Easy Drawstring Bag

Hello! I'm going to show you how to make an Easy Drawstring Bag. These bags are really easy to make and are perfect for a beginner's project. They are really sturdy and last a long time. They also can be used for just about anything. I use mine for carrying my dance stuff. They are completely customizable too!

You only need a few things for this project.

• a large piece of material
• pins
• sewing scissors
• something to measure with
• button (optional)
• ribbon (optional)

You will also need a sewing machine, an iron, and an ironing board.

First you need to iron your fabric. After its smooth you can start cutting. Your can make your bag any size by just remembering this: The length of your fabric is twice the width of your bag, and the width of your fabric is the height of your bag. The dimensions of my fabric are 19 in by 30 in.

Fold the short ends together lengthwise and pin. The bag will look inside out. Make sure you leave a 7 and 1/2 in space without pins from the top of your bag to about the middle. This is for the opening in the bag.

Sew from the bottom to where the pins stop. I have the needle about a 1/4 inch away from the fabric's edge. Definitely don't do it any closer than that.

Take the raw edge of the gap, (from the top to where you stopped sewing), and fold it. Iron it down and fold it again. Iron that down then pin it. Repeat these steps on the opposite edge. Sew in a curved line. Now you're done with the opening!

Now fold over and iron the top edge of your bag. You don't have to hem your's. The hem was already there on mine. Next fold the top edge down about 2 in. (It can be less or more than this depending on the width of your strap. You just need to leave a little room on each side.) Pin and sew it down. I used the 1/4 inch mark on my sewing machine again.

Now its time to make the strap. You can use ribbon for your strap but I made one. If you are going to use ribbon, choose one that is of sturdy material. Making a strap is very quick and easy and I think it looks better. If you're going to make a strap choose a very long piece of fabric. Mine was 60 in long and about 2 in wide. You can chose the same fabric as your bag or you can use something different. Iron your strip flat. Now fold it together and iron it again. Pin, then sew the strip. To turn it right-side-out, I like to fasten a safety pin to one end and pull it through the tube using the safety pin to guide the strap through. Now iron it flat again. Thread it through the casing at the top of the bag. If you pull on both straps it cinches up.

You're almost done! Let's sew up the bottom. Tuck the straps inside of the bag. Make sure there is a little bit sticking out the bottom. Pin and then sew over the bottom many times because this is where all the weight will be.

Turn the bag right-side-out. You can stop here or go put a pocket on. They look awesome and are very useful!

For the pocket I used the same fabric as my straps. My dimensions are 8x8" but you can make it bigger or smaller. Cut your piece of fabric and iron down a small edge all around the pocket. Fold and iron again. This way the raw edge will be tucked inside. Pin only the top of the pocket then sew across. Now pin the other edges onto the front of the bag. Try to make sure it's centered. Sew the two sides and bottom down. If you want you can even sew a button on. This will help keep your things in the pocket.

You're done! This bag is great for all sorts of things and you can never have too many (I have made three now.) To change the way you wear the bag just pull one strap longer. I would love to see the bags you make with this idea. If you like this project, vote for me in the Bag Contest! Have fun making!