How to Wrap a Gift Without a Box: Bottles, Soft Gifts and Awkward Shapes

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Knowing how to wrap a gift without a box is the difference between a present that looks considered and one that looks like it lost a fight with the tape. Bottles roll. Jumpers slump. Anything round refuses to cooperate. The good news is that every awkward shape has a method, and none of them are difficult once you know the trick.

Here is how to wrap the gifts that don't come in a neat rectangle. Prefer to watch first? This short tutorial shows several box-free methods in action.

Before You Start: Choose the Right Paper

Box-free wrapping asks more of your paper than anything else. It has to fold, gather, twist and pleat without tearing. Thin paper splits the moment you pull it around a curve, while a heavier paper holds its shape and takes a crisp fold. Smaller, all-over prints are the most forgiving, because they hide the extra folds that curved shapes create. A tiny dot like Evergreen Dust is a good example.

How to Wrap a Bottle

Wine, spirits and olive oil are the most common box-free gifts of the season.

1. Cut a rectangle long enough to cover the bottle with about 4 inches to spare at the top, and wide enough to wrap around once with a 1-inch overlap.
2. Lay the bottle on its side at one edge and roll it tightly. Secure the seam with double-sided tape.
3. Fold the bottom paper in like the end of a box, pleating as you go, and tape it flat so the bottle stands.
4. Gather the paper at the neck and tie it firmly with ribbon. Fan out the top like a bouquet.

A wide satin or velvet ribbon at the neck makes all the difference. We like a 1.5-inch velvet ribbon in a deep colour, such as this velvet ribbon

How to Wrap Clothing and Soft Gifts

Jumpers, scarves and throws look lumpy wrapped directly. The fix is to create structure first.

1. Fold the item as neatly as possible into a flat rectangle.
2. Wrap it in tissue paper to hold the shape.
3. Slip a piece of card underneath, cut to size, to give the parcel a firm base.
4. Now wrap it exactly as you would a box, creasing every edge firmly.

Card and tissue do most of the work here. Keep a pack of white tissue paper with your wrapping supplies all season.

How to Wrap a Cylinder

Candles in tubes, rolled posters and tins all follow the same method.

1. Roll the paper around the cylinder with a 1-inch overlap and tape the seam.
2. At each end, fold the paper inward in small, overlapping pleats, working around the circle like the petals of a flower.
3. Secure the centre with a round sticker, a wax seal or a single piece of double-sided tape.

For the neatest finish, press each pleat flat with your thumbnail before making the next.

How to Wrap Something Truly Awkward

Some gifts, like a stuffed toy or a pair of trainers, simply won't be tamed. You have two elegant options.

The pillow pack. Roll the gift in paper, then fold each open end flat and inward, so the parcel looks like a soft pillow. Close each end with a ribbon or seal.

The cracker wrap. Roll the gift in paper with plenty extra at each end, then twist and tie each end with ribbon. It's festive, quick and perfect for children's gifts.

The Supplies Worth Having

• Double-sided tape for invisible seams.
• Paper Cutter for clean, long cuts.
• Wax seals or round stickers for cylinder ends.
• Wrapping paper that folds without tearing. Browse our Christmas wrapping paper.

Wrapping boxed gifts too? Food52 has a helpful guide to wrapping a box with invisible seams.

Frequently Asked Questions

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