Denim Drawstring Bag Tutorial

How to Make a Cute Drawstring Bag From Old Jeans, Step by Step Tutorial.

 Materials

• 1 discarded denim skirt or jeans
• 1 discarded blouse or 0.50 m of mint-patterned fabric (1.40 m fabric width)
• 0.25 m of Thermolam (a type of fusible interfacing)
• 0.80 m of pink cord or wool for making a drawstring

Size: 21 cm high, 14.5 cm in diameter

Preparation 

Transfer the base template to Ultra Stable and cut out the interfacing WITHOUT seam allowance. Iron Ultra Stable onto the wrong side of a piece of denim and cut out the circle with a 1 cm seam allowance. Cut off the waistband of the skirt, shorten it to 55 cm, and remove the belt loops.

Cutting Instructions

(The cutting dimensions include a 1 cm seam allowance)
Denim
23 x 47 cm (Outer)
6 x 47 cm (Facing)

Mint Patterned Fabric
27 x 47 cm (Lining)
20 x 47 cm (Closure with Drawstring)
Bottom plus 1 cm seam allowance

(Template corresponds to a circle with a 14.5 cm diameter)

Quilting 

Thread Poly Deco 30 as the top thread and a matching sewing thread as the bobbin thread. Using tailor's chalk, draw a grid pattern on the right side of the base fabric. The lines should be 3 cm apart and at 60° angles to each other. Stitch the grid pattern onto the base.

Place the cut-out for the outside of the basket on a piece of Thermolam, draw a corresponding grid around the pockets as for the base and stitch the lines. 

Sewing 

 

Decorate the outer edges of your basket with some lovely details, such as a detached pocket from the blouse, small buttons, or the sleeve closure. Just see what your blouse offers and let your creativity flow. Trim off any excess Thermolam.

Fold your outer fabric in half, right sides together, sew the seam, and insert the base. Clip the seam allowance several times at the curves, stopping just short of the seam. This will make your base round and ensure it fits the round shape well.

 Place the handle right sides together on the side seam and likewise right sides together on the opposite side. Sew the facing into a ring and sew it to the top edge of the basket. 

At the same time, sew the handle in place. Trim the Thermolam—as far as possible—in all seam allowances, close to the seam. Sew the lining in the same way as the outer bag, leaving about 15 cm of the seam open at the side seam.

Finish the short edges of the drawstring closure piece with a zigzag stitch. Fold the piece in half, right sides together. Sew the first 6 cm of the seam, leave the next 8 cm open, and then sew the remaining 6 cm. 

Press the seam allowances open and topstitch close to the edge, including where you left the seam open. This creates the opening for your drawstring.

Turn half of the fabric inside out so that the closure piece is on the wrong side, folded in half. Align the bottom edges precisely and topstitch them close to the edge.  

This will prevent any shifting. Press the top edge (the fold of the fabric) neatly and precisely. Topstitch the two layers of fabric 1 cm from the fold and then again 1.5 cm away. 

This creates the casing through which you will later thread your drawstring. Sew the drawstring to the open edge of the facing, right sides together, with the raw edge of the fabric facing. Sew close to the edge here, as another seam will be added to conceal this seam.

Now, pin the lining to the facing, right sides together, with the drawstring and handle sandwiched between the lining and the outer pocket, and sew everything together. 

 You can now turn your basket right side out and close the opening in the lining.  

Finally, thread the drawstring through the casing. A safety pin works best for this. To close it, you can tie a pretty bow in the drawstring or use a cord stopper. 

And this is what your denim basket looks like when it's open.