Sewing machine sales and repairs may not take the biggest share of our business, but it's notable nonetheless. I often feel badly because I'm the one who knows the least about sewing around here, and I don't like being out of the loop!!
On top of that, my passion for clog-dancing has led me to coordinating a reunion show for my old group. With a performance fast approaching, I desperately needed to pull together our costumes! Using myself as the guinea pig, I decided to try making our skirt....to figure the desired length so as to order the right length petticoats, see how much fabric to buy, etc. It's just a knee-length circle skirt...how hard could that be? Well, surprisingly - for someone who does NOT know how to sew, nor had an actual pattern to follow - it wasn't so bad!! Aside from being a little shorter than I planned, it came out great! Sewing IS cool! What a great sense of accomplishment I was left with. Sewing is coming back in style, baby!
What I wanted to share with you was a little something I made after finishing the skirt. I was so psyched, on quite a creative roll, and I had about a half a yard or so of leftover skirt fabric. Again, not having any particular skill nor a pattern, I wondered what I could do with my leftovers? I thought back to 7th grade Home-Ec class...Eh -I didn't really need any pillow covers (certainly not in black & white polka dot.) But - I though it would be super cute to have a bag to put my clogging s
hoes in - that matched my costume!! Brilliant!!So here's a dummy's lesson for how to make a simple drawstring bag with leftover fabric (of almost any size!) A bag like this is an extremely functional way to corral all sorts of stuff.
*A big bag could be used to protect or organize linens or perhaps sports gear.
*Medium-sized bags can keep your vacuum cleaner tools together; make a non-fussy purse or bridal card keeper; separate your dirty shoes or laundry from the rest of your luggage; serve as a reusable gift bag.
* A small bag can protect your camera or sunglasses in your purse; corral a few coughdrops or mints in your purse.
Oh, the possibilities are endless!
SIMPLE DRAWSTRING BAG
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
* Leftover fabric (find a scrap long/deep enough to hold your desired item, and just over twice the desired width.)
* Coordinating ribbon or thick string. (just over twice the width of the top of your bag)
* Coordinating thread
* Fabric glue (optional - just a dab to prevent the edge of your ribbon from fraying)
* Embellishments optional (appliques for the bag, fringe, baubles for the string ties, etc.)
1. Cut out the desired size of fabric.
2. Along what will be the top/opening of the bag, lay across the desired ribbon/string and cut ribbon to a length that leaves enough on both sides with which to tie.
3. I hate trying to fish ribbons through the channel at the top - so I addressed the ribbon issue in a different way: Fold down the top of the bag fabric over the ribbon, allowing enough overlap to sew it down (without catching the ribbon!)
4. I chose to iron this fold down. Pinning the ribbon in place afterward (snugly at the top of your fold) makes it easier to sew, as the ribbon won't fall down into your sewing path.
5. Next, make a tiny fold (just over twice the width of the ribbon) at the top edge of the bag, where the ribbon comes out on each side. Sew down this tiny fold to avoid frayed edges later.
6. Now sew down the entire length of the top of the bag, below the ribbon, to encase it.
7. Now we're movin.... Keeping the fabric's inside facing out, fold the bag in half into its final shape. Just below the ribbon/drawstring seam, sew along the outer seam, side and bottom, to close up the rest of the bag.
8. That's it!! Reach inside your bag to pull it right side out.
9. If you're feeling crafty, now's the time to embellish with appliques, puffy paint or stones (remember to slip some wax paper inside the bag to keep any glues from seeping through and sticking your bag closed!)
I kept mine simple...But I did use the tiniest dab of fabric glue at the edge of my ribbon to keep the edge from fraying.
Enjoy!!
