Make your own drawstring bags to store items, and use them as wrapping for a special gift bag or as a reusable bag while shopping.

This unlined drawstring bag an easy project and doesn’t take long to make. You can make them from fat quarters and it is a great way to use fabric in your stash. It’s a perfect project for beginners. All of the sewing is straight seams.

This double-pull drawstring bag is a perfect project for beginner sewists and is super quick and easy! This free tutorial doesn’t include separate casing pieces, the casing is made with folded edges at the top of your fabric.

You can make simple drawstring bags in any size you’d like, from little bags to big bags! We’ll show you how in our step-by-step tutorial.

One (1) Simple Drawstring Bag, 12" x 12"

How to Make a Simple Drawstring Bag

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Beginner

This DIY drawstring bag is a quick and easy sewing project for beginners! You can learn how to make a simple drawstring bag with our step-by-step directions.

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For this pattern, there is no bottom seam and no casing pieces. We are using the fold as the bottom of the bag and folding down the top of the fabric to make the casing for the drawstrings.

Materials

Fat quarter of fabric for the bag
1/8 yard fabric to make flat cording OR 1 yard of 1/8-inch ribbon or cording for the ties
Thread

Tools

Sewing machine
Iron
Ironing board
Bodkin or safety pin to thread cording in casing
Rotary mat and cutter OR fabric scissors to cut fabric

Instructions

Start by cutting your fabric. From the main bag fabric, cut one (1) piece of fabric that is 13-inches wide by 26-inches tall. If you are making your own cording, cut two (2) pieces of fabric that are each 1-inch by 28-inches long.
Now it is time to begin sewing your side seams. Fold the main bag fabric in half lengthwise, right sides together, so that it is now 13-inches wide by 13-inches tall with a fold for the bottom. Mark 2-inches down from the top raw edges. I marked this with pins on the wrong side of the fabric..
Sew from the marked 2-inch mark down to the fold on both sides of the fabric with a 1/2-inch seam allowance.
Clip the seam allowance to the seam at the 2-inch mark so that we can make the casing for the drawstring.
Fold and press 1/4-inch from the top of the bag. Press the seam allowance on the side seams AND above the clipped edge.
Fold the top of the bag down to just below the clipped edge in the seam and press. Topstitch along the along the lower edge to make the casing. I used my topstitch foot which is the #10 foot for Bernina. I moved the needle two positions to the right for a nice straight stitched line.
Here is a close up of stitching around the bag. Stitch right over the side seams, leaving the casings open. Here is another close up of the stitching.
Your bag is done! Turn it right side out and press. Now you are ready to add your drawstrings. If you are making your own cording, check out our article on how to make flat cording. For this drawstring bag, I started with 1-inch wide fabric. I pressed both edges in 1/4-inch, then folded that in half forming 1/4" flat cording. I then topstitched it with my topstitch foot.

Lay your bag flat. If you want longer drawstrings, just cut your cording longer. You'll want your cording to be longer than your bag laying flat. I like to make mine about 4-inches longer than the flat bag. This gives you enough to knot the cording and have a little extra space. The cording needs to go all around the bag, so for the 12-inch finished bag, we'll cut the cording at 28-inches. (12" + 12" " + 4")
If you are using ready-made cording, all you need to do it is cut two pieces at 28-inch lengths. Now we are ready to thread the cording through the casings. Thread your cording into a bodkin or pin a safety pin at the end of your cording to make it easy to get through the casings. Here I'm starting to thread the cording through the first casing.
When you get to the other side, turn around and go through the casing on the other side of the bag, making a loop.
First tie is done. Now, start at the other side of the bag, where the loop is and thread the second tie through the casing.
Again, turn and thread back to the beginning.
Both ties are in the casing! Make sure you have a loop and loose ends on each side.
Tie the ends of the cording and your simple drawstring bag is complete!

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How do I make different sizes of drawstring bags?

You can make drawstring bags in different sizes by cutting your fabric in different dimensions. Start with one piece of fabric to fold in half like we did above, or cut two pieces of fabric the same size and sew a bottom seam.

To make your own drawstring bag pattern, start by planning how much fabric you’ll need for a bag, decide on the final dimensions. Then add 1-inch to the width for a 1/2 inch seam allowance. For a single piece of fabric with the bottom of the bag on the fold, add 4-inches to the fabric length for the top drawstring casing. If you are planning on a bottom seam, to the length of the fabric, add 2-inches for the casing and an additional 1/2-inch for seam allowance.

Example: For a small bag with a finished size of 6″ x 8″ made with two pieces of fabric with a seam on the bottom, you will cut two rectangles of fabric that are 7″ wide (6″ + 1″) x 10-1/2″ (8″ + 2″ + 1/2″). Also, you’ll cut the drawstring cord shorter. You’ll want a minimum of 2-1/2 times your finished width. For the 6″ wide bag, you’ll want at least 18-inches.

Follow the construction directions above.

How do you make a single pull drawstring bag?

Super easy and simple sewing project – just make one drawstring! Thread the drawstring through and around the casing and tie off the ends of the drawstring. Just don’t do the second drawstring! Some people call this style bag a pull-tie bag because that is what you do! Pull and tie the cording or ribbon!

What fabrics are good for making an easy drawstring bag?

Any fabric will work! You can use quilting cottons, upholstery fabrics, fat quarters or sew together some of your fabric scraps to make a patchwork drawstring bag!

What are some ideas for using a double-pull drawstring bag?

There are so many creative ideas – a fun project with so many different ways to make perfect homemade gift bags!

For holidays use festive red and green fabrics to make reusable gift bags. You can embellish the fabrics before making the bags with ribbons and trims! Use holiday ribbons for the ties and make a bow with the ends of the ribbon.

Make bags to store toys – perfect for legos or a collection of Matchbox cars or a collection of Barbie dolls and their clothes! Easy to pick up the bag and take the toys with you!

Use scrap fabric to make smaller drawstring bags to store small items such as jewelry or use as a travel jewelry bag. Perfect for carrying your knitting or crochet project with you, too.

Drawstring bags are so simple to make. Here are some finished pictures of a double drawstring bag.