Gift Wrapping 104:
Hexagonal Gift Boxes

Welcome to the last chapter of this tutorial. I think you'll find this one especially satisfying!

The gift wrapping procedure demonstrated below is suitable for all gift boxes with more angles than four, including pentagons and octagons! Hexagonal gift boxes are the most common, and that's what we use for this tutorial.

Standard wrapping papers and foils are best suited for hexagonal boxes, because they make nice, crisp folds. Tissue paper is not so good, as corners poke through it easily and the extra layers required for strength and opacity add bulk that can be difficult to work with.

Here are the materials you will need...

• Gift box
• Tissue paper to line box, if needed
• Gift wrap
• A pair of scissors
• Clear or "magic" tape
• Ribbon, bow or decorative tie
• Tie-on decoration (optional)
• Gift tag or label

Before we begin, here are a few introductory tips:

In case you haven't yet visited Gift Wrapping 102, the following tips bear repeating:

a) Remember to remove the price tag before you wrap your gift! You may wish to enclose an exchange receipt if you have one; or, you may prefer to offer it to your recipient later.

b) Look for the most economical use of your gift wrapping paper. Some designs look much better with the box oriented one way and not another. Non-directional designs will give you the most economical options. In any case, there's no point in wasting nice gift wrap!

• Unroll a length of paper and position the box an inch or two inside one edge. Roll the box for one full rotation toward the opposite edge. If the box is still totally on the paper, this will be the most economical layout. If not, you will have to orient your box another way and cut a longer piece of paper from the roll.
  
  
• Cut only what you need, and trim off any excess before you begin. A too-large piece of gift wrapping paper is difficult to work with and can make your wrapped gift look lumpy - this is especially true with multi-angled gift boxes.

1) Unfold or unroll a length of gift wrapping paper and measure before cutting. The length of the paper should be about 2” greater than the circumference of the box (around the sides). The width of the paper should equal the distance across the top of the box (side to side, not corner to corner) and down one side. Do not cut a larger piece - ANY extra width, in particular, will get in your way and need to be trimmed off!	2) Turn the paper face down and make a ½" fold along one of the ends, to give a nice finish to the seam. Center the box on its side on the paper. Check your gift wrapping paper for an up-and-down design, and point the top of the box toward the top of the design. Bring the paper up around the side angles of the box, tuck under the unfolded edge, and tape the seam snugly. Be sure the seam lies flat at the top and bottom rims of the box - it's a good idea to tape it in both places.
3) To bring the box bottom within easy reach, position the gift upside down over a support that fits inside the extended paper. I'm using a waste basket in the photo. Or, you can sit in a chair and hold the box between you knees; but be sure it doesn't slide down inside the paper.	4) The straight sides of multi-angled gift boxes are handy guides for gift wrapping. Beginning on the side to the right of the seam, draw the wrapping paper snugly over that section of the rim, toward the center of the box.
5) Form a pleat at the left corner of the section, adjusting so the fold points directly toward the opposite corner. (Note: on a pentagonal box, point the fold toward the center of the opposite side.)	6) Working around to the left, draw the next section of paper snugly over the box rim toward the center. Adjust the the next pleat to point toward its opposite corner, and fold it down over the previous pleat.
7) When you come to the last pleat, the paper will become a bit tricky to manage as it tries to fold out instead of in.	It will help a lot to lift up the first pleat...
...so you can fold the last one under the it.	8) Then smooth and flatten all the pleats, keeping the paper snug all around the box rim.
9) Tape the pleats closed at the center of the box: two pieces of tape placed side-by-side or in an X should be adequate.	10) Select a bow or other decoration to emphasize the effect, affix a gift tag or label, and enjoy the compliments!
The pleats should create a dramatic pattern variation to complement the side view of your wrapped gift. A gift wrapping paper with stripes produces geometrically-satisfying results on hexagonal gift boxes!

More tutorials are in the works – watch for bow making, gift tags & package decorations, not to mention some very interesting disguises for gifts of all shapes and sizes.