The one thing more useful than a drawstring bag is a drawstring bag with lots of pockets inside! Everyone has little things laying around their home that can be easily sucked up into vacuum cleaners, and lost into the void. Now with this little drawstring pouch, you can coral all those those tiny little bits and bobs like jewellery, dolls accessories, hair clips or small treasures, keep them safe and more importantly, organised!

This easy-to-sew fabric drawstring pouch requires only minimal skills on the sewing machine. If you’ve been a bit intimidated to try complicated sewing projects that involve pressing and hemming, this little bag pattern may be a good one to start with.

The fabric edges are trimmed with pinking shears which not only looks pretty, it saves on fiddly hemming.

I love how the edges of the bag ruffle up like a flower when you pull on the drawstring. This little fabric bag looks like a carnation or camellia bloom.

This drawstring bag would make lovely reusable gift wrapping for a special gift. You can make it without the internal pockets if you are pressed for time and want to keep things simple.

Any light to mid-weight cotton (non-stretch) fabric would work well for this project. If you are using printed fabric, note the extra instructions to ensure the printed side of the fabric is facing the correct way when you sew everything together.

Use whatever cord, yarn or ribbon you have on hand to make the drawstring.

Due to the long length of cord, do not give this to small children to play with as the cord may be a strangulation hazard.

How to Sew a Drawstring Bag with Pockets

You will need:

• 35cm cotton poplin, 114cm width – pink (or colour of your choice)
• 35cm cotton poplin, 114cm width – orange (or colour of your choice)
• Thread (match or contrast with fabric)
• 100cm length of cord (or yarn)
• Adhesive tape
• Dressmakers pins
• Scissors: paper, dressmakers, pinking shears
• Erasable Fabric pen/chalk (or pen/pencil)
• Sewing machine

Sewing machine setting – 2mm straight stitch

Fabric Selection – Any non-stretch, light to mid-weight cotton or cotton blend woven fabric is suitable for this project. This would be a great use for random quilting fabric Fat Quarters you may have laying about.

How to:

1. Print the template at 100%.

2. The pattern pieces with paper scissors. Using tape attach Section Joins ‘A’ and ‘B’ of the Large Circle piece.

3. Stack the contrasting fabric and fold the fabric. Pin pattern pieces onto folded fabric lining up the pattern centre lines with the fabric fold. Trace outline of Small Circle piece, and Large Circle piece onto the fabric. With a fabric pen draw the inner circle and the reference markers that appear on the Small Circle pattern piece.

4. Remove paper patterns from fabric layers (but keep pins in place). Out the semi-circles using pinking shears. Important note: small semi-circle in the small circle pattern piece.

Open the shapes out, you should now have 2 small fabric circles and 2 large fabric circles.

5. Pin the Small Circle pieces together. If you’re using a printed fabric, make sure the right sides of the print are facing outward. Using the sewing machine, stitch the Small Circle pieces together, 1cm (1/2″) from the edge.