Denim Wine Bottle Gift Bag Tutorial

Later this week I'll be having lunch with a couple of girlfriends. Rather than cook, I've opted to bring some wine. Normally, I'd present my wine in a brown paper bag, but I've decided it's time to lift my game.

And so I've re-purposed a pair jeans to make a re-usable wine bottle gift bag. I'll show you how to make one. It may well be the quickest project you've ever made.

I first saw jeans re-purposed as a wine bottle bag, over at My Soulful Home. The idea appealed to me, especially given that I have a tonne of pre-loved jeans waiting to be upcycled into something new. 

The construction is super simple...

• cut off the bottom of one leg of a pair of jeans
• use the hem on the jeans as the top of the wine bag
• sew a seam across the bottom
• shape the bottom of the bag (this step can be omitted)
• tie with a ribbon

Making the bottom of the bag is the only sewing involved. I have changed the construction to shape the bottom of the bag.

Grab a pair of jeans you no longer wear and cut off the leg, 15" (38cm) up from the bottom hem. Vary this length if you want the bag to be taller or shorter, for a particular size bottle of wine.

Try to use a pair of jeans that are the right width, to avoid taking in the side seams. I used an old pair of capris and as you can see, the ankle of the jeans is narrower than what will end up as the bottom of the bag. This actually works well, as width is lost when the bottom is shaped to make it sit flat.

There's lots of leeway with dimensions, as the bag doesn't have to be an exact fit.

Jeans fabric is very thick and not the easiest to sew. If you are not used to sewing with denim, go slowly while you are finding out the limitations of your machine. Use a jeans needle - they are strong and have a sharp point. Reduce bulk where possible. Tips for Sewing with Denim will elaborate on these points and more.

• Flatten out the leg. The leg seams don't have to be at the sides. One of mine is and the other isn't. If your machine doesn't like bulky fabrics, keep both seams away from the side.
• Sew a ⅜" seam across the bottom.
• Neaten the seam.

• Measure 1" from the corner, in both directions and on both sides of the fabric. 
• Put a mark to show where 1" is. You will have 4 marks on the front and 4 on the back.

• Pull out the sides of your bag and flatten.
• Put your pin through the top mark. If the pin comes out through the mark on the other side, your boxed corner will line up. 
• If the pin is not coming out through the mark on the other side, reposition the fabric until it does.
• Make sure the seams are facing in opposite directions to reduce bulk - if you end up with seams together.

• Take the pin out.
• With a ruler, draw a line across the fabric.
• Hold the fabric in place while you sew.
• Sew across the line. 

• Cut the fabric and neaten.
• Repeat for the other side.

Pop your wine into your finished bag and tie. Use your imagination for the tie...

• lace
• fabric offcuts
• ribbon
• curling ribbon
• twine

What would you use?

Wine bottle gift bags don't have to be expensive, nor do they need to take long to make. Mine literally took minutes. Sifting through my stash of jeans to find the right size took longer than making the bag.

I've found a few more wine bottle gift bag tutorials for you, with some clever upcycling ideas amongst them...

• Wine Bag Repurpose - the tutorial that inspired my jeans wine bottle bag
• Wine Bottle Gift Bags - sew your own 
• Dapper Drink: Upcycled Wine Bag - made from a shirt sleeve and tie
• Necktie Wine Tote
• Sweater Sleeve Wine Bottle Gift Bags
• No Sew Wine Bottle Gift Wrap - bottles beautifully wrapped in tea towels
• Wine Bottle Drawstring Gift Bags
• Crazy Patchwork Wine Bottle Gift Bag - only needs small scraps of fabric
• Shirt Sleeve Wine Bottle Bags
• Easy Sew Lined Wine Bags
• Gift Bottle Sweater  - crochet pattern
• Wine Gift Bag with Sewn Ties

I do so like re-usable wrapping and have been collecting ideas for both traditional and non-traditional forms of wrapping over on Pinterest.

I'll be adding my Denim Jeans Wine Bottle Gift Bag to both the Gift Wrapping and the Refashioning with Denim link parties, here at Threading My Way. 

... Pam

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