How To: Drawstring Project Bag from Existing Tote Bag

Sunday, January 30, 2022

It's winter, so I'm getting back into knitting, which happens from time to time. As part of this current cycle, I've been really inspired by drawstring project bags, like this one from WhiteneySews, a similar one from SewingTimes, and this colorful one from LorrieNuneMakerCreative. Except...I had a perfectly cute little tapestry tote bag I'd been using forever to haul my knitting tools and projects around. However, this tote bag was simple - it was unlined and lacked pockets. And therein lies the inspiration!

So, I began doodling my ideas, going through the Whitney Sews Tutorial, figuring out how all the pieces went together. And then I decided what I wanted: a drawstring bag inside of my totebag, which is now lined. The drawstring bag should be attached to the tote on one side, but should have a lining serving as an external pocket between the drawstring bag and the tote bag on the other side. I wanted this pocket so I could drop my phone or tablet right into the bag without fiddling with the drawstring. This "loose" drawstring bag side needs to be reinforced with interfacing so it doesn't flop everywhere. The drawstring keeps the items inside, deters naughty cats, and slightly expands the height of the little tote bag. Inside the drawstring bag, there should be a few dividers or pockets for some simple organization. The drawstring bag needs to be of a lighter color so that I can actually see into the bag.

With a half yard of red mattress ticking, a half yard of osnaburg, 1 yard of cotton cord, and a small amount of two-sided fusible quilt fleece, I was ready to get going! Here are my instructions, as recorded in my notebook, although they might resemble the musings of a mad woman:

1. Cut pieces as specified in notebook. In the illustrations I gave 3/4"to the sides and 1/4" to the bottom seams. I tried to use fabric folded where I could (but still needed to incorporate 1/4" seam on either side of that fold). Tops generally got 1/4" as well. The LINING POCKETS, I made the same height, shorter than the lining itself. These sag a bit, although the osnaburg gives them some structure - definitely recommend using a heavier weight fabric for the lining pockets!
2. Fold and irong MAIN LINING in half, right sides together.
3. Iron the two LINING POCKET TOPPERS in half. Then iron both long raw edges 1/4" inside (the wrong sides). Sew TOPPER to the lower with 1/8" inseam.
4. Measure and sew 2 seams (4.5" from either side) of LINING POCKET 2 to OUTER MAIN LINING. Wrong side of pocket facing inward toward right side of outer main lining.
5. Double (1/4" x2) fold and iron one edge of the OUTER POCKET, toward the wrong side.
6. Fold OUTER POCKET and iron so that the non-double folded side is 10.5" long (the height of the main lining).
7. Align the bottom fold of this piece with the bottom fold of the MAIN LINING - wrong sides of inner linings facing each other. Place FUSIBLE FLEECE between these, centered. Iron to fuse.
8. Place LINING POCKET 1 piece into MAIN LINING, right sides facing LINING POCKET 2.
9. Make BOTTOM REINFORCEMENT PIECE(fleece sewn into rectangle of fabric, shape of the bottom of bag).
10. Make DRAWSTRING COVER according to Whitney Sews Tutorial. Then, fold under and iron into the wrong sides, 1" of all the raw edges.
11. With MAIN LINING, OUTER POCKET LINING, LINING POCKET 1, and LINING POCKET 2, all pinned along the sides and bottom, the lining should be in its final layout to go into the OUTER BAG. Sew 3/4" side seams and 1/4" bottom seams around.
12. BOXED CORNERS: Hand-press each bottom corner to a point (with topp and bottom seams in opposite directions), draw a line where the point is 2.5" across. Sew along line. Trim 1/4" inseam at corner. Repeat for other bottom corner. (Whitney Sews Tutorial shows this, but using a 4" boxed corner instead of 2.5").
13. Attach BOTTOM REINFORCEMENT piece to bottom of lining by sewing over the Boxed Corner seams.
14. Pin the DRAWSTRING COVER inside folded edge to the inside of the OUTER MAIN LINING and REINFORCED LINING SIDE with 1" overlap. Sew into place with 1/4" inseam.
15. Place Lining into OUTERBAG. Fold and pin OUTER POCKET LINING to be just short of the OUTER BAG edge (fold against wrong side of outer bag). Top-stitch into place.
16. Pin OUTER MAIN LINING (now stitched to one side of Drawstring Cover) and top-stitch into place.
17. Attach safety pin to one end of COTTON CORD and feed through the top of DRAWSTRING COVER opening. Knot ends together. Repeat in opposite direction for the SECOND CORD.

Color-coded to match my fever dream notebook drawings! HA!

When the yarn bowl is removed, you can see there's lots of space in the drawstring bag for notions, spare needles, etc. Without the bowl, you can also place rigid items like a book or tablet in the external pocket. A folded paper pattern will pretty much always fit into that external pocket.

I'm pretty pleased with how this adapted-on-the-fly project bag came out! It's perfect for my needs now!