How to Sew a Drawstring Bag
Drawstring bags are more versatile than you think. They can be used for anything from a small change purse to a knapsack! If made elegantly, they can also be used as evening bags or as beautiful gift-wraps. Here we present a basic drawstring bag that's an ideal project to do together with your child, or as an independent project for a teen who's just learning to sew. Save it for a rainy day!
Basic Drawstring BagThis is an ideal project for a child or even a teen. It's easy to cut and sew, and doesn't require any fancy stitches. The first thing to do is decide how big you want the bag to be. Ask your child what they want to use the bag for - as a toy, as a wallet, for field trips, for carrying books on the days when the load is light - and buy material accordingly. Medium-weight cotton or cotton-polyester blend are easy to work with and won't stretch out of shape as you sew. Don't choose anything with a complicated pattern like stripes, plaids, or repeating floral patterns because they need to be matched while you cut and sew. You want to keep this as simple as possible. If the intended bag is small enough, you might want to check out the remnant bin, where you can find great quality fabrics for pennies.
Measure how the size you want your bag to be, and add about an inch to all sides (for the seams). Place your fabric on a flat surface, and fold it so that the right sides are together and its folded perfectly in half. Pin so that the two sides don't move. Carefully cut the fabric into two equal pieces.
Using a tape measure, draw your measurement lines with a fabric pencil, using a wide ruler to make sure that the corners form right angles. Cut the fabric.
Tip: You can make a pattern from newspaper or parchment paper, pin it to the fabric and cut around. Just don't forget to check that all the corners are straight and that the edges are aligned with the fabric.
Now you're going to sew the drawstring pockets. Before you start, you need to finish off the upper edge of each fabric piece by either making a narrow hem, sewing with a zigzag stitch or using a serger. Another option is to cut the fabric with a special zigzagged sewing shears, which eliminates the need to finish off the fabric edges.
Once you've finished the fabric, double-check to make sure that the pieces are pinned tightly together. Then, fold a wide margin of about two inches on the upper end of each fabric piece. Pin it down and iron the fold. This is the basis for the drawstring pocket.
Now you need to carefully measure, mark and pin the seams. Your first seam is going to be close to the hem. Your second seam will be about a half inch up from the first, and the third seam about a half inch up from the second. Before you start sewing, make sure that both pieces have identical seams. Sew each seam all the way around the bag, comparing as you go. Iron all the seams so that your bag will be well-finished.
Next on line are the bottom and side seams. Place the fabric pieces so that the right sides are together. Pin the side and bottom seams so that the tips of the pins point outwards. Sew a 5/8" seam across the bottom, making a bottom hem.
The side seams are a bit more complicated because of the drawstring pockets. Using the same 5/8" seam width, start at the bottom edge of the side seam and move upward until you reach the first seam of the drawstring pocket. End the seam by back-stitching a bit and cut the thread. Now move to the top edge of the fabric, and sew down until you hit the top seam of the drawstring pocket. Now the pockets are open for the cording, and you have a finished top edge to give the bag more of a design.
Iron all seams. Before you turn the bag to its right side, you need to clip the bottom corners so that they'll turn nicely. Do this by making small diagonal clips from the bottom corners of the seam allowance (make sure that you don't cut the seams!). End close to where the side and bottom seams meet. If you want, you can finish the side hems using any of the above methods - just don't forget to leave the drawstring pocket open.
Guess what? You're ready to turn your bag! Do so carefully, and iron your bag well.
Now it's time to thread the cording. First, cut the cording into two pieces. Depending on the type of cording you bought, you may or may not have to finish the cut edges. Cording that frays easily can be treated with a de-fraying product, or dipped in hot melted wax for an easy solution.
If you have a special threading needle, pull one end of the cording through it; if not, attach a large safety pin. Thread one piece through the upper pocket, and the other piece through the lower pocket. Knot the ends of each piece tightly and carefully. To close the bag, pull the upper drawstring to one side and the lower drawstring to the opposite side.
If you want, you can now decorate your bag. Use fabric paints, magic markers (for kids), or craft items like sequins, beads and tassles.
Most importantly, enjoy! There's nothing like making something useful with your own two hands - and pretty, to boot!