Tutorial Tuesday: Brown Bag Envelopes

As you already know, I have an Etsy store but I also sell stuff on eBay occasionally.  And as you can imagine, at times, I am doing quite a bit of shipping.

I have heard of people making their own mailing envelopes and I really like the idea of having something that stands out to my customer as being different and makes a lasting impression on them.

It starts with the lowly brown paper bag.

Cut the bag open by cutting down the side and the cutting off the bottom.

Fold the bag in half and lay flat.  Measure and trim the bag so that it the right size depending on what you are shipping.  I was shipping men's shirts so I did 13x17 inches.

Fold back one side, of what will be the opening of the envelope, a few inches.

To line the bag, grab a plastic grocery bag and cut the bottom off.

Spread the bag flat and lay inside the trimmed brown paper bag.

Sew around the perimeter with a contrasting thread in a wide zig-zag stitch.  Reinforce the start, the corners and the end.

Cut off the extra piece of plastic bag from the opening.

Print out a custom label with your logo on it and tape it to the envelope.

Will I never use another store bought envelope? Of course...but these are super easy to make and look so much cuter!

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