How to Sew a Wine Bottle Bag

Wine and blown glass bottles harken back to ancient times. The Romans were the first to bottle wine in glass and the Greeks had wine since 4000 B.C. According to the website Bottle Your Brand, "Wine was considered to be a gift from the gods by the ancient Greeks, many of whom worshiped Dionysus, the god of wine." The historical significance of wine and its popularity in present-day culture make it a perfect gift. The next time you offer wine as a gift, add a personal, sophisticated touch by presenting it in a hand-made wine bottle bag.

Things You'll Need

• Wine bottle
• Tape measure
• Fabric
• Scissors
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine
• 1 yard Rattail
• 2 safety pins
• 2 tassels, 1 inch
• Needle
• Thread

Instructions

1. Measure the length of the wine bottle from mid-neck to bottom. Add two inches to this measurement. This is the adjusted length of the bottle.

2. Measure around the base of the bottle with a tape measure. Add three inches to this measurement. This is the adjusted width of the bottle.

3. Fold the fabric so that the right sides (the sides that will be the outside of the bag) are touching. Cut the fabric in a rectangle according to the adjusted length of the bottle by the adjusted width of the bottle.

4. Place the two rectangles on a flat surface with the right sides still touching, and pin the two sides and the bottom along the edges. Insert a pin in one side of the top of the wine bottle bag, indicating the center top front.

5. Sew the two sides and the bottom, using a 1/2 inch seam allowance, with the straight stitch option on your sewing machine. Remove the pins.

6. Fold the top edge under ¼ inch against the wrong side of the fabric (the side that will be the inside of the bag) and pin. Sew using a straight stitch and a ¼ inch seam allowance.

7. Fold the top edge under 1 inch against the wrong side of the fabric and sew a casing (a tunnel that the Rattail will slide through), leaving a 3 inch wide opening at the center top front of the wine bottle bag.

8. Turn the wine bottle bag right side out.

9. Cut a piece of Rattail measuring double the adjusted width measurement. Connect one safety pin to each end of the Rattail. Connect one Rattail end to the casing with the safety pin, ensuring it does not get lost inside.

10. Feed the other Rattail end through the casing until the safety pin emerges on the other side.

11. Sew a small tassel to each Rattail end using a needle and thread.

12. Insert the wine bottle into the wine bottle bag, bottom first. Pull the bag up to the mid-neck of the bottle and pull the Rattail ties closed, tying in a bow or knot.

References

• Bottle Your Brand

Resources

• Home-Sew Inc. Sewing and Craft Supplies