Craft for Kids: Christmas Present Gift Bag

Making your own present bags for Christmas with the kids is a fun craft project that everyone can enjoy. Christmas is a fun holiday and shouldn't be limited to just an hour or two of gift opening. This craft project should cost you less than $6 per child, maybe less if you already have left over craft materials.

To get started making your own Christmas trick or treat bags you will need:

1 Pillowcase per child

Ribbons (for handles)

Fabric paint this will keep any decorations like paints and markers form leaking through to the other side.

4 Buttons per bag

Needle

Heavy Duty Thread

Cardboard

Puff fabric paint

Glitter

Fabric Glue

Googly eyes, pipe cleaner, buttons and other miscellaneous craft materials for embellishing

The first thing you need to do when making your own Christmas gift bag is to go ahead and attach the handles to the pillowcase. You might want to do this before hand so that impatient kids can go ahead and start decorating their Christmas gift bags. To attach the handles I like to cut two pieces of ribbon, wide ribbon works best, about 10 inches long. Attach them to the bag with a needle and thread. It looks really cute if you place you handles in about 4 inches from each edge and sew them on with a button. I place the Christmas ribbon on the bag, a button on top of the end of the ribbon and then start sewing through the holes.

If you don't have any buttons you could still just sew your ribbon on to the Christmas gift bag. One tip if your kids are going to use fabric paints on their Christmas gift bags, wash the pillowcase before they start to paint. This will ensure if you wash their craft project in the future that the paint withstands the test of time.

Now that the handles are finished insert your piece of scrap cardboard into the bag. It also provides a smooth solid surface for the kids to decorate on. This insert will work best of you use a tape measure to measure your pillowcase and then cut out the cardboard or poster board to size. This way it will stretch the fabric taut, providing the smoothest work surface.