The (unlined) puppy drawstring bag
A few weeks ago, I came across some fabulous vintage wood blocks at the Burlington Antique Show. I knew they’d be perfect for my Max, who is in a major block-stacking phase, so I bought a dozen and stashed them away for his birthday. As his 2-year birthday (which was yesterday!) drew closer and I started wrapping presents, I realized that what I really needed was a little drawstring bag to put them in, so they didn’t wind up scattered everywhere. Finding the fabric was easy (puppies!). But it took me a while to remember how to make a drawstring bag, where the drawstring cinches up from each side. I knew I had made one in home ec many years ago. But to actually figure out where to put the buttonholes and how to thread the cording, I had to scrutinize a little drawstring jewelry pouch of mine. I discovered that it’s actually super easy to make a basic drawstring bag!
The puppy one I made isn’t lined (it is just for blocks, after all), so I had to fold the top down to create a casing. No problem.
But as I’ve been prepping for the big CHA Craft Supershow this week, I realized that having another drawstring bag—one to store some of my make-and-take supplies in—would be great. But this one needed to be lined (and not have puppies on it). I discovered that the cool thing about lining it is that you don’t even have to fold the fabric down to create a casing—the layers of fabric automatically create a space for your drawstring. I also decided to add a little tab for hanging the bag up (so that I don’t have to hang by the cording). I love my drawstring bags so much, I might just switch to all-drawstring, all-the-time! I’d really like to incorporate some vintage elements, like handkerchiefs (like I’m thinking of using a handkerchief to make a mini drawstring bag to hold my iPod when it’s not on my armband).
I’m working on writing the directions to make this a bonus project on the site. That’s coming soon!
Update: pattern is now on the site here!
Bonus update: Here is a lovely rainbow patchworked example of the drawstring bag from Christina at the Mama's Crafts blog.
The puppy one I made isn’t lined (it is just for blocks, after all), so I had to fold the top down to create a casing. No problem.
But as I’ve been prepping for the big CHA Craft Supershow this week, I realized that having another drawstring bag—one to store some of my make-and-take supplies in—would be great. But this one needed to be lined (and not have puppies on it). I discovered that the cool thing about lining it is that you don’t even have to fold the fabric down to create a casing—the layers of fabric automatically create a space for your drawstring. I also decided to add a little tab for hanging the bag up (so that I don’t have to hang by the cording). I love my drawstring bags so much, I might just switch to all-drawstring, all-the-time! I’d really like to incorporate some vintage elements, like handkerchiefs (like I’m thinking of using a handkerchief to make a mini drawstring bag to hold my iPod when it’s not on my armband).
I’m working on writing the directions to make this a bonus project on the site. That’s coming soon!
Update: pattern is now on the site here!
Bonus update: Here is a lovely rainbow patchworked example of the drawstring bag from Christina at the Mama's Crafts blog.
Lined drawstring bag, made with some Michael Miller prints
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