Guides
How To Wrap A Stuffed Animal, Including The Satchel Method
Soft, round and squashy is the hardest shape to wrap. Four methods, including the fabric satchel.
how to wrap a stuffed animal gift
Stuffed animals are the worst possible wrapping shape: no flat faces, no straight edges, and they compress unevenly the moment you apply tape. Standard box-wrapping technique simply does not transfer.
Here are four methods that work, from easiest to most impressive, including the fabric satchel that people specifically search for at Christmas.
Method 1 — The box (easiest, least interesting)
Put the plush in a box and wrap the box. It is reliable, protects the plush, and gives away nothing about what is inside.
For a giant plush, use a wardrobe or bicycle box from a moving supplier. Compressing a large plush into a small box for days will leave creases in the pile that take a while to recover.
Method 2 — The gathered bundle
Lay tissue or thin paper flat, sit the plush in the middle, gather all the edges upward and tie at the top with ribbon. It looks like a bundle of flowers and takes about a minute.
Use thin tissue rather than heavy gift wrap — stiff paper will not gather and cracks along the folds.
Method 3 — The fabric satchel
This is the one people are looking for: a square of fabric folded into a carrying satchel with a knotted handle, so the plush travels in a soft bag rather than a stiff box. It is essentially a furoshiki wrap, and it is reusable.
Take a fabric square roughly three times the width of the plush. Place the plush centrally. Bring two opposite corners up over it and tie them in a flat square knot. Bring the remaining two corners up, pass them under the first knot and tie them again to form a handle. Adjust so the plush sits upright and the handle takes the weight.
Cotton, flannel or a large scarf all work. Avoid anything slippery — satin knots slide loose while the gift is being carried.
- Fabric square about three times the plush width.
- Tie opposite corners first, in a flat square knot.
- Pass the second pair under the first knot to make a handle.
- Cotton or flannel; avoid satin, which slips.
- The fabric is part of the gift, so nothing is wasted.
Method 4 — Dressing the plush
Skip the wrapping and stage the plush instead: tie a large ribbon around its neck, add a bow, and sit it somewhere it will be found — on a chair at breakfast, holding a card.
For very young children this beats every wrapping method, because the reveal is seeing the animal rather than tearing paper.
Giant plush, specifically
Above about 30 inches, wrapping stops being practical. Use a large fabric sheet loosely tied, a laundry bag with a ribbon, or leave it in the delivery box with a bow on the outside.
One thing to avoid: do not leave a giant plush compressed in its shipping bag for weeks before the gift date. Unpack it, let it recover its shape, then re-wrap loosely a day or two before.
Questions
How do you wrap a stuffed animal like a satchel?
Use a fabric square about three times the plush width. Tie two opposite corners over the plush in a flat knot, then bring the other two corners up, pass them under the first knot and tie them into a handle.
How do you wrap a giant stuffed animal?
Use a large fabric sheet, a laundry bag with a ribbon, or the delivery box itself. Unpack it beforehand so it can recover its shape, and re-wrap loosely a day or two before.
What is the easiest way to wrap a plush toy?
The gathered bundle: tissue paper gathered upward and tied at the top with ribbon. About a minute per gift.
Should I wrap a stuffed animal at all?
For a toddler, often not. Tying a ribbon around the plush and staging it somewhere it will be found lands better than paper.