How to Wrap a Gift in Tissue Paper

Tissue paper gift wrapping is the gentlest way to present something soft, delicate or oddly shaped. The sheets are thin and slightly translucent, so they fold around a gift without fighting it, and they give a pleasant rustle when the box is opened.

The catch is that tissue behaves differently from ordinary wrapping paper. It tears if you pull it tight, and a single sheet shows everything underneath. Once you know to layer it and handle it loosely, it becomes one of the easiest materials to work with.

What tissue paper is good for

Tissue has two main jobs. The first is lining: a few sheets inside a box cushion the gift, hide it for a moment after the lid comes off, and make a plain box feel finished. The second is wrapping soft or rounded things on its own, such as a scarf, a small plush toy or a pair of gloves, where stiff paper would crumple.

It is not a good outer wrap for a box with sharp corners. The corners poke through, and tape tends to rip the sheet when someone picks the parcel up. For a box, cover the outside in regular paper using the method in the step-by-step guide to wrapping a gift and keep the tissue for the inside.

How many sheets to use

Use two or three sheets together and treat them as one. Two is enough for a pale gift in a small box. Three is better when the item is dark, has printing on it, or the tissue is a light color such as white or blush.

• Small box (jewelry or a mug): two sheets, cut in half if they swamp the box.
• Shirt box: two or three full sheets, each about 20 x 30 in (50 x 76 cm).
• Loose pouch for a soft item: three sheets, so the gather at the top looks full.

Mixing colors works well. A white sheet under a colored one makes the color look brighter, and two close shades layered together look soft and deliberate.

How to line a box with tissue

This is the classic clothing-box presentation, and it works for any gift that sits inside a lidded box.

1. Open the box and set the lid aside. Stack two or three sheets and lay them in the box so the ends hang over two opposite sides.
2. Lay a second stack across the first to form a cross, so tissue overhangs all four sides. In a small box, a single stack is enough as long as every side still has some overhang.
3. Press the tissue gently into the bottom corners of the box. Do not crease it hard; a soft fit is fine.
4. Place the gift in the center. Fold clothing into a neat rectangle slightly smaller than the box first, so it lies flat.
5. Fold the two shorter overhangs over the gift, then the two longer ones on top, letting the last one overlap the others.
6. Close the overlap with a round sticker seal in the middle, then put the lid on.

If the overhang is much longer than the box, fold the ends back under themselves before bringing them over. A folded edge looks cleaner than a raw one and adds a little body where the seal sits.

Wrapping a soft item as a tissue pouch

For a gift with no box at all, a gathered pouch is quick and forgiving. It suits small, light, soft things and anything round.

1. Stack three sheets, turning each one slightly so the corners fan out like a star.
2. Set the item in the center. Fold soft things into a compact bundle first.
3. Lift the sides up around the gift and gather the tissue loosely in one hand just above it.
4. Tie the gather with ribbon or twine, snug but not tight, and finish with a simple bow.
5. Fluff the tissue above the tie by gently separating the layers.

A narrow ribbon, about 1/4 to 3/8 in (6 to 10 mm) wide, suits a pouch best because it does not crush the gather. Roughly 1 yd (0.9 m) is plenty for a small pouch with a bow. The same gather-and-tie idea is covered for other shapes in the guide to wrapping odd-shaped gifts.

Sealing and finishing

Stickers are kinder to tissue than tape. A round paper seal holds the top layers together and can be peeled away without shredding the whole sheet. If tape is all you have, use one small piece and press it down lightly.

A tag can rest inside the box on top of the folded tissue, or hang from the ribbon of a pouch. Write the names before you attach it; the knots and placements are explained in how to attach a gift tag. For a lined box, a ribbon around the outside of the lid finishes the job, and tying a bow on the box takes only a couple of minutes.

Common problems and easy fixes

• The tissue tore. It was pulled too tight. Move the torn sheet to the bottom of the stack, or lay a fresh sheet over it.
• The gift shows through. Add a third sheet, or put a white sheet under a colored one.
• The lid will not close. There is too much tissue in the box. Trim the overhang or switch to half sheets.
• The sticker keeps lifting. Press it onto a flat spot where the layers overlap, not onto a ridge or a fold.

Saving and reusing tissue

Tissue that arrives in a gift can often be used again. Smooth untorn sheets flat with your palm, stack them and keep them for lining. Sheets that are too crumpled for show still make good padding around fragile gifts inside a box.

Plain tissue is the simplest choice. Glittery or foil-finished sheets often cannot go in paper recycling in many areas, so check local guidance before you put them in the bin.