drawstring bags

8 replies

hatter · 27/09/2004 09:57

dd started school this morning...harping back to my own school days when everyone had different brightly coloured drawstring bags for their PE kits (shoe bags, we used to call them)I resisted the temptation to buy the plasticy school one and sat up last night with some pretty gingham (chosen by dd)and my sewing machine and, ahem, made a shoe bag. It was pretty disastrous. I tried to be clever and put straps on it but it just all got in a pickle with the drawstring and everything was either too long or too short. And everything's fraying already. So my question is: does anyone know a really good pattern for drawstring bags. Or does anyone have any tips?

OP posts:

carla · 27/09/2004 10:21

Buy one hatter . And take up knitting

Twinkie · 27/09/2004 10:21

Buy One!! - You can get nice ones with their names embroidered on them from Letterbox I think.

agy · 27/09/2004 10:26

She'll probably want the plasticy school one that everyone else has got!

alibubbles · 27/09/2004 10:28

I sewed a few for people on here last year, because they couldn't find pretty ready made ones and ended up making them for my minded children's sisters in Angelina Ballerina and flower fairy material.

I basically sew the whole thing on the wrong side,- right side of fabric facing you, then turn it inside out and machine all round the hems so they are enclosed, my version of french seams!! This way there are no raw edges to fray. I turn over the top and sew down, leaving a gap at each end for the cord. I haven't mastered the fancy way of doing the cord so you pull it both ends, but I think children cope better with just one cord to pull!

carla · 27/09/2004 10:28

DD1 has a Flower Fairies one that she's very fond of. You could probably order it from their website.

littlemissbossy · 27/09/2004 10:32

Hatter, how about this one (sorry can't do links) so you'll have to copy and paste)www.sewing.org/enthusiast/html/ek_drawstringbag.html
good luck

Original poster

hatter · 27/09/2004 11:05

alibubbles - I think I follow you. The main bit that's fraying is the bit where the cords come out, coz taht's the one bit that isn't finished. And I guess that's because I turned over the top first - before sewing it all together, iyswim. I think that was my basic mistake. My other mistake was making it too big. Am tempted to have another go though dh will take the piss out of me hugely

OP posts:

alibubbles · 27/09/2004 11:19

Hatter, just cut off the top. turn in a hem of 1/2 inch, machine and then do the same again, but leave a gap for the cord to come out, not perfect but no frayed edges!

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