Reversible Drawstring Bag Tutorial |

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I made a reversible drawstring gift bag last Christmas and finally got around to writing up a tutorial. I used a different method to make this bag so there is no need for french seams. This is a great way to use up small pieces of fabric you have from other projects and the best part is it’s reversible so you get two bags in one.

Mad For Fabric - Reversible Drawstring Bag — Mad For Fabric – Reversible Drawstring Bag

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1. I used my Liberty fabric Kaylie Sunshine ( left ) and Jess and Jean ( right ) prints for this bag. I cut 4 pieces of fabric 7.5″ wide by 10″ tall, 2 for the exterior and 2 for the lining. You can change the size depending how large you want your bag to be. I used 1/2″ seam allowances.

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2. Fold over the top edge of each piece 1/4″ down. This is to make sure there are no raw edges when you create the casing for your drawstring.

Mad For Fabric - Reversible Drawstring Bag Top Edge Folded Down

3. Sew along the blue lines marked here and leave about a 1.25″ gap on each side for both the outer and lining pieces. Make sure the 1/4″ folded top edge is sewn down. Backstitch on each side of the gap to make sure the stitches don’t come loose. This is where the drawstring will be inserted on each side of the bag.

Mad For Fabric - Reversible Drawstring Bag Sewn Together Drawing

4. Cut a notch 1.5″ down on both sides of your fabric. This notch should be where your gap ends.

Mad For Fabric - Reversible Drawstring Bag Notch For Drawstring

5. Iron out the seams flat above the notch. Stitch down the seams to the side or you can use fabric glue or glue stick. I used Aleene’s fabric glue.

6. Turn your exterior bag right side out. Take the lining bag that is wrong side out and place inside the exterior bag.

7. At this point you need to decide which side will show a different print for the casing. I chose to fold my Kaylie Sunshine print 3/4″ inch over to the Jess and Jean side. Then stitch around the folded top edge.

8. Insert your drawstrings through the openings on each side and you’re done. Here is a side view of the gap that was left on each side of the fabric from step #3.