October 21, 2019

Fabric Drawstring Gift Bag Tutorial

Make your gifts extra special by creating your own drawstring gift bag.

I love gift giving and love it even more when I can give someone a gift in a drawstring gift bag I made especially for them. Christmas is my favorite time of year and I try to give everyone on my list a special gift inside one of my fabric gift bags. They love them and can reuse them or keep them for themselves. Win win!

Try creating a small zipper pouch or fabric key fob as gifts to put into your drawstring gift bag! Or create your own placemats or Christmas stockings to decorate your home over the holidays!

There are a ton of DIY drawstring gift bag tutorials out there. All of them are pretty simple. You just have to find the easy to follow instructions you like the best. Here are my step-by-step instructions for how you can create your own drawstring gift bags:

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***You can find the ad-free, printable PDF version of this sewing tutorial available for purchase HERE. Includes 8-pages of step-by-step instructions with pictures. Print a copy to keep next to your sewing machine for easy reference.***

Fabric drawstring gift bag supplies needed:

One piece of fabric measuring 7 inches by 15 inches – my favorite fabric shop
Cutting mat
Rotary cutter
Clear ruler
Sewing gauge
Ribbon
Safety pin
Matching thread
Fray check
Sewing scissors
Sewing machine

Keep track of your sewing projects, like this one, with a sewing planner. This sewing planner is specifically designed for non-clothing sewing projects and helps you stay organized – fabric used, measurements, hardware used, notes, etc. Also included are pages such as sewing tips and fabric shops. Get your sewing planner H ERE.

Sewing project planner to help keep your sewing projects organized.

Cut your fabric

Using your cutting mat, rotary cutter and clear ruler, cut your piece of fabric 7 inches wide by 15 inches long (any size rectangle will work for this sewing project.) The short sides will be the top of your drawstring gift bag.

Hem long edges

Place your fabric wrong side facing up. Using your sewing gauge to measure, fold one long side of your fabric 1/4-inch and press with your clothes iron.

Then fold again 1/4-inch and press. Repeat on the other long side of your fabric. You will be sewing these edges when you sew the bag together.

Hem short edges

Next, fold one short side of your fabric 1/4-inch.

Then fold again 3/4-inch, using your sewing gauge to measure.

Repeat this hem for the other short side of your fabric.

Sew each short side as close to the inside edge as possible using matching thread. Hemming the short ends creates the opening to thread your ribbon.

The picture above shows what your drawstring gift bag should look like at this point.

Time to sew the drawstring gift bag together

Fold the fabric in half, right sides together, lining up the short ends, as shown in the above picture. Pin in place.

Starting from the bottom of the top hem where you will be threading your ribbon, straight stitch the sides together.

The pictures above show what your gift bag looks like at this point.

Insert the ribbon

Attach your safety pin to one end of your ribbon and thread through one side of your gift bag.

Continue to thread the ribbon through the other side of the gift bag as shown in the above picture.

Now that you have your ribbon inserted, turn the drawstring gift bag right side out, pull the bag closed and tie the ribbon into a bow.

Cut the ends of the ribbon with your sewing scissors and put a little fray check on the ribbon ends to keep them from fraying.

You are finished!

Place your gift inside the drawstring bag. Tie the ribbon in a bow and you are ready to give your gift! Great for Christmas gifts! Happy sewing!

Pin for later!