Drawstring Bags -- TUTORIAL

I've been organizing things little by little lately, and these guys were next on the list:

My vintage Fisher Price Little People collection has been taking over! Today I'll show you how I made this little bag to keep the people in. The applique is optional -- and without, this project will take literally minutes!

SUPPLIES:
~ Fabric -- size is your choice!
~ Ribbon
~ Safety pin (for threading your ribbon through)
~ Fusible webbing -- optional
~ Fabric scraps -- optional

STEP ONE: Fold your fabric in half to the approximate size you want your bag to be. I am using the selvedge at the top edge as a shortcut for later! Press your fabric on your fold line.


STEP TWO: Fold your folded side over to the raw edge, lining up your selvedge edge (at right). This will give you a straight line to guide your cutting. Cut down as deep as you'd like your bag to be.

STEP THREE: Fold again, this time top-to-bottom, using the selvedge edge as your cutting guideline. Ta-Da! Very straight lines and right angles!

STEP FOUR: Draw your applique motif. If you are doing a bag with no applique, skip to Step Nine.)

STEP FIVE: Trace each piece of your motif onto the paper side of your fusible webbing. (Remember that if your motif will be mirror image unless you flip it before tracing! For my people it didn't matter if they were flipped.)

STEP SIX: Roughly cut around each traced fusible webbing piece, and press onto the wrong side of your fabric scraps.

Here they are, all cut out.

STEP SEVEN: Peel the paper backing from each of your pieces and arrange them how you like. Press carefully -- do not glide your iron back and forth! -- lift and press, lift and press.

STEP EIGHT: Stitch around your appliques. This will keep them securely on your bag. I used clear monofilament thread so I wouldn't have to change thread colors for each different fabric.

STEP NINE: Open your bag piece and press the edge down approximately 1/2" (or whatever measurement you need to ensure your ribbon will fit through your casing).

STEP TEN: Sew the casing! This is where that selvedge edge comes in handy -- No need to turn your casing twice to avoid fraying!! I laid my ribbon on top to make sure there was plenty of room (with a little give) for it to fit through the casing, then sewed a straight line all the way down. Don't forget to backstitch at the beginning and end of your line!

STEP ELEVEN: Fold your bag in half, right sides together, and sew down the side and across the bottom. I also zigzagged the edge to avoid fraying.

STEP TWELVE: Snip a small slit in the casing on either side of your seam to thread your ribbon through. It is probably a good idea to use a little fray check on the holes so they won't shred over time.

STEP THIRTEEN: Pin your safety pin on one end of the ribbon and thread it through the casing.

STEP FOURTEEN: Pull the casing so it is completely flat (no gathering or it won't open all the way!), and tie a knot at the ends of your ribbon.

DONE! Fill it up and hang it on a hook!

Here's a larger bag I made for my ridiculous Mr. Potato Head collection. I made this one from two fat quarters, using the selvedges at the top for the casing once again!