This quick and easy drawstring bag is the perfect way to use our embellished fabrics, but not only. All your embroidery creations, patchwork and appliqué, or even just your gorgeous fabrics, will be enhanced by this simple mounting method. Adaptable to all types of fabrics, great for recycling, we show you the basic method which can be modified for all sizes.
What you will need:
- fabric,
- ribbon or cord, here we have used our twill ribbon,
- pins, preferably glass-tipped,
- a safety pin - Sewing thread,
- a pair of scissors.
To calculate the length of ribbon:
You will need four times the width of the bag plus four times 15 centimetres for the exterior ribbons.
If your bag is quite large, this can be longer.
Our bag is 15cm wide, so we used a total of 1.20 metres.
We have used a bright sewing thread on the video to make the explanations easier. You should, of course, use a matching thread with your fabric.
The video clearly shows the method, however, the explanations and recommendations are in French. Here is the translation:
Sewing the bag:
Cut two identical pieces of fabric and place right sides together. Make a pencil mark at 5.5cm from the top and a second at 6.5cm on each side.
Pin the fabrics together with a horizontal pin on each of the pencil marks.
Machine stitch, going back and forth with the first few stitches to secure them. Remove the pins as you advance, and cut off excess thread.
Stitch up to the first pencil mark and make a few back stitches. Pick up sewing from the second pencil mark and continue in a straight line to 1cm from the bottom. Make sure the needle is down, turn the fabric and continue sewing the base of the bag. Turn your fabric again and sew up to the horizontal pin. Again a few back stitches to secure the small opening, continue from the second horizontal pin up to the top.
Clip the two corners at the bottom of the bag, this will give you a better finish when the bag is finished.
Turn your machine to the zigzag position to overcast all around the edges. This will prevent fraying. Flatten the seam. You will be doing one side and then the other as shown on the video.
Once you have finished overcasting, flatten the seam open with your finger or an iron.
On the top of the bag, turn over 1cm of fabric and run your thumbnail over it to mark the fold. Fold over again at 3cm, mark the fold with your nail or an iron.
Pin all around, making sure the seams are splayed.
To simplify the stitching, turn the bag right side out and stitch as close to the fold as possible. To form the drawstring runner, stitch at 1cm from the top of the bag, using the pressure foot gauge as a guide.
Making and threading the drawstring:
Cut the ribbon in two. Fold one end over 1cm and fold the ribbon in 2, fixing the debut with a pin. Stitch all along the edge of the ribbon. When you are near the end, fold over the end 1cm and finish stitching. Repeat for the second ribbon.
Fix the safety pin at the end of one of the ribbons and pass through one opening of the runner going all the way round and bringing out at the same side.
The second ribbon goes through the other opening, again going all around and bringing it out through the same hole. Remove the safety pin and flatten out the ribbons making sure they are at equal lengths.
To finish, tie a simple knot at the end of each pair of ribbons.
Cest fini!
Marking folds on a project:
Many tutorials explain that an iron should be used to mark folds or splay seams. Of course this is possible, but it is also as easy to just use your nails, as shown on the video.
This is just as efficient and avoids having to get out the ironing table. Time saving and, very topical nowadays, energy saving.
The advantages of glass-tipped pins:
For small projects with simple shapes, it is not necessary to tack. After marking the folds, a few pins suffice. You will notice that our seamstress places her pins at an angle. The pins are removed as you sew.
Glass-tipped pins are easy to see on the fabric and, more importantly, if they fall on the floor. They are also easier to grab hold of. However, don’t even think about using plastic-tipped pins, the melt under the heat of an iron which can be a catastrophe.
