:: Super Simple Drawstring Bags ::

it's not that i forgot to post pictures of these finished little beauties. it's that i wanted to post them with a little semi-tutorial on how i altered the original tutorial here and doing that would require making another one, and even though i finished all three of these in just over an hour total, i just haven't had the time.



anyway here's what i did: i used french seams on the inside of the bag and, with the exception of the first one i made (the butterflies), i skipped the gusset on the bottom. i just like these bags better as nice flat bags.



i did the french seams (see quick note at end) because i wanted to keep the insides of the bags all nice, but it did cause a small problem when it came to making the drawstring channel. if i make these again i will probably just serge the inside seams to keep 'em neat and avoid the channel problem.

i've been using them to carry around snacks (chocolate-dipped granola bars and a tub of cherries on thursday night for house hunting), shoes (for a canal walk that actually got canceled anyway), sewing stuff (for craft night with my new mommy group). they're essentially all-purpose, and since i made three sizes they really are all purpose.

***

(quickly, french seams work like this:

1. sew your fabric together with WRONG SIDES together. trim seam allowance to 1/8 inch or as close as you can get without cutting the seam.
2. press seam to ONE SIDE (don't press open)
3. turn so WRONG SIDES ARE TOGETHER like you usually sew and sew a new seam, this one at about 1/2 inches.

what happens here is that your other seam gets sewn INTO this seam so when you turn your final project right sides out, you'll have these funny little enclosed seams inside. no raw edges.
i'm sure there are tutorials out there. i'll save my time for dreaming up what i'm going to do with this month's word.play theme (which is sugar).)