Drawstring Fabric Gift Bag Tutorial

Drawstring Fabric Gift Bag Tutorial.  5 Minute Gift Bag. Easy Sewing Tutorial.

Finished Size: Approx 19” wide x 26” long

Requirements:

50 x 5” squares of fabric.
6” x 19.5” x4 (we used 2 different fabrics, one for the inside of the sack, one for the outside).
22.5” x 19.5” wide internal fabric x2.
¾ yard of piping cord or ribbon for the ties.

Method:

Sew your 5” squares together, to make 2 pieces of patchwork, 5 squares long and 5 squares wide. Trim the panels down to 19.5” wide.

Sew a 6” strip along the top of each panel and then put the panels to one side.

Take your internal fabric and sew a 6” strip on to the top of each piece (place right sides together, taking care to make sure your pattern will end up the right way, and sew a seam along the top).

Place one external piece on top of one internal piece (top strips lined up), right sides facing, and sew along the top.  Iron the seam flat.  Repeat with the remaining internal and external pieces.

Sew the two pieces together (right sides facing) along one of the long sides (internal pieces lined up and external pieces lined up). Open up.

You will do the next step on both sides of the sack.  Mark 1/4” in from the outside edge, on the seam between the patchwork fabric and adjoining 6” strip, then mark 1” up from this mark (or up ¼” higher than the width of your chosen ribbon or cord).  You will now have two marks, ¼” in from the outside edge.  Cut up to these marks, fold the fabric back ¼” inch and sew into position. Repeat on the other side. 

Fold the sack in back in half, so that the internal pieces are on top of each other and external pieces are on top of each other.  Sew around the outside (you have already sewn one side, you don’t need to re sew it), leaving a gap of 2-3 inches in the middle of the seam at the bottom of the internal pieces, take care not to sew over the notches in the middle of the long side. Turn the sack out through the hole at the bottom.

Fold in the raw edges at the bottom. Sew a top seam along the bottom of the sack. Put the internal fabric sack inside the external sack, and iron flat.

Mark the channel for the ribbon/tape on both sides of the sack.  The bottom line of the channel will be the seam between the patchwork fabric and the 6” strip, the top line, the one to mark, will be level with the top of the notch you made for the tape/cord.  Sew along the marked line on each side (so you are sewing one layer of external fabric and one layer of internal fabric together at any one time) and then sew along the seam with the patchwork section on each side.

Put a long pin or safety pin in the end of your tape/cord, and feed through the channel you just made.

If you are using piping cord, tie knots in each of the ends and you are done.  If you are using ribbon or tape you could just fold the ends over and sew a seam to stop the tape unravelling, but we would recommend making tabs for each of the ends, as these protect the ends and stop the cord pulling through the channel.

Take a piece of fabric, 2.5” x 2.5” and iron ¼” seams on all sides.  Fold in half and sew seams down the two sides that adjoin the folded edge.  Insert the tape end into the tab and sew a seam to close the tab, for extra strength then sew a cross, inside the rectangle.  Repeat on the either end of the tape.

Variations:

Make mini versions to give gifts to friends and family, children can use the bags to store toys and treasure, teenagers could keep their diary, jewellery or make up in them!