Drawstring Bag Project Instructions

Drawstring bags can be any size and have multiple purposes. They can be filled with potpourri, used to hold keepsakes or hung on the wall as decorative artwork. They make beautiful gifts that come from the heart, but usually they are so nice you won’t want to give them away. They are made with either aida cloth or another type of even weave fabric. Drawstring bags are also a good way to use any leftover fabrics, especially if the fabric has an unusual size.

Here are some simple instructions on how to make your own drawstring bag.

First, determine the purpose of the drawstring bag. Next, select a pattern to cross stitch. This will usually be a small pattern or a sampler pattern. Take a look at our sampler patterns to see if there are any patterns there that you would like to cross stitch. The pattern selected and the purpose of the drawstring bag will determine what size the drawstring bag will be and what colour the fabric will be. The colour of the fabric should compliment or highlight the colours in the pattern selected. If you plan to use fabric leftover from previous projects, you need to ensure that the pattern selected will fit on the fabric.

Now that you have selected your pattern, you need to measure how much fabric will be needed. The fabric can be either two pieces of fabric to be sewn together (one piece for the front and one piece for the back of the bag) or one piece of fabric to be folded in half (one half for the front and one half for the back of the bag). To determine how much fabric will be needed for the front of the bag, add two inches to the finished size of the design. At this size, the design will take up most of the front of the bag. You can add more space to all sides of the design. The more space you add, and the larger the pattern design itself, will give a larger drawstring bag. Leave the same amount of fabric for the back of the drawstring bag as you measured for the front.

You are now ready to cross stitch the pattern onto the drawstring bag. Determine the middle point on the material that is to be used for the front of the bag and cross stitch the pattern as normal.

When you have finished cross stitching on the drawstring bag, you will need to prepare the drawstring. The drawstring is made up of 3 different colours of DMC floss, which will be braided together. The colours chosen can be one or more colours that were used in the design, but they don’t have to be, as long as the colours compliment each other, as well as the design that was cross stitched on the bag. The colours should consist of one dark, one medium and one light colour. Use all 6 strands of DMC floss for each colour but do not separate the strands. The length of the floss should be twice as long as the fabric at the top of the drawstring bag, where the drawstring will be placed. Gather the three colours together and tie a knot at one end. Braid the thread together, placing the dark colour over the light colour, then the light colour over the medium colour and finally the medium colour over the dark colour. Repeat this pattern until you have reached the end of the floss for all three colours and finish the drawstring by tying a knot.

The next step is to attach the drawstring to the bag. Turn the fabric over so that the wrong side is facing you. Place the braided thread near the top and turn the fabric over it. You can use safety pins to temporarily keep the turned over fabric in place. Next, stitch the folded fabric (and braided drawstring) in place by using two strands of the dark coloured floss used in the drawstring. You can select a few different types of stitches to use, that are decorative and will enhance the drawstring bag’s beauty. Here are some examples to choose from, that work very well when you have used aida cloth as the fabric for the drawstring bag:

• Cross stitch an “x” on every fourth square
• Cross stitch an “x” that has been “stretched” out by cross stitching the “x” two squares wide and one square high.
• Backstitch two rows of the letter “V”. Stagger the letters (either at random or at even spaces), so that they create an interesting pattern.
• Backstitch plus (“+”) and minus (“-“) signs that are evenly spaced out.
• Backstitch diagonal lines. To create a bit of visual interest with the diagonal lines, first backstitch two vertical lines going from the bottom left corner to top right corner. Then backstitch two vertical lines going from the top right hand corner to the bottom left corner. This should create a pattern much like this one: //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\
• Do a running stitch to create two rows of stitches. For the top row, run the stitch over two squares, leaving three squares blank. On the bottom row, run the stitch over three squares, leaving two squares blank. The ending pattern should look much like this: -_-_-_-

Finally, it is time to sew the drawstring bag together. First, fold the drawstring bag in half, with the wrong side showing out. The two sides should match up and the drawstring should be at the top. Starting from the top, backstitch the two sides together and continue until the bottom half is sew together. Be careful to leave about four to five squares on the outside of the stitch, so that the stitches won’t come loose and fall out. Once all the sides have been sewn together, except for the top of course, simply turn the bag inside out and you are done. It’s as simple as that!

Looking for fabric for your drawstring bag?  Check out our selection of Cross Stitch Fabrics - go with the usual or try something new!

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