After a brief hiatus for the release of our
City Lights Cape collaboration with
Project Run and Play we are back with Little Sewing School! This week we have a fun and practical project that I'm sure you'll find useful and a great learning experience for your little one. This drawstring bag is perfect for swim lessons, a library book carrier, a kinder/preschool tote, an airport carry on or to fill with fun arts and crafts to keep your little one entertained on a restaurant outing. I have designed this bag to be a quick and easy sew, a great size for most books, to fit well on any size person (currently picking out a fabric to make one for me to tote those baby supplies in while keeping my hands free to wrangle my other babes) and it is fully lined! Because if you're going to teach them, you might as well teach them right!
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For this project you are going to need:
2 panels of fabric in your main fabric measuring 13" x 17" (33 x 43cm) each
2 panels of fabric in your lining fabric measuring 13" x 17" (33 x 43cm) each
2 pieces of fabric for tabs in main fabric measuring 2" x 3" (5 x 7.5cm) each
3 yards (3 meters) of cording cut in half
a safety pin
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The skills learned in making the drawstring backpack will be:
- turning fabric
- threading cord
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Follow the diagrams below to create your own drawstring backpack:
If you're the kind of learner who prefers the steps written out for you instead of visuals here they are step by step:
1.Cut main, lining and tab pieces.
2. Fold tab pieces in half and press. Fold long sides in to centre fold and press.
3. Stitch down along open edge.
4. Fold tabs in half and baste stitch down on the right sides of the fabric 0.75" (2cm) from the bottom on the long side.
5. Place the main pieces together, right sides facing. Make a mark 0.5" (1.25 cm) down from the top of fabric and then another mark 0.75" (2cm) down from that. Stitch around the fabric with a 0.5" (1.25cm) seam allowance, leaving the top and the 0.75" (2cm) open.
6. Place the lining pieces together, right sides facing. Make a mark 4" (10 cm) from the edge on either side. Stitch around the fabric with a 0.5" (1.25cm) seam allowance, leaving the top and the area between the marks open.
7. Clip the corners being careful not to clip your stitches, repeat with the main piece.
8. Turn lining right sides out and insert into the main fabric with ride sides together.
9. Line up the top of the pieces and stitch around with a 0.5" (1.25 cm) seam allowance. reach in the hole you left open in the lining and pull bag right sides out.
10. edge stitch the hole in the lining closed.
11. Tuck lining inside the main piece and press. stitch down 0.75" (2cm) from the edge - this will create the casing for your straps.
12. Attach a safety pin to one side of your cording and thread through the casing on one side and then through the other.
13. Repeat with the other piece of cording in the opposite direction.
14. Tie a knot a couple inches from the ends of the cording. Thread one string through the tab and tie the cording together again. Repeat with the other side.
Load your favorite things into your bag, pull the drawstrings tight and you're ready to go! Well done!
This is Lesson 5 of our 12 part series aimed at teaching your little one how to use the sewing machine and then creating a different and fun project each time. If you are jumping in now I recommend popping back to the first lesson that covers introducing your child to the machine and starting from there. This course is designed with you guiding your child through each lesson and is not meant or recommended for your child to go at it alone. Children should be supervised at all times while using the sewing machine and iron.
We hope you're having fun in little sewing school! Join in next month for the next lesson. We'd love to see your own sewing school in action using our lessons so please tag us in #pplittlesewingschool to share the fun! If you have any questions or comments leave them in our new interactive comment bar below or join us for inspiration and fun in our Puzzle Pattern Facebook Group!
