How to Make a Flat Bottomed Paper Bag
A flat-bottomed paper bag can be useful in many different ways. Make the bag out of colorful or patterned paper and use the paper bag as a gift bag. Make the paper bag out of sturdy cardstock for a bag that is strong enough to carry heavy items. Make a small bag out of delicately thin paper for a beautiful trinket bag to hold your tiny treasures. Once you learn the basic bag-making process, you will want to make a variety of different paper bags.
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Things You'll Need
- 8.5-inch by 10-inch paper
- Ruler
- Clear tape
- Single paper punch
- 3/8-inch wide grosgrain ribbon
- Scissors
Instructions
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1
Place the paper flat on a work surface with the long edges at the top and bottom. Fold the top edge down 1/2 inch and crease this fold.
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2
Fold the left side edge approximately one-third over toward the right and crease this fold. Fold the right edge over so it overlaps the left edge by 1/2 inch. Crease this fold. Slip the right edge under the left edge and tape the overlapped edges with clear tape to hold them securely.
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3
Hold the bag so the overlapped tape edge is vertical in front of you. Make another vertical fold 2 inches away from one of the side folds that you already made. Crease this fold and press the bag flat with this fold at the left edge to make another similar fold on the right edge. Crease this fold. Open out the bag. You should have a rectangular shape that resembles a box.
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4
Make pleats in the sides between the side folds by folding the paper between the two side folds in half and lining up the two original folds. Repeat on the other side with the other two side folds to make another pleat. This will create the typical paper bag that has pleats in the sides to facilitate folding.
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5
Fold the bag flat with the pleats folded inward. Fold the bottom edge of the bag up 1.5 inches and crease the fold. Turn the bag over and fold the bottom edge of the bag up along the same fold line to crease the fold.
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6
Open the bag again and tuck the side edges in along the folds made earlier. As you fold the side edges, fold the front and back edges into triangle shapes. Crease these folds and make the bottom of the bag square shaped. Tape the flaps on the bottom of the bag to hold them securely.
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7
Punch two holes in the front and back sides of the bag along the top
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8
Cut two 10-inch lengths of ribbon and thread one ribbon length through the two front holes and the other ribbon length through the two back holes. Tie each ribbon length together to make them into a loop. These will be the bag handles.
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