How to Make a Wine Gift Bag

Oh wine, how I love thee.

And how I love the anthropologie-rumpled look of this cotton-linen blend Heather Ross fabric for a gift like this. I imagine toting it to the park for a picnic where all the ladies are wearing forties-inpired high heels while casually sipping Malbec as the sun sets.

Or you know, a last minute dinner party gift, maybe with a few pretty wine glasses.  Learn How to Sew a Wine Bag after the jump...

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DIY Gift Bag for Wine

Isn't this fabric so amazing? It's Heather Ross Far Far Away 2 Roses in Plum. This is a home decor weight fabric, a cotton-linen blend, so it's heavier. if you want to use a regular quilting cotton then definitely add some fusible interfacing to your project. I love the anthropologie-rumpled look of this fabric for a gift like this.

Let's start by making the strap.  You could use cotton webbing or leather or whatever you've got, but I made a fabric one.  So start by cutting a 10" X 4" piece of fabric.  Fold each long side into the center and iron (so each fold is 1"):


Then fold the whole thing in half (so the unfinished edges are enclosed in the fold) and iron again:


Sew the open edge with a straight stitch:


Then sew the opposite edge with a straight stitch:


On the sides of the strap, sew with a zig zag to finished the edges and keep them from unravelling:


Now let's make the bag.  So cut a piece of fabric 12" X 17" and fold it in half right sides facing so two 17" sides are aligned.


Sew up the 17" edge (a straight stitch would be fine but I used a zig zag for extra strength) and finish the edge, I just cut with pinking shears:


Then sew one short side closed and finish the edge:


Now with the short sewn side on top, bring the long seam to the front center and fold into a triangle shape.  You will have two triangles of fabric with a straight fold on the inside.  Hard to explain but just do it and you'll see how it works.  This is how you create a gusset:


Draw a 3" line straight across the triangle.  This pic is a 2" line, but I realized after the fact that a 3" line is necessary to create the proper gusset for a wine bottle:

Lift up the top triangle and draw the same 3" line on the bottom triangle:


Sew across the lines you drew:


Cut the tip of the triangle off above your sewn line:


Now turn your bag right side out.  Along the top edge, fold the fabric 1" to thw wrong side and iron:


Then fold another inch and iron, then sew in place:


Turn your bag right side out and pin your strap in place at each side, with the seam centered in between:


Sew the strap on each side with a box shape like so:


Done!


Add a gift tag, a bottle of wine, and maybe a few pretty wine glasses.  Done!


Nice way to spruce up a simple gift right?  I want to go on a wine-drinking picnic right now.  But I will also need a snuggie because it's way too cold for a wine-drinking picnic.