I remember a few years back, when I got my first sewing machine. I eagerly threaded the machine, filled some bobbins, ran a few practise stitches on scrap fabric… it felt weirdly powerful. I had at my fingertips the equipment to create more than I’d ever been able to before. I was hooked.
Only problem was – I didn’t really know what to make, nor how to make it. Not ideal. So I started small; slight adjustments to clothes, little projects with straightforward sewing and followed basic step by step tutorials.
The other day, I made a simple drawstring bag to tidy up a few bits and bobs. When I was planning how to make it, it struck me that the simplicity of this project would make a great “beginner’s sewing” blog post. It’s just the kind of project I’d have loved to try out when I was a newbie sewer!
So if you’re new to the world of sewing or crafting, give this project a go. It’s not too difficult (plus it’s pretty forgiving if you aren’t very neat!).
What you’ll need
- 80cm x 30cm fabric (I used a lightweight denim)
- 80cm rope
Note: all sewing in this DIY project was done with a zig-zag stitch
What to do
1. Hem the long, top edge of the fabric by folding over 1cm, pinning it in place and stitching it. Make sure to fold the hem over onto the reverse of the fabric.
2. In the same way, hem both of the two side edges. You can leave the bottom edge un-hemmed.
3. Next, fold the hemmed long top edge over again, this time by approx 4cm. Pin and sew this fold in place along the previously hemmed edge – this will leave a gap between the two layers of fabric that you will later thread the rope through, forming the top of the drawstring bag.
4. Fold the entire rectangle of fabric in half lengthwise, with the outside facing in (so the bag is effectively inside out). Pin in place.
5. Now, sew along the bottom edge and the side of the bag, keeping quite close to the edges. However, when you get to the folded over section for the drawstring (that you made in step 3), do not sew all the way to the top. You need to leave the two drawstring holes open.
6. The bag is now pretty much completed! After the previous step, the bag will be inside out, so turn the whole thing the right way. The last step is to thread a drawstring through the loop at the top of the bag (tip: tape it to a pencil and push this through), and carefully melt the ends to stop it from fraying.
And that’s it! A simple drawstring bag perfect for any beginner sewers. Once you’ve mastered this, you can start being a bit more creative with it – add some pockets, embellishments or even experiment with different fastenings (buttons, zips etc). After all, it doesn’t require much fabric – and you can use all of your newly made drawstring bags to store your growing collection of sewing supplies!
The Crafty Gentleman 