{"title":"How to Make a Paper Bag","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/paper-crafts/how-to-make-a-paper-bag","category":{"slug":"paper-crafts","name":"Paper Crafts"},"creator":{"name":"Easy Origami and Crafts","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5YtPtkKYR7oC3sxd_H1tPA","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRDoSMRP54E"},"tldr":"Make a paper gift bag from one sheet and a glue stick. Ten steps, with proper gusseted sides and a flat base that stands on its own when filled.","totalDurationSeconds":416,"difficulty":"easy","tools":["bone folder or the back of a spoon"],"materials":["1 sheet of A4 or US letter paper","glue stick or tape runner"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Step 1: Pick Your Paper and Glue","text":"Almost any square or rectangle works, but a standard A4 or letter sheet keeps the proportions easy. You also need glue. A glue stick or tape runner dries fast and does not wrinkle the paper the way liquid glue can."},{"number":2,"title":"Step 2: Glue the Sheet into a Tube","text":"Run glue down one side edge of the sheet - the right side works fine. Hold the paper upright and bring the opposite side over on top of the glued strip. Press along the seam. You now have a paper tube."},{"number":3,"title":"Step 3: Center the Seam and Flatten the Tube","text":"Position the tube so the glued seam sits in the middle of one face rather than at a corner. Push the sides in and flatten it back down into a rectangle. Getting the seam centered now is what makes the finished bag look symmetrical."},{"number":4,"title":"Step 4: Crease the Base Folds","text":"Fold the bottom edge upward, roughly a third of the way. Then fold the two bottom corners down at an angle. Crease all three folds firmly - you are marking lines you will reopen in a second."},{"number":5,"title":"Step 5: Collapse the Bottom into a Diamond","text":"Unfold both corner folds, then open the bottom out. Push the sides in and flatten the two corners against the creases you just made. The bottom collapses into a flat diamond, which is the classic paper-bag base."},{"number":6,"title":"Step 6: Fold the Diamond Points Past Center","text":"Working on that diamond, bring the top point down past the middle a little. Then fold the bottom point up the same way, mirroring what you did on top. Unfold both again so you can see where the glue needs to go."},{"number":7,"title":"Step 7: Glue the Base Flaps Shut","text":"Put glue on the two triangles at the top and bring the top flap back down onto them. Then add glue to the four remaining spaces and fold the other flap over. Press the whole base flat and give it a moment to hold."},{"number":8,"title":"Step 8: Fold the Side Gussets","text":"Look at the two small squares at the bottom - their corners tell you exactly where the side folds go. Fold the left side in using those corners as a guide, then the right side the same way. These folds are what let the bag expand."},{"number":9,"title":"Step 9: Open the Bag and Square the Corners","text":"Unfold the paper and put your hand inside to pop the bag open. Push each side out and press the corners so everything sits straight, like a proper rectangle. The gussets you folded should fall into place on their own."},{"number":10,"title":"Step 10: Fold the Top Over to Close","text":"You can stop here and leave the bag open. To close it, fold the top edge over and press the lid down. The sides fold in neatly and you get a finished gift bag with clean corners."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-09-12T18:39:01.291Z","published":"2026-07-29T14:24:59.037Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}