31 March 2010

new shipping envelopes - the tutorial

*
people have been emailing, asking about the envelopes i talked about recently. since i needed to make a few yesterday, i thought i'd photograph the process for you. it's an official kats in the belfry tutorial, or kitbt!

*prepare the bag: carefully remove the handles, & toss them into your recycling bin. next you'll need to cut the bag open; do this by cutting down one corner seam, then around the base. now your bag should lie flat.


* place your item on the bag, & measure 2 inches around. you can either cut out 2 of of this size, or fold your bag over, then cut once. i did the latter here. definitely fold if your item is bulky.




*with your machine set to zig zag, stitch around three sides. leave a bit of a seam allowance, & don't forget to back stitch.


*slip your item in. make sure you ease it to the bottom of your envelope, so you don't accidentally sew through it. for a bit of padding you can first wrap your item in some of the tissue you saved from your birthday prezzies.




*sew the fourth side closed, back stitching once more to avoid ravelling.



*if your bag has a fancy design, as does mine, add a label for the address.




*a reminder to recycle your envelope would be a lovely addition. perhaps i should have gone with a color not in the bag's design.



*make more! my bag made 1 small, & 1 large envelope.




these are fun to make, & take very little time. happy envelop-making!
~peace.

19 comments:

Unknown said...

I love this! Can't wait to try it. Thanks for sharing!

woolies said...

Good One! The way I do is similar, but different. I'll have to take pics and post my way this weekend.
:)

Eve's Little Earthlings said...

Fun Idea!

The Sitting Tree said...

Sweet! This would be great fun for wrapping gifts too. Oh, the possibilities! Thanks so much for sharing!

Emmanuelle said...

Brilliant! I love those!

Kim van Waardenburg said...

I did this with samplers of wallpaper... I just hope they don't show off to much in the mail so they will be opened by customs or even worse "get lost"...

I love the idead of recycling very much!!Well done.

FairiesNest said...

Great tutorial!

spacedlaw said...

Very nice and, indeed, simple.

germandolls said...

Now I just wish we had a Trader Joe's here! I don't think this will look as good with a King Sooper's bag. LOL
Wonderful idea! Thanks for sharing it with us!

MapleShadeKids.etsy.com said...

Love it! So clever and eco-friendly. Since I am not so great at sewing......sigh, I've created something similar with my recycled kraft paper and kraft tape - use the brown kraft tape in place of the thread.

cutelittlething said...

this is great. I think my customers will really appreciate this re-use!!!

Steph said...

awesomeness!

maltagirl said...

very cool! now make a padded envelope please:)

Beth said...

This is wonderful! I'm impressed with your creativity! love, Beth

* said...

thanks for the love everyone!

Folky Dots said...

I made one of these today. It was terribly easy and such a nice personal touch besides the reuse of a paper bag.

My bag came from Aldis so on one side it had a tree and the logo "Its all about the green" I used that for the back of my envelope. I'm going to make a BUNCH up before the christmas season hits. These are perfect for mailing out dolly clothes.

Thanks again for the great idea!
Dana

* said...

ooh dana, i want to see!

Charissa said...

Very smart - and they look charming! I found you through Giver's Log. Thanks for sharing!

Charissa
www.thegiftedblog.com

woolies said...

HA. I did read this and even comment on it. Many months ago. Getting out my sewing machine to stitch up a bunch of envelopes!! Thanks!!

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