I make the bags big enoughthat I can insert a shirt box

 I make the bags big enoughthat I can insert a shirt box, or whatever size Imay be using. All of the bags can be folded and stuffed inside the largest bag. You might save old Christmas cards and cut them up for gift tags. I sewed a seam up three sides and left the top open. Then oneyear after Christmas I saw holiday fabric on sale andhad an idea! I bought yard after yard of it on clearance and brought it home to make gift bags. I slipped a piece of ribbon through thecasing and tied it shut. I tried using comics but soon discovered I didn't like the black newsprint it left on my hands andeveryone else's.

 Even plain muslin or pillow ticking can look good if you spice it up with fancy ribbon.If you have wrapping paper left over from last year (somepeople unwrap gifts and save the paper) try running itthrough a shredder to use as stuffing for your bags.Tissue paper allows people to hear the crunching ofpaper and seems to satisfy the need for noise! Tissuepaper is also reusable for the same purpose next year. The best thing, besidesthe fact that in the long run you are saving moneyby not buying wrapping paper, is that you don't spendhours wrapping the gifts and don't need scotch tapeor bows.I cut the fabric in various sizes. I began to look for a solution. Sometimes I just wrap the item with a lotof tissue paper and then stuff it in the fabric bag.I bought craft paper and stenciled things on it, butstill, I felt the paper was going to waste.

 I basically cut and sewed them like a pillowcase. For me, gift wrap was right up therewith fireworks - we spent good money only to see itgo up in smoke. Just fold it up and put it away with the bags. I continue to buy fabricoccasionally because my family has grown and now includesin-laws and grandchildren.Use whatever fabric catches your eye or whatever is onsale. The fuller the bags, the cuter they look under the tree. One satin ribbon will  soft touch knitted Embossed single fleece fabric Manufacturers  last the lifetime ofthe bag.Fabric Holiday Bagsby: Joyce Moseley Pierce - 641 wordsAs my children were growing up, it always bothered meto buy wrapping paper only to see it ripped open andthrown in the fireplace or trash after Christmas gifts were opened. I still use gift tags and punch a hole in them sothey can be run through the ribbon. I then put another row of stitchingabout a half inch above that one to create a casingfor the ribbon. You can save space, time, and money. I like the red and green holiday fabric, but I've since incorporated some blue and gold into the group. Sometimes I onlygot 2-3 bags out of a yard, but I knew that they wouldbe able to hold the bigger items, and better yet - I wouldbe able to reuse them next year. Be creative. Then I folded it in about 3 inches (or more on bigger bags)and hemmed it. 

 If you have nosey kids, youmay want to tie a knot!Once the gifts are stuffed in the fabricbags and poofed up with tissue paper, stand them up around the tree and enjoy your creative artwork! They looklike miniature Santa bags. Then I turned that edge in slightlyand stitched it on the machine to finish it off.As years went by, I was determined to make this work, andfeel I have now succeeded.At first my kids hated it - I guess they liked thesound of the ripping paper and the big mess it created