How to Make an Envelope

Guide Note A handmade card deserves a handmade envelope. The information on this page will show you how to create your own envelopes and offer up a few creative ideas for jazzing them up. It's easier than you think, and it can even save you money.

Table of Contents

Envelope Making Tips

  1. Before you make your envelope, check the post office's guidelines to be sure it will be mailable.
  2. Take apart an old envelope to make a cheap and easy template.
  3. If you'll be making more than one envelope, make a durable template out of cardboard.
  4. Cut your envelope with pinking shears for a more unique look.
  5. Make sure your envelope's design doesn't interfere with the legibility of the address.

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Introduction

  • Don't just make your own greeting cards, make your own envelopes too! It's a surprisingly easy way to draw attention to your message. Making your own envelopes is not only fun, but practical as well. Want an envelope that's the right size for an oddly-shaped piece of paper? Just design it yourself!

What You'll Need

For the Envelope

For the Envelope Glue

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons White Vinegar
  • 4 ounces Unflavored Gelatin
  • 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

Equipment

  • Saucepan
  • Spoon
  • Paintbrush
  • Airtight Container

Step 1: Plan Your Design

  • The style of your envelope is limited only be your creativity, so take some time to consider what you'll be using your envelope for and what you want it to look like.
  1. If you're sending your envelope through the mail, there are detailed rules to follow. You can learn about the guidelines for the United States Postal Service by looking through their Domestic Mail Manual, but basically your envelope must:1
    1. Fall within a certain size range.2
    2. Not be made of material that is too light or too heavy. 3
    3. Not have attachments that will interfere with mailing.2
  2. If you're planning on opening and closing your envelope repeatedly, you'll want to use a button, string, or clasp as a closure rather than glue.4
  3. If you want to your envelope to last, use heavy paper or another durable material.4
  4. Many kinds of papers and materials can be used to make envelopes. Try tissue paper or advertisements from magazines.5 6
  5. If your envelope paper contains an image, think about positioning the image so that it's in harmony with the address and stamp.6 Plan carefully, since you'll need to figure this out before you start to cut.

Step 2: Make a Template

  • Once you have a template, you can easily make more than one envelope. You might choose to make your template out of a more durable paper, cardboard, or plastic so that it will last longer.7 8 If you're only making one envelope, you may want to draw your template directly on the paper you'll be using. However, it still may be a better idea to make a separate template in case you make a mistake the first time.
  1. (Creative Commons photo by John Atherton)
    (Creative Commons photo by John Atherton)
    Make sure that your piece of template material is larger than the planned size of your unfolded envelope.
  2. Draw a box in the center of your paper.9
    • -This will be the main body of your envelope, and the lines indicate where you should fold later.
    • -It should be a little larger than whatever you'll be putting into your envelope, so that the object will easily fit inside.10
  3. Draw the bottom and upper flaps of your envelope.11
    • -Make sure that these are long enough to overlap once you fold and seal your envelope. Otherwise, it won't close properly.
  4. Draw the side flaps.
  5. Cut out your template.12
  • You can also simply unfold an existing envelope and use it as a guide. This option will be covered in more detail in the section below about Pre-Made Envelope Templates.

Step 3: Trace Your Envelope

  • Now you need to transfer your envelope's shape onto the paper you're using. If you chose to draw your envelope directly on the paper rather than make a template, skip ahead to the next step, decorating and assembling the envelope.
  1. Place the template on the paper you've chosen to make your envelope.
    • -The side of the paper that will be the inside of the envelope should be facing up.
    • -A little glue in a spot where the residue won't be seen will keep the template in place.13
  2. Lightly trace your template.
  3. Place the template alongside the traced envelope, and use a ruler to draw the four fold lines.13

Step 4: Decorate and Assemble

  • Your project is starting to look like a real envelope! Use a bone folder or a ruler to make the creases on your envelope sharp.13
  1. Cut out your envelope. Make sure you only cut the outside lines, not the inner fold lines.
  2. This may be the best time to decorate your envelope since it's still flat, something which is especially important if you plan to use paint.5
  3. Once all decorations have dried, fold the side flaps.
  4. Spread glue or place double-sided tape on the side flaps where the bottom flap will meet them.10
  5. Fold up the bottom flap and adhere it to the side flaps.
  6. Fold down the top flap.

Step 5: Make Envelope Glue

  • (Creative Commons photo by Will Fuller)
    (Creative Commons photo by Will Fuller)
    Using envelope glue makes your project more like a commercially-made envelope. If you've decided to close your envelope using an alternate method (such as a button or a metal clasp), skip this step and attach your closure device instead. You can also close your envelope with a sticker or regular glue.15
    • If you're feeling particularly crafty, also check out Mahalo's complete guide on How to Make Glue!
  1. In the saucepan, bring the vinegar to a boil.16
  2. Add gelatin. Stir until dissolved.
  3. Add vanilla extract and stir until mixed.16 17
  4. Before the glue cools, spread a thin layer on the top envelope flap with the paintbrush.13 Let it dry.
  5. Store the glue in a sealed container. Before using again, soften the glue in a pan of warm water.

Step 6: Add Finishing Touches

  • Use your creativity during this step to make your envelope unique, but if you're mailing your envelope, don't get so creative that the mail carrier can't read the address.
  1. Allow a clear space for the address and postage. Make sure that both the delivery and return addresses are legible.18
  2. Put the delivery address on the front and center of your envelope. Otherwise, your envelope may not be mailable.18
  3. If you're not mailing your envelope, you have more freedom in decorating it. For example, you can glue a ribbon or other attachments to it.19

Pre-Made Envelope Templates

  • You don't need to design your own envelope template--there is a wide variety of designs already out there. There are plastic templates you can buy and have shipped to you, or free templates you can just print. Some are even already decorated, so that all you have to do is print, cut, and fold. You can even use an existing envelope as your template by simply unfolding it.

Websites Where You Can Find Templates

(Creative Commons photo by David Boyle)
(Creative Commons photo by David Boyle)
  • To use an existing envelope as your template, follow these steps:
  1. Before you take the existing envelope apart, examine it so that you understand how it's put together. 13
  2. Slowly tear apart the flaps so that you can unfold them to make a template.
  3. Trace and assemble your envelope using the instructions in steps three and four above.

Variations

  1. Line the inside of your envelope with a sheet of contrasting paper.13
  2. Use handmade paper.20
  3. Make an envelope out of fabric and use it to store special keepsakes.21
  4. Nancy Taylor of Hero Arts has a variety of design suggestions to make your envelope match its contents.22
  5. An origami envelope requires no glue.23


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References for How to Make an Envelope

  1. ↑ United States Postal Service: Domestic Mail Manual
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 United States Postal Service: DMM 101 Physical Standards for Retail Letters, Flats, and Parcels
  3. ↑ United States Postal Service: DMM 601 Mailability
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 About.com: Envelope Seals and Closures and Paper Weight
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Friendship-by-Mail.com: Pen Pals, Make Your Own Envelopes!
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 DT&G design: High Style Envelopes You Make Yourself
  7. ↑ The Spotted Sparrow: Tutorial Tuesday: How to Make an Envelope
  8. ↑ About.com: Blank Card and Business Envelope Templates
  9. ↑ Instructables: How to Make an Envelope - Step 1: Draw your base template
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Instructables: How to Make an Envelope
  11. ↑ Instructables: How to Make an Envelope - Step 4: Draw your base template
  12. ↑ Instructables: How to Make an Envelope - Step 5: Cut out your base template
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 CraftBits: Make Your Own Envelope
  14. ↑ Instructables: Make a Custom Printed Double Sided No. 10 Business Envelope From a Sheet of Paper
  15. ↑ Kaboose.com: Valentines Envelopes
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Friendship-by-Mail.com: Envelope Glue Recipes for Creative Envelopes!
  17. ↑ CraftBits: Make Your Own Envelope
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 United States Postal Service: Elements on the Face of a Mailpiece for Retail Letters, Flats, and Parcels
  19. ↑ Crayola: Give a Puzzled Heart Craft
  20. ↑ suite101.com: Make Your Own Seed Envelope
  21. ↑ CraftStylish: How to Make Fabric Envelopes
  22. ↑ Hero Arts Online: Designer Envelopes
  23. ↑ Yasutomo: Origami Card and Envelope


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