Drawstring Book Bag (with pocket) Directions Created by Lyn Greco 1/17/11 0
Drawstring Book Bag Directions Materials: 15 inch x 36 inch rectangle of fabric for bookbag 9 inch x 12 inch rectangle of fabric for pocket Two pieces of cording, each 56 inches long Thread & pins 1
Step 1: Sewing the Pocket Take the 9 x 12 rectangle of fabric and fold it in half with the good sides facing each other inside ( Hamburger Style ) making it a 9 x 6 rectangle. Pin and sew the edges together leaving a 2 opening to allow for turning. Clip corners, staying at least ½ inch away from the stitching. Make sure to leave at least ½ inch of fabric at corners after clipping. Leave 2 inch opening for turning. 2
Step 2: Turning & Ironing the Pocket Flip the pocket right side out so the good sides of the fabric are facing you. Use a turning tool to push out the corners, making them pointy & square. Iron the pocket flat. Use turning tool through opening to push out corners before pressing. Next fold the pressed pocket in half again, Hamburger Style (like a greeting card). Iron the pocket to create a vertical crease. This crease will be used to help line the pocket up on the bag AND become the sewing line which will divide the pocket in half. 3
Step 3: Ironing Front & Pinning the Pocket in Place Take the 15 x 36 fabric and fold it in half ( Hotdog Style with the 36 sides touching). Iron from the top down to create a vertical crease down the center of the fabric which runs half way down the bag. Crease pocket and book bag fabric by ironing the folds. Line up the crease of your pocket with the crease on the book bag fabric. Use a ruler to measure 6 inches down from the top of the fabric. This is where the top of the pocket should be lined up. Pin the pocket in place. Pocket and book bag creases lined up. 4
Step 4: Sewing the Pocket in Place Sew around the sides and bottom of the pocket, close to the edge making sure to secure with backstitching in the beginning and end. Finish the pocket by sewing a straight line down the center crease of the pocket to turn it into 2 pockets. Sew around pocket leaving top open. Sew down center of pocket along crease. Finished pocket 5
Step 5: Pinning the Right Side Seam NOTE: Because the open space of the machine is on the left side AND the marking for the 5/8 seam line is only on the right side of the needle, we always line our fabric up so that we are sewing on the right side with the balance of the project over to the left. So, starting with the upper or top right corner of the bag, begin pinning down this side seam making sure to keep the fabric edges PERFECTLY EVEN. Pins should be perpendicular to the side seams. The heads of the pins should be at the side seam and the points should be facing toward the center of the bag. 6
Step 6: Marking the Opening for Cording It is necessary to mark the opening for the cording to fit through at the top of the bag AND at the bottom where they will be attached. These openings on the side seam will remain un-sewn until both cords are threaded through. First measure 2 ¼ inches down from the TOP CORNER and make a chalk line. Next, mark a second chalk line 3 ½ inches down from the TOP CORNER (this will leave an opening 1 ¼ inches wide for the cording.) Finally, make a chalk line 1 inch up from the BOTTOM of the bag. (This will leave an opening for the cording to be sewn in when the bag is completed). 2 ¼ line 3 ½ line 1 line 7
Step 7: Sewing the Right Side Seam Because it is important to leave the 2 openings for the drawstring cording, follow the directions below when sewing this side seam together: A. Following all 10 Simple Steps When I Sew found on your sewing machine, sew only the 2 ¼ inch section at the top right corner. Make sure to begin with backstitching at the very top and end with backstitching at the first chalk line. Also, remember to remove the pins just before you are about to run them over with the presser foot and place the pins into a pin cushion. (Removing pins too soon will cause the 2 pieces of fabric to shift and no longer be lined up with each other.) B. Next, skip over the 1 ¼ cording opening and begin sewing at the second chalk line making sure to have backstitching when you begin. Continue sewing to last chalk line and stop with backstitching (1 inch above the very bottom of the bag). Start Stop Stop Start 8
Step 8: Preparing the Other Side Seam Now you will flip your project over so that the un-sewn side seam is now on the right side. Pin, mark and sew this New Right Side Seam following the same steps you did for the first side seam. (Steps 5 7) Step 9: Pressing the Seams Open & Ironing the Top Hem For that clean finished look, all seams should be pressed open before moving on to the next step. SO, open up your project and place the seam over the end of the ironing board. Press both side seams open. Use a sewing gauge to measure a ½ inch fold on the top edge of the bag. Iron this fold in place around the entire top edge. 9
Step 10: Ironing the Top Casing Now, we are ready to fold the top hem down for the second time to create a wide hem know as a casing. This will hold the drawstring cording inside. Beginning at one of the side seams, fold down the top hem again creating a new hem that is approximately 1 ½ inches. (Note: Your hem is now a double hem, one ½ wide and a second hem 1 ½ wide). Make sure to line up the side seams AND make sure that the cording opening is not visible on the inside of the bag. Iron and pin this in place. Continue to fold, iron and pin the casing down, making sure to keep an even hem width of approximately 1 ½ inches. Also, make sure that the hem is lying smooth without any Rumples as you pin this hem in place. Your pins should be perpendicular to the hem and should be pointing toward the top of the bag. Side seams matching with opening completely covered up by hem on the inside. Pin points should be facing toward the folded top edge which will allow you to safely iron the fold without ironing the pin heads. 10
Step 11: Preparing to Sew the Casing NOTE: This step involves sewing in a big circle around the top of the bag. Therefore, before you begin sewing, turn your project right side out and place in the sewing machine so that the Good Side is now facing down. This will help you sew without sewing the top closed. Step 12: Sewing the Casing Adjust the Pattern Selector and Stitch Length Dials to a strong decorative stitch. (Using a decorative stitch instead of a straight stitch will be stronger and will hide any small wiggles that may occur while sewing the top hem). Beginning at a side seam, line the left side of the presser foot up with the lower part of the casing. Slowly sew around the top hem following these key points: Keep the left side of the presser foot next to the bottom fold of the casing/hem. Keep the material flat as you sew to prevent it from folding over. Begin and end with backstitching at the 1 st side seam only so that it will be less visible when the project is complete. Keep the left side of the presser foot next to the bottom fold of the hem 11
Step 13: Threading the Cording Insert a safety pin on the end of the cording (like putting a worm on a hook) to help push the cording around the top casing. Begin at one of the openings and push the cording all the way around in a complete circle. Pull the ends so they are even. In the same way you did the first piece of cording, start at the other opening and push the second piece of cording around the casing in a complete circle. Pull those ends until they are even. To make sure the cording has been threaded through correctly, pull both ends to close the bag. 12
Step 14: Sewing Cording into Bottom Corner The final step is to sew the cording into each of the lower corners. Begin by pushing the 2 ends of the cording into the 1 inch opening that was left at the bottom corner of that side seam. From the inside of the bag, grab the cording ends and pin them in place. Repeat this step for the other corner. Next, beginning at the top of the opening, follow all 10 Simple Steps When I Sew over the opening and cording but do not remove the pins-rather use the handwheel to carefully sew over the pins so that the cording does not move. After sewing over the pins once, remove them and sew over this cording several times to ensure they do not pull out during use. Note: It may be difficult to sew over the cording due to its thickness. So, slowly turn the handwheel while pushing the fabric backwards until the presser foot is on top of the cording. Make sure to backstitch several times. To keep cording from ripping out, make sure to backstitch over the cording several times. 13