Have you ever needed a small bag to put in a small candy stash, a few tubes of lipstick, little trinkets or knick-knacks, coins, or even a gift, and you hate the idea of using cheap bland paper bags that do not last long? Why not make a bag instead? A drawstring bag is one of the most useful bags a beginning sewist can make, and also one of the easiest! Despite the punch holes, strings and knots you see on many drawstring bags, they come in various designs and the basic ones are very doable. Imagine having a stash of drawstring bags in various sizes and prints, ready to be used at any time!
So how can you sew a drawstring bag in just minutes? Let’s make one of the most basic versions of this, the drawstring pouch. You will need the following items:
- Iron
- Fabric (choose duck/canvas/cotton or linen)
- Matching thread
- Ruler
- Tailor’s chalk, washable fabric pen or pencil
- Cutting mat
- Rotary cutter or tailoring shears
- Tailor’s pins
- Ribbon or thick string as the drawstring
- Small safety pin
- Sewing machine (or a suitable needle if you plan on hand-sewing)
- Pinking/zigzag shears (optional – if you want to trim the seams later)
Step 1
Choose the fabric you want to work with. Remember, the fabric chosen for the drawstring bag should match its purpose (duck/canvas would work well for books/heavier items, while regular cotton or voile are great for tiny trinkets/candy/etc).
Step 2
Press the fabric to smoothen it out and make it easier for you to draft out the pattern piece. You can find out how to press fabric in this simple tutorial.
Step 3
Draft out the rectangular pattern before you cut – how big to cut depends on how big you want the bag to be. For this sample, let’s try something mid-sized first, so measure 10” x 14” and cut. A cutting tip: always measure twice before cutting.
Step 4
Fold the cut fabric in half, right sides (patterned side) together, with the fold at the bottom. Make a mark 1 inch from the top of the fabric (this is where the drawstring casing will be). Start pinning the sides at 1-inch intervals below the 1-inch mark and mark a seam allowance of ¼ inch from the edge of the fabric.
Step 5
Start sewing from one bottom corner of the folded fabric with the ¼ inch seam allowance, stopping 1 inch before the edge (which you had marked in Step 4). Secure your seams at the start and end with backstitches.
Step 6
Fold one top edge down, wrong sides together by ¼ inch. Press (don’t iron!) with an iron, fold it down again by ¾ in and press again. Repeat with the other top edge. Sew along the folded-down edge all around the bag to create a tube for the drawstring. Be careful not to sew both sides of the bags together!
Step 7
Flip the bag right-side out. You can use a blunt pencil, chopsticks or any pointy tool (nothing sharp though!) to push out the corners of the bag. Cut out the piece of ribbon or string you plan to use for the drawstring – it should be long enough to go through the casing with a few inches extra to tie off.
Use a small safety pin to pierce through one end of the ribbon or string you plan to use for the drawstring, and slowly ease it through the tube casing until it comes out to the other side. Knot the ends separately to avoid the string disappearing inside the casing when used (you can also know the ends together if you prefer it that way).
That’s it!
You can trim the seams with pinking shears before flipping the bag right-side out to minimize fraying, since the edges were not hemmed in any way in this version.
Drawstring bags are fantastic for multiple purposes. You can use them as party goodie bags, to carry books, spare clothes for gym, dirty laundry, toiletries, sewing supplies – you name it, you can make one for it!
Once you have mastered this pouch version of the drawstring bag, you can adjust the pattern in various ways:
- make it in different sizes and versions
- personalize the bag with patchwork, sew-on fabric stickers, paint or even embroidery
- add a lining and pockets
- use a sturdier fabric and stiff interfacing to make a simple container for your sewing corner
Go ahead, give it a shot! Have fun making your drawstring bags!