7-Minute Wine Bag Tutorial

You know the rule, never show up to a party empty-handed; but we all know that can be tough to stick to with so many holiday shindigs this time of year. My advice: you can never go wrong with a bottle of wine. But why not ditch the brown paper bag and dress it up a little? Handmade wine bags add a little extra thought and personality to your hostess gift and can be re-gifted year after year. Plus, they're a sinch to make — it takes only 7 minutes to sew one from start to finish — so I put together a little tutorial to help you make them yourself on this day 7 of my 12 Days of Christmas! Fire up your sewing machine and follow me...

Cut a piece of fabric to 12" x 18.5". I like to use a rotary cutter and ruler for accuracy and speed, but fabric scissors will work just fine.

Fold the right sides together lengthwise and stitch a 1/4" seam along the long raw edge and across the bottom. Remember to back-stitch at the very end. One of the short ends should be left open.

Finish the raw edges by using either a serger or a ziz-zag stitch on your sewing machine.

Spread out the corners so that they lay flat. Draw a line 1 1/4" from the tip of the corner and pin it in place. Repeat for the opposite corner.

Stitch across the lines you just drew, back-stitching at the start and finish.

Trim the corners and finish the edges with a ziz-zag stitch, or use a serger to do both in one step.

Fold the top edge 1/2"  towards the wrong side and press. Fold over again 1/2" and press.

Stitch around the top, close to the lower fold. Turn it right side out and give your seams a final press. 

Cut some ribbon to a length of approximately 30".

Pop a bottle of wine in there, tie a bow and you're done!

Of course, if you don't want to bother making them, you could save yourself the effort and just buy them from me! Haha! I sell them in sets of 3 and in a wide variety of prints.

DISCLAIMER: These take me 7 minutes to make. Obviously the timing for this project will vary depending on skill level and tools available, so please don't freak out if it takes a little (or a lot) longer than 7 minutes, especially if it is your first attempt. Stay calm, make a few for your friends and you'll get the hang of it quickly!