Sewing Your Own Drawstring Bag

You have probably seen those little fabric bags that have a piece of yarn or string going through the top, so that you can pull the string and the opening gets all bunched up and closed. These are called drawstring bags. If you have seen them for sale, chances are, they were pretty expensive, or they were holding something expensive. Well, now, you can make your own in 8 easy steps!

These are the 4 bags I have made using this technique. The green floral one was made differently, but similar to the ones you will be making. It is different in that the drawstrings come through a different way. They come through the sides and not the middle, but it works the same and is as easy to make as the others.

Materials:

• Two fabric squares of any size
• Thread
• Sewing needle
• String or yarn (enough to go all the way around the top of your squares twice)

Time Duration: About one (1) hour

No. of Steps: 8

How To Make It:

1. Make sure that your two fabric squares are about the same size. Don't worry about small differences, because none of the edges will show.
2. Turn the squares inside out (so the front of each square are facing each other). Thread your needle with enough but not too much thread. Decide which end of the squares you want to be the top (left open) and put the first knot on the corner of that end.
3. Sew away from the top (in the direction that leaves the top open) and go as far as you can with that thread. If you need to thread the needle again, that is okay and to be expected. Make sure you finish sewing in the very top corner opposite your first knot. Tie it off.
4. Cut a length of yarn or string that s long enough to go around the top of your fabric square twice with some left over. Flip down the rim of the bag so that the front of the fabric shows (a little less than an inch). Slip the yarn into the crevice that appears. If you don't have enough thread to go all the way around the bag with a bit left over, tie it off and rethread. Begin at the side you finished at, and sew through only one square at a time. Use the over-under stitch and go to about the middle of the next square. 
5. When you get there, cut a very small hole (for the yarn/string to go through) in the layer that is NOT flipped down (this hole goes to the side that is facing the front of the fabric). 
6. Put one OR both ends of string through the hole. If you only put one, cut another hole near the first (but not touching) and string the yarn/string through. 
7. Now, turn your bag inside out. Pull on the strings and close and open the bag until they are about the same length. Cut the strings to about 1 inch more than your desired length. Tie a triple/double-knot near the end of each string. If you have enough string, you can tie a knot through both strings at the hole/s (MAKE SURE THE BAG IS FULLY OPEN).
8. Make any other minor adjustments to your bag until it is exactly how you want it.

Now you have your own drawstring bag!!