Tutorial - How to make a Tea Towel Drawstring Bag

I have another tutorial printed in the Weekly Times today.

Below is the full version with photos.

Whether you're heading off for an overseas trip, or just a weekend away, making a drawstring bag for your shoes is a great way to keep them separated from the lovely clean clothes in your suitcase.

Of course, drawstring bags have a multitude of uses - so make as many as you like. They're fabulous for kids toys, keeping puzzles together, and storing precious collections.

Download the PDF

Step 1

Gather your supplies:
Tea towel
Twill tape
Large Safety Pin
Pins
Sewing Machine
Scissors
Ruler or Tape Measure
Drawstring Cord (or a piece of ribbon)

Step 2

Fold the tea towel in half lengthways, with the right sides facing together.

Step 3

Using your sewing machine, stitch a straight line down both side seams. The top remains open.
You will now have what looks like a large inside out tea towel pocket.

Step 4

Turn the tea towel back out so that it is facing the right way.

Step 5

Each tea towel will be slightly different is size, so now you will need to do a little maths.
Measure the width of the tea towel envelops and then double it (this is to calculate the length of twill tape that you will need to use).

Cut the piece of twill tape to the required length.

Fold over the edge of the twill tape on either end and run a couple of lines of stitching along to ensure that you have a neat edge on both ends.

Step 6

Pin the twill tape right around the top edge of the tea towel envelope and stitch along the top and the bottom to create a channel for your drawstring.

Step 7

Using the previous twill tape measurement, add on 30 centimetres, and then cut a piece of drawstring cord (or ribbon)  to this length.

Attach one end of the drawstring cord (or ribbon) to a safety pin, and thread it through the drawstring channel.

Step 8

Once the drawstring is evenly threaded through on both sides, tie a knot at either end to prevent fraying.

To prevent the drawstring from being removed, run a line of stitching down the side seam at the opposite side to the drawstring opening.

Step 9

Pop in your favourite pair of shoes!