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Saturday 14 November 2020

Fabric Origami Gift Box

Shabby Fabrics' Origami Gift Box crafted by eSheep Designs
Shabby Fabrics' Origami Gift Box...
Let me get the credit for this one out of the way up front: this project is a freebie from Shabby Fabrics. The pattern and video tutorial can be found by searching YouTube; it was uploaded May of 2016.

I actually downloaded the pattern over two years ago, but every time I came back to it, I couldn't decide how to approach the project without buying some Heat N Bond Ultrahold, a double-sided heat activated adhesive that bonds together two fabrics without the need to sew them.

The stuff is priced at around $11 to $12 for me and as usual, I was loathe to go to that expense just to make a one-off item. On the other hand, if you're intrigued enough to want to make several of these, then you may want to purchase the actual Heat N Bond.

Since I wanted to feature this as part of my lead up to the holidays, I returned to it in late September to analyze potential alternative approaches.




My first thought was to piece it like I did with my fabric match box. The final result would be sturdier (with the Peltex foundation), but it would involve more sewing, and this project actually started out as a "no sew".

The final decision was to experiment with my ever present supply of Decor Bond.

Shabby Fabrics' Origami Gift Box crafted by eSheep Designs
A free pattern is always a bonus, but printing this one used up a lot of paper!

It's not dual-sided in terms of adhesive, but fabric glue can always come to the rescue in such situations.

After cutting out a piece of Decor Bond using the template, I then turned to my pile of discards to retrieve a couple of squares of fabric that were saved from my Shinto stool cushion project. It's the original covering of the chair pads that I used. Yay for recycling!

Shabby Fabrics' Origami Gift Box crafted by eSheep Designs
Place your fabric pieces right (or wrong) sides together...

The template is not symmetrical, so one of the two pieces of fabric has to be mirrored. Place your fabrics right or wrong sides together and then pin the Decor Bond piece on top to use as a template for cutting.

Shabby Fabrics' Origami Gift Box crafted by eSheep Designs
After cutting, sandwich the Decor Bond interfacing between the two pieces of fabric...

After ensuring that all three pieces stack up properly, use fabric glue to adhere one piece of fabric to the non-adhesive side of the Decor Bond.


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Allow some time for the glue to dry. How you proceed afterwards (and in what order) is totally up to you.

Shabby Fabrics' Origami Gift Box crafted by eSheep Designs
Apply fabric glue to non-adhesive side of Decor Bond...

I decided to pin the remaining fabric piece in place and sew around the perimeter with a tight (almost satin) zigzag stitch. Then I ran an iron over the entire piece to fuse the Decor Bond and set the glue.

Shabby Fabrics' Origami Gift Box crafted by eSheep Designs
All sewn up...

You can keep it as a "no sew" project and skip the zigzag stitch, but you'll be taking your chances on how the raw fabric edges will perform over time.


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The video tutorial went into some detail as to how to transfer markings from the template onto the finished fabric piece in preparation for folding.

Shabby Fabrics' Origami Gift Box crafted by eSheep Designs
View of the bottom...

However, I think that if you take time to examine the template and understand what needs to be done, you won't need to draw actual lines anywhere. I merely took it to my ironing station and pressed creases in the required spots before starting to fold.

The box is able to keep its shape, so I would say that my Decor Bond solution works sufficiently well. I did not hot glue the little "tab" pieces at the corners, feeling that this should function as a true origami structure for packaging a gift that can be unfolded, stored flat, and reused. (With that in mind, I'd even say that you can make this using fabric only on the outside; after all, wrapping paper is plain on the inside.)

Shabby Fabrics' Origami Gift Box crafted by eSheep Designs
As far as origami goes, this one is easy to fold...

Finished dimensions are a 6.5" equilateral triangular base with a 2" height. (The template can be easily modified to make a shorter or taller box.) Shabby Fabrics also has a template to make a similar, slightly larger hexagonal box.

For holiday gift giving, I know exactly what I would put into my origami gift box. For many, many years, I've made this super smooth, absolutely decadent fudge using just two or three ingredients: a pound of high quality chocolate chips, a can of sweetened condensed milk, and optionally, a couple of teaspoons of your additive of choice — e.g., vanilla, a liqueur of some kind, or strong coffee — or you can just use different baking chips like sea salt caramel or Reese. Combine over low heat, pour into a pan and chill; it's as simple as that.

That would be a handmade gift package appreciated by all.

'Til next...

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