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How to Make Frayed Ribbon From Fabric or Canvas

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Eight presents are wrapped in variations of natural craft paper and tied with frayed canvas ribbons.

How to make frayed ribbon from fabric or canvas that you can use for the holidays or just any kind of a special occasion all throughout the year.

Three presents are wrapped in natural kraft paper, tied with frayed canvas ribbon and are sitting under a Christmas tree.
A present is wrapped in natural kraft paper, tied with frayed canvas ribbon, and topped with homemade gift tags, and a sprig of evergreens.

We all want to wrap gifts that look gorgeous, some with nice bows, to give and put under the tree, right? But who wants to spend a lot of money buying supplies that will only be used once? I have ideas on supplies you can make and keep on hand for your Christmas decor or to use any time of year. With a few tweaks, you can make it festive and gorgeous without spending much money! You can use them on your Christmas trees or garland too.

Bonus: It’s better for the environment too! Did you know that coated paper can’t be recycled? When I read that, I thought of all the used gift wrap in a giant garbage bag on Christmas morning!

By using kraft wrap or butcher paper, it can easily be recycled. (Just make sure it’s kept dry).

My biggest money saver is on ribbon

Stips of frayed canvas and jute twine sit on a wooden table next to a natural kraft paper-wrapped present.
Small piles of frayed canvas ribbon waiting to be used sit on a natural wood table.

How to make your own ribbon or DIY ribbon from fabric or canvas. The frayed ribbon has been trending for a few years, and I love the raw edges, but I don’t love the price. Instead, I buy canvas from the art supply or craft store and rip it to create a fabric ribbon. If you don’t like canvas, you can also use strips of fabric. You can rip it any width. Cut it about 2-3″  – or wider if you want a large piece of fabric ribbon to hang a wreath or wrap a large package. Or you can make a thin ribbon too. It’s easy to do, and you’ll save so much money. I made several widths from four yards of fabric. I can use it to wrap up a box or add a bow with nice loops to a box tied up with twine or raffia. It does make beautiful ribbon.

I think what I like most about frayed ribbon is the natural look it creates. And there’s no need for a sewing machine, needle, or stitches.

A Christmas present wrapped in natural kraft paper and tied with frayed canvas ribbon, jute twine, and clay name tag sits on a natural wood table.

Other simple supplies to keep on hand for gift wrap during the holidays and anytime

An assortment of recycled wrapping ribbon wrapped around pieces of cardboard is stored in a Uashmama paper bag with a handle. The bag is on a wooden table with a Christmas tree in the background.
Small presents are wrapped with natural items that include brown paper kraft bags, tissue, different kinds of twine, and clay name tags. A pair of scissors sits on the table.

Make a small gift wrap kit with your supplies

All the supplies needed for a gift-wrapping kit are displayed here. Name tags, an assortment of natural ribbons, festive tape, fayed canvas ribbon, and gold-painted leaves are some of the items.

I’ve been using kraft wrap for years to wrap gifts year-round, not just during the holidays. I also buy butcher paper in a big roll at Costco. I don’t have a Costco membership any longer, so I was able to find it on Amazon. One roll should last for years!

In addition to the wrapping paper, make a few kits with your supplies and share them with friends. It’s the perfect thing for someone who lives in a small apartment. They can wrap a book, a box, or a bottle of wine or olive oil and add a tag, a few ribbons or twine, and maybe even a flower or an evergreen clipping. And it’s all in one place. Everything in the box can be used all year long.

Three gif-wrapped kits full of all the supplies needed for natural gift wrapping are displayed on a clean white surface.

Here’s what’s in each box

You can read more about instructions and how I gift wrap in this post:

Most Lovely Things Featured in the December Issue of BHG

Eight presents are wrapped in variations of natural craft paper and tied with frayed canvas ribbons.

Buy paper in unexpected places

Shop for paper at the hardware store in the paint department. You can find small rolls of paper in colors like weathered red and green for around $7 a roll that will last for years. They are perfect for wrapping smaller packages.

The drug store, Target, and Walmart, will have kraft paper rolls in the office supply/craft department. They also have kraft paper with simple patterns like snowflakes or dots during the holidays. A little more expensive than plain kraft wrap, but still quite reasonable.

Use jute twine, baker’s twine, yarn, and macrame cord

These are reasonably priced and easily found in the hardware department or on Amazon. They can be used again and again. Make a few cardboard rectangles, wrap the used twine around it, store it until next year, or use it during the year to wrap gifts. Wrapping it on cardboard helps to keep it from getting tangled. That way, it will be easy when you are ready to re-use it!

Make or use tags that can be repurposed from year to year

All the supplies needed for wrapping Christmas presents with all-natural materials.

I love making clay tags with initials we use from year to year. Or a word like peace, love, merry, or joy. Even paper tags or fabric tags can be reused or recycled.

I also love to make paper or fabric tags. And sometimes I add grommets for another fun touch.

How to add grommets to make fabric gift tags

A while back I bought an inexpensive grommet kit ($14) to hang a large painted piece of canvas I used as an art project. And since I have the grommet kit, I’ve been using it for many other things too, like fabric gift tags.

The kit comes with two sizes of grommet rings and when you run out, you can just buy more rings and keep the extras with your kit so that you always have them on hand for when you need them.

Here’s how I do it:

Marking a spot on the canvas gift tag for punching a hole to insert the grommet.
Using the cutting tool and lining it up to punch a hole in the canvas gift tag.
The canvas gift tag with the hole has been placed over the bottom grommet.
The pounding tool is being readied to set the grommet securely into the canvas gift tag.
The pounding tool is ready to set the grommet securely to the canvas gift tag.
  1. On the fabric, mark where you want the hole to be
  2. Place the fabric on the small piece of hardwood from the kit, center the hole punch piece from the kit sharp side down (make sure you’ve selected the correct size), hit the hole much with the hammer, and you should now have a clean hole
  3. Place the grommet on the round metal piece from the tool kit and slide the fabric hole over the top of the grommet
  4. Place the O ring over the top of the grommet
  5. Attach the correct size of the grommet flattener tool by screwing it on and then position it over the hole
  6. Now hit the tool hard with the hammer several times
  7. Remove the grommet flattener tool and you should have a nice and tight-fitting grommet in place
The grommet has been attached to the canvas gift and is ready to have the name written on it.
A natural kraft paper-wrapped Christmas present decorated with frayed ribbon, a sprig of greenery, and a canvas gift tag with a grommet for attaching it with twine.
A natural kraft paper-wrapped gift with frayed ribbon and a canvas gift tag with a grommet for attaching it with twine.

Here are some more gift wrapping ideas from some of my blogging friends

  1. Amazon Gift Wrap Ideas | My 100 Year Old Home
  2. Layered Gift Wrap & Giant Printable Gift Tags | The Happy Housie
  3. How to Make Frayed Ribbon from Canvas | Most Lovely Things
  4. Snow Globe Gift Topper | Craftberry Bush
  5. Pretty And Special Ways To Wrap Your Gifts | Classic Casual Home
  6. How To Package Christmas Cookies | Modern Glam
  7. Cheap DIY Cookie Packaging | Happy Happy Nester
  8. Gift Wrapping With Natural Elements | Zevy Joy

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72 Comments

  7. Such great ideas. And I am confident that I can actually do these. And, as you pointed out, great for the environment.

    Reply

  8. This is such a wonderful idea and brings gift wrapping to a new level! I’ll be wrapping a few like this for Christmas!

    Reply

  9. The gift wrap kit is a fabulous idea! Love the clay tags too! I plan to try making them. Frayed ribbon looks easy. Great that these ideas are beautiful and reusable, also good for the environment!

    Reply

  10. Dear Annie,

    I can hardly wait to share your post with my darling niece who lives in Jersey City. She, her mom ,and I love creative DIY for packages and your ideas bring freshness to ours.

    Merry Christmas to you and. yours,
    Diney now on Mercer Island

    Reply

  12. OMG Annie I love every single thing about this! The simplicity, beauty, creativity – the idea of getting paper at the hardware store? So cool! You do everything with such style! xo

    Reply

  14. Great idea to give gifts of wrapping supplies to others, they look so pretty together in the gift box. Also I didn’t know coated paper could not be recycled. I will have to rethink what types of paper I buy and add in the recycle. I like the clay tag idea too. Thank you for the info and ideas.

    Reply

  15. I love the idea of a wrapping kit!
    Like you I changed up my approach to gift wrap…brown Kraft paper, twine and simple brown tags with dried oranges like those you shared with us on your Instagram page and Better Homes and Gardens. I now want to try my hand at ripping fabric for ribbon:-))
    Hostess of the Humble Bungalow

    Reply

  20. I love to wrap gifts and reuse /recycle bits (remember when we used the Sunday paper’s comic strip pages for our friends birthdays ? ) to make them unique. Adding your ideas to the mix! A very fun and cheerful post to read on a snowy day in MI.

    Reply

  23. Annie, thanks for all of your inspiration. I have made your paper bag snowflakes for parties. My guests can’t believe they’re made from paper bags and are inspired to create their own. A friend made 21 of them this week to hang in the courtyard of a church for a special event.
    Lat night I wore my Garnet Hill pleated skirt to a Christmas concert, it was the one you featured on your blog last month. It was so comfortable and I felt so stylish in it!
    Keep the great ideas coming!

    Reply

  25. You have the most incredibly creative ideas and you inspire me so much!! Happy Holidays to you and your family from Laguna Niguel, CA!!!

    Reply

  26. Merry Christmas Annie! I love your ideas on gift wrapping using found items. The paint department paper idea is new to me. I’ll have to look for it. Thank you.

    Reply

  28. So simple yet effective! Thanks for this how-to and a very Merry Christmas and continued
    success in the new year!

    Reply

  32. Such a wonderful post filled with ideas we all can implement. I will start using your frayed ribbon mention…love it!
    Merry Christmas,

    Reply

  36. Hi Annie,
    You have practical ideas that make so much sense. In our marketing and sales business we represented two high end gift wrap manufacturers and the retail was very expensive. The quality of the paper was excellent but still. It always surprised me how much did retail at full price. I think when you have been in wholesale most of your working career you understand mark-up’s .
    Most people I know do not gift wrap anymore. They use tote bags so that bag can be repurposed. A pretty gift wrapped gift is always appreciated.
    Happy Merry everything.

    Reply

  40. I just bought brown craft wrapping paper today at Walmart. Annie, thanks for your great ideas for environmental friendly gift wrapping.

    Reply

  43. Love your creative and money saving tips for holiday gift wrap. Didn’t know Christmas wrap wasn’t recyclable. Thanks.

    Reply

  44. What a great idea! A box of these supplies would be a sweet hostess gift , a nice present for a busy mom or someone not able to get out for wrapping papers and ribbon. The natural look is timeless and would mix with most decor.

    Reply

  45. this is brilliant! i had wanted to use velvet for ribbons this year, but did not love the price. i used your technique to tear some velvet scraps into strips and now I am ready to wrap.

    thank you for sharing your creativity. i so enjoy your posts.

    Reply

  47. I love the simple beauty of the gift wrapping you demonstrated. I love using things that are in nature, and also reusing things. I also thought what a great gift giving the small gift wrap boxes. I cannot wait to start one.

    Reply

  54. Such beautiful gift wrap ideas. I especially appreciate the unusual wrapping paper ideas, like the rosin paper, and the links. A treasure trove of ideas! Thank you.

    Reply

  55. I just love the style of your wrapping components. Anything you can recycle or re-use is great. You are such an inspiration! Happy Holidays!

    Reply

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