How To Make A Useful Linen Drawstring Bag

There are dozens of uses for drawstring bags.  It would be difficult to have too many of them. Drawstring bags are useful wherever you need to organize. Learn to make a drawstring bag in this post, out of linen-my favorite fabric!

How Can A Drawstring Bag Be So Useful?

If you are a visual person, then it’s likely that your environment affects you.  Tables and surfaces covered in things can make me feel like I can’t focus.  I’m sure I’m not alone in this!

Even so, there are things that we need to have on hand for our life that are not considered clutter.  They need to stay organized, though.  For my children these things are supplies needed for sewing, woodcarving, knitting, or items needed for homeschool lessons.

Even so, all of those necessary belongings can make me feel chaotic and distracted.  But drawstring bags are my solution!

Fabric Choices

As a homemaker, when I sew drawstring bags, I use fabric that pleases my eyes. That way, no matter what belongings my children or I have inside, it contributes to making the room look pretty.

Everything is organized and hidden inside a beautiful bag, until needed again.  Moreover, my eyes can glance around a room and be at rest.  Instead of seeing cluttered surfaces, I see lovely little bags sewn from my favorite fabrics!

I prefer to use complimentary colors that look like they belong in the room together.

A great idea would be to use favorite fabric left over from making pillows or curtains, they would look like they belong together.

For this drawstring bag, I am using a creamy, light yellow linen fabric.

The embellishment square is made from a dress my daughters used to wear.  I loved the fabric so much, I couldn’t part with it, so it’s being repurposed here!

Some Things To Gather:

Fabric-  ⅓-¼ of a yard will be enough

Fabric- scrap piece for embellishment

Thread in a matching color

1/4-1/2 inch wide ribbon for the drawstrings- 2 yards

Scissors

Safety pin or bodkin

Sewing machine

Iron

Instructions For Making Your Drawstring Bag- First Half:

1. Iron your fabric and fold it right sides together so that it is a double layer of fabric.  Measure and mark a 12-inch wide and 14-inch long “square” onto the fabric, then cut it out and set aside. These will be the front and back pieces.
2. Iron your embellishment fabric, then measure then cut out a 6-inch square.
3. On the 6-inch square- fold the raw edge under ¼-inch on each side and press flat with your iron.

4. Center your square 5 inches from the right side, top edge of one of your larger squares of fabric.  Pin it on, keeping the raw edges folded under to enclose them.

5. Topstitch the square around all the sides with a narrow hem, close to the edge.

6. Zig-zag stitch along the sides and bottom edges of each 12” by 14” square of fabric, starting at one top, continuing across the bottom, and then up the other side. So there will be three sides on each of the front and back pieces with zig-zag stitching. This encloses the raw edges.

7. Line up front and back, right sides together and pin together beginning 2 inches from the top along the sides and bottom.  The top 2 inches are not pinned together.

8. Sew sides and bottom with a ½-inch seam allowance, making sure to not sew the top 2 inches of both sides.

Making Your Drawstring Bag-Second Half

1. For the 2-inch unsewn edge at the top of each side:  Fold back ½-inch, press flat with your iron, and pin in place.

2. Sew along each of these hems: with a scant ⅜-inch seam, starting with a backstitch, sew down one side, stop with your needle still in the fabric.  Lift your presser foot, and turn your fabric, lower your presser foot, and then stitch across the side seam of the bag.  Again, with your needle in the fabric, lift the presser foot and turn your fabric again.  Lower presser foot again, then stitch up the other side in a scant ⅜-inch seam to the top of the drawstring bag, and backstitch.

3. Next, at each of the top edges of the bag:  Fold under ¼-inch of the raw edge to the wrong side and press flat.  Again, fold under about ¾-inch, press flat, and pin in place.  The top raw edges should be neatly enclosed in this hem. Sew across this hem on the front and back sides of your drawstring bag, keeping the ends open and backstitching at both ends. Sew close to the pinned edge, as in my photo below.

This step forms the casings for the drawstrings.

4. Your drawstring bag is almost finished!  Take your ribbon and measure and cut two pieces, each 36 inches long.

Putting In The Drawstring

1. Attach a bodkin or safety pin to one end of one of your ribbons.  Begin threading the bodkin or safety pin through one of the casings and out the other side.  Then, thread it through the other casing as well. Don’t pull the ribbon all the way through the first half of the casing- you want the same amount of ribbon sticking out of both casings on the same side of the bag.

2. Attach your bodkin or safety pin to one end of the second ribbon and thread it through the casings in the opposite direction from the first ribbon.  Enter through one of the casing ends where there is no ribbon end sticking out. You will be passing by the first ribbon and out through the other casing.  

3. The final step is to remove the bodkin or safety pin and tie a knot 2 inches from the end of each ribbon. You can trim each end if you want to neaten the ribbons or keep them as they are.

Of Note:

The ribbon I have used here is actually seam binding.  I look for vintage spools of it in pretty colors at yard sales and thrift shops.  It is very versatile and can be found in a variety of colors!

To go a step further toward organizing your home with drawstring bags, store your filled bags in a pretty basket. I have a great post here that will teach you how to paint baskets that are inexpensive at thrift shops and yard sales.

This project can be made in any size that you require. All the directions stay the same, but increase the length of ribbons if you make it in a larger size.

This drawstring bag project has been so helpful in my life, I hope you try it and get the same results! Do you have rooms in your home that could benefit from this type of organization? Please tell me in the comments below.

Courtney