Color Blocked Gift Wrap: Sewn Felt DIY Pouches

When I was a little girl, I would ask my mom if I could wrap EVERY single gift under the tree. Including my own, whenever she would let me (she’d just wrap my gifts in old wrapping paper or newsprint ahead of time and then give them to me to wrap over with new wrapping paper) because I’m crazy. And to this day, years and years later, I’m still pretty fanatical about wrapping gifts during the holidays.

Which is probably why every year, I come up with a handful of new DIY gift wrap ideas to throw into the mix. I just LOVE it. Clearly, a little too much. ANYWAY, this year I’m kicking gift wrapping off with a whole different way to package gifts. I swapped out the wrapping paper and tape for a sewing machine and hand cut sheets of felt.

This color blocked pouch packaging idea is super fun for smaller gifts around the holidays (or any other time of year)….just nestle mini-sized presents between two pieces of felt, sew them together and you have a peek-proof color blocked gift pouch. Click through and I’ll show you how to make ’em. They’re really easy…

Materials

• sheets of stiff 6×6 inch felt in various colors (I like these)
• thread (for sewing machine)

Instructions

I started with 2 square pieces of felt, as the base (front and back) for each pouch and then embellished them with 1 color blocked piece in a contrasting color to give it a more interesting design. But as you’ll see in the finished photos, I also made triangle and diamond pouches, using the same technique. So, there are lots of options for shapes, etc.

1. So the first thing you’ll do is choose the colors of felt you want to use. Then, cut the pieces to match you design design. So, for example, in the step by step photos, I cut out a smaller accent shape (the color blocked piece – in my case the green triangle). Once you have the shape(s) cut, you can start sewing…

2. Place the smaller cut out on top of the front base piece of the pouch and straight stitch those two pieces together, being sure to backstitch at the corners of the pockets. In my case, the interior  side of the triangle was left unstitched, to create a pocket for adding notes, etc.

3. Next, grab the piece of felt being used for the back of your pouch and straight stitch that piece to the top piece you finished in step #2. Be sure to backstitch at the beginning and end and leave one side completely unsewn, so you can add the gift inside before closing it up.

3. Next, wrap you gift is tissue paper and stitch it inside the pouch. Then sew up the last remaining side with a straight stitch, again being sure to backstitch at the beginning and end. Now you have a finished peek-proof gift pouch!

When it’s time to unwrap gifts, snip off the end with a pair of scissors and the gift with be revealed.

I was thinking these pouches would be fun for hanging on the Christmas tree too, if you wanted to do a little scavenger hunt gift giving. Or even just tucked into the branches, to keep ’em hidden until Christmas Day. What do you think?

P.S. If you’re looking for small presents put in these pouches, DIY lip balm would fit perfectly. Or jewelry, pins, etc.

Photography Amelia Tatnall Lawrence
Sewing Elizabeth Scoper
Styling Brittni Mehlhoff

What do you think of these present pouches? Think they’d be fun for gifts this year?

Looking for a way to use any leftover felt from this project? Be sure to check out our DIY felt flowers project to make five different kinds of felt flowers fast.

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