Drawstring Bag

Drawstring Bag Tutorial

This tutorial is to teach my daughter's Girl Scouts an easy first-time sewing project, but feel free to use and share!

Materials

For this project, you will need:

two pieces of fabric measuring 9"x12". (I used a fat quarter and had scraps leftover for one bag!)
2 22" pieces of coordinating ribbon
string
measuring mat and rotary cutter (or scissors and measuring ruler/tool)
safety pin
sewing machine
scissors

Iron your fabric

It's easier to measure when it's relatively flat.

Measure and cut your pieces.

For this project, I used two pieces measuring 9"x12".

Ready to go!

(I think I need a new iron.)

Place pieces right sides together.

Make sure you've ined up the print so nothing is upside-down. :)

Pin around sides

Leave two inches open at the top and pin around the sides and bottom of bag.

(You can also use clips, if you prefer.)

Mark 2" from top sides

Using a dressmaker's pencil (or colored pencil), mark 2 inches from the top corner of each side.

Sew around edges with 3/8" seam

Starting at the 2 inch mark you made, sew around edges, ending at the mark on the other side. Keep a 3/8 inch margin as you go.

Clip at your 2 inch mark

Clip on other side, too.

Both marks should have a snip on both sides.

Press sides of casing down on all sides.

This part is going to be the casing for your drawstring. Press sides of clipped edges flat.

Your bag should look like this.

Sew down edges

Sew down center of fold. Repeat on all four sides.

Your bag will look like this.

Fold and press 1/4 inch from top

Fold again to 2 inch line and press

Sew across top to close casing

Now your casing is complete!

Pull sides of bottom and create corner

Line up the seams and create a corner of the bottom of your bag.

Mark 2 inches from tip using pencil

Use a ruler to mark a line 2 inches from the tip of the corner of your bag.

Sew along line.

Your bag will look like this on the bottom. :)

Or like this. ;)

Trim 1/4 inch from your stitches.

Clip both sides. Your bag should look like this.

Cut two pieces of ribbon

For this project, each piece should measure 22 inches. Ask for help from a parent to heat seal the ends. Run the ribbon by a lighter so the ends don't unravel.

Attach end of ribbon to safety pin.

This one has been around since the 1980's. It's seen a lot of action.

Pull ribbon through both sides.

Flip bag right side out.
You will repeat this process, so the ribbons have two pulls. Start one ribbon from the left, moving around...then the second from the right, moving around.

Tie ends of ribbon

Now you have two pulls!

Gather and enjoy!

You've completed your drawstring bag!

Now...make some bags!!

You can adjust the size of your bag if you have more or less fabric to use. Don't worry if your pieces aren't exactly 9"x12". Your bag could be wider or longer, as long as you leave yourself some room at the top for the drawstring casing. If your bag is MUCH larger, you may need to adjust the bottom corner seams, too.

This is a great project for creating gift bags, upcycling old dress shirts or dresses, or creating reuseable Christmas bags! Our family got rid of wrapping paper by sewing a bunch of random sized bags that we use year after year.

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