use those ornaments to mark their gifts!
Growing up we often had special wrapping paper that was used for one specific person at the holidays. You could do something similar with the bags, assigning each person a different fabric or color. This would be a great choice if you happen to have yardage of a few prints.
To attach the tags to each bag, I used either a safety pin or string. You could even attach a safety pin to the string! For tags with just string I put it onto one of the drawstrings before tying them up in a bow. A safety pin could be pinned anywhere on the fabric or ties.
I hope this tutorial gave you some ideas for tagging your gifts, whether they're wrapped in a drawstring bag or not! Personally, I think it feels good to reuse things, so this is another way to make my holiday gift giving more eco-friendly. I can't wait to see the bags you make! Please share them with me on instagram @jenib320 + #lineddrawstringbag or via email (jenib320 @ gmail.com).
Happy Sewing!
*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
