Sewing a coffee bag gift bag (Upcycling project)

Dear community,
in this blog post you can find detailed instructions for sewing a coffee bag gift bag as an easy to make upcycling project.

Gift bags that are made from recycled materials and are still reusable afterwards are fantastic.
My first gift bag suggestion is made from coffee bags. This gift bag, which is made by sewing the bags together, makes a great lunchbag later on. This means that you are actually giving two presents: the contents and the wrapping.

Sewing instructions for the coffee bag gift bag

For this size you need 5 large coffee bags. The top edge and the folded bottom are cut off straight. Two bags are placed one on top of the other and sewn together along the long side. The sides are stuck together beforehand using narrow double-sided sticky tape:

To avoid the straight seam perforating the bags, I carry out all the sewing on the bags using zigzag stitch:

Two bags are used for each side and the fifth bag is used horizontally as the bottom:

The side seams can now also be sewn together on the right side so that the sharp edge of the bag is on the outside. I prefer to also sew the sides together on the wrong side using the zigzag stitch, and the same with the corner for the bottom:

Turning it the right way round is difficult, but it is worth it so there are no sharp seams on the outside:

I bind the top edge with a 7cm wide strip, which is sewn doubled on the right side, again using the zigzag stitch:

This strip is then placed facing inwards and is attached by edgestitching in the ditch on the front:

The reusable wrapping is finished and the gift bag is decorated with a stitched ribbon:

The second suggestion is to make the gift bag using chocolate bar wrappers.
These wrappers are not as robust as the coffee bags. You can either line the bags with fabric or do it as I did. I have already demonstrated this method with my Much too good to throw away bag.

I sewed the small chocolate or sweet wrappers in clear film and then continued as described in my previous article: sew on the top edge of the fabric, sew a zipper into the ditch – if it is a continuous zipper, secure the ends, sew together the sides and the small bottom gusset on the wrong side – make sure you open the zipper beforehand!, turn the bag the right way – and you’re done:

Ready for a lovely present and later on for use as a pretty cosmetics or small toiletries bag:

I am going to make lots of gift bags out of coffee bags and chocolate wrappers this year and in the new year, I will show you what you can do with them.
Until then, get collecting coffee bags. Family, friends and even your favourite restaurant and the cafe around the corner will surely be happy to help you with your collecting.

Wishing you a wonderful, peaceful Advent
Best wishes,
Wiebke