All wrapped up in fabric!

Buying wrapping paper can be costly and as it gets thrown straight in the bin once the gifts have been opened it’s also wasteful. So instead of wrapping gifts in disposable wrapping paper, why not wrap them in fabric!

Sustainable gift wrap course

Note: I originally wrote this post in 2012, when my kids were a lot younger! It has been updated in November 2020

Back in 2012, I paid a total of around £15 for all these items for festive gifts for my kids.  I found them in charity shops and school sales! I then hunted around the house for things to wrap them up in.

Fabric Wrapping

My mum gave me some blue fabric a while ago and a bag full of ribbons, decorative string and tassels.  I dug out all the gold coloured ones and tied up the gifts.  They looked so appealing, I wanted to open them!  

wrapping paper alternatives

When I ran out of blue fabric, I wrapped up a gift in an old kids t-shirt. I wrapped my younger son’s gifts in his old babygrows, using all the blue ribbon I could find!

I also used a couple of babygrows for my older sons presents. They are great for wrapping up small gifts!

wrapping paper

We also had a pair of old jeans, with holes in all the wrong places, that were beyond repair.  Chopping them up Istuffed the legs with a couple gifts for my husband!  I then tied them up with some white ribbon (as pictured at the top of this article) and they looked lovely!

wrapping paper

I hadn’t planned on giving so many gifts to my children, but the gifts weren’t expensive and were mostly educational.  They were be passed down and then given away as my children outgrew them.  After the gifts were unwrapped the fabric went back in the cupboard to be used again another time. Wrapping these gifts was a fun challenge and I was really pleased with the results.  My children didn’t bat an eyelid at their gifts being wrapped up in fabric and were just eager to undo the ribbons and find out what surprises were hiding beneath!  

If you are after some more ideas for eco-friendly gifts to wrap up check out my post here: Sustainable gifts your friends and family will love. Plus I have loads more ideas for wrapping up gifts without the waste here: Eco Friendly Wrapping Paper Alternatives