Free Drawstring Project Bag Sewing Pattern + Video Tutorial

If you’ve been searching for a simple, practical, and beautiful sewing project that you can finish in an afternoon, you’ve landed in the right place. This free drawstring project bag sewing pattern is exactly what you need — whether you’re a brand-new beginner picking up a needle and thread for the first time, or an experienced sewist looking for a quick make that’s genuinely useful. These little bags are perfect for organizing your yarn stash, storing an in-progress knitting or crochet project, keeping your sewing supplies tidy, or even gifting to a crafty friend. And the best part? You probably already have everything you need sitting in your fabric stash right now.

In this post, you’ll find the complete free pattern, step-by-step written instructions, tips for customizing the size, fabric recommendations, and a full video tutorial walkthrough so you can follow along visually if that’s your preferred way to learn. Let’s dive in.

Why Every Crafter Needs a Drawstring Project Bag

Before we get into the how-to, let’s talk about the why. Project bags are one of those items that every crafter swears by once they have one. If you’ve ever dug through a tangle of yarn looking for the right skein, or opened your crafting tote to find your knitting needles have poked holes in everything around them, a well-made drawstring bag solves all of that.

These bags are endlessly versatile. Knitters and crocheters love them because a drawstring top allows the working yarn to feed out smoothly while the project stays contained. The bag can sit in your lap or next to your chair while you work, keeping everything organized without needing a large, bulky tote. But project bags aren’t just for fiber crafters — you can use them to store embroidery floss and hoops, cross-stitch supplies, watercolor pencils, or even small quilting projects.

They also make genuinely thoughtful handmade gifts. Give one to a friend who just picked up a new hobby, or make a set of three in coordinating fabrics as a holiday gift for someone who loves to craft. They’re small enough that you can make several in a single sewing session, which makes them ideal for craft fairs and markets too.

Fabric Choices and What Works Best

One of the things that makes this pattern so beginner-friendly is that it works beautifully with a wide range of fabrics. Here’s a breakdown of the most popular options and what each one brings to the finished bag.

Quilting cotton is the most popular choice, and for good reason. It’s easy to find, affordable, comes in thousands of prints, and is simple to sew. It holds its shape nicely, washes well, and gives the bag a crisp, finished look. If you’re new to sewing, start with quilting cotton.

Canvas or home décor weight fabric gives you a sturdier bag that will hold heavier items without the bottom sagging. This is a great choice if you plan to use the bag for heavier projects or want something that will stand up to daily use over many years.

Linen or linen-cotton blends give a beautiful, slightly rustic look that photographs wonderfully. Linen is also incredibly durable and gets softer with every wash. The slightly looser weave can be a little harder to work with for absolute beginners, but the results are worth it.

Laminated cotton or oilcloth is a brilliant choice if you’re making a project bag for wet or messy crafts, or simply want something that wipes clean easily. Keep in mind that you’ll need to use clips instead of pins and a Teflon foot for your sewing machine when working with laminated fabrics.

Exterior and lining combinations are where you can really have fun. Pair a bold floral print on the outside with a coordinating solid lining, or use a novelty print on the outside and a simple stripe on the inside. Since the lining will be visible whenever the bag is open, it’s worth choosing something you love just as much as the exterior fabric.

For the drawstring cord, you can use ribbon, twill tape, cord, braided rope, or even strips of fabric cut from a coordinating print. The finished channel in this pattern fits a cord up to half an inch wide, so there’s plenty of flexibility.

Materials You’ll Need

Here’s everything you’ll want to gather before you sit down to sew.

For a finished bag that measures approximately 13 inches wide by 15 inches tall (a generous medium size perfect for most projects), you’ll need the following. If you want a smaller or larger bag, the instructions for adjusting the measurements are included further down in this post.

Fabric: Half a yard each of an exterior fabric and a lining fabric, both at least 44 inches wide. This gives you a little extra for squaring up and any cutting errors.

Cord or ribbon: 2 yards total, cut into two equal pieces of 1 yard each. Fabric ribbon, cotton rope, or braided cord all work well.

Basic sewing supplies: Sewing machine, matching thread, fabric scissors or a rotary cutter and mat, ruler or measuring tape, pins or sewing clips, an iron and ironing board, a safety pin or bodkin for threading the cord through the channel, and a fabric marker or chalk for marking.

Optional but helpful: a pressing ham for curves (though this project doesn’t have any), spray starch for crisping up your fabric before cutting, and wonder tape or washaway basting tape for holding the cord channel hem in place while you sew.

Cutting Your Fabric

Once your fabric is washed, dried, and pressed (always prewash your fabric before cutting to avoid shrinkage later), you’re ready to cut.

From both your exterior fabric and your lining fabric, cut two rectangles measuring 14 inches wide by 17 inches tall. You’ll end up with four rectangles total — two exterior pieces and two lining pieces.

The finished bag will be slightly smaller than these cutting measurements because we’re accounting for seam allowances and the fold-over at the top that creates the drawstring channel.

If you want to adjust the size, here’s the simple formula. For the width, add 1 inch to your desired finished width. For the height, add 4 inches to your desired finished height. The extra 4 inches accounts for the 1.5-inch seam allowances at the top and the fold that creates the drawstring channel. This formula works for bags as small as 6 inches square up to very large project bags for sweaters or blankets.

Step-by-Step Sewing Instructions

Now comes the fun part. Follow these steps carefully, pressing your seams at each stage, and you’ll have a beautiful finished bag in no time.

Step 1: Sew the exterior pieces together.

Place your two exterior fabric pieces right sides together, aligning all edges carefully. Pin or clip along the two long sides and the bottom short side. Using a half-inch seam allowance, sew along those three sides, leaving the top edge completely open. Backstitch at the beginning and end of your seam to secure it. Clip the two bottom corners diagonally, cutting close to but not through the stitching. This reduces bulk and gives you nice, sharp corners when you turn the bag right side out. Press the seams open.

Step 2: Sew the lining pieces together.

Repeat the exact same process with your two lining pieces — right sides together, sew along three sides leaving the top open. However, this time, leave a gap of about 4 to 5 inches in the center of the bottom seam. This opening is what you’ll use to turn the whole bag right side out at the end, so make sure it’s secured well with backstitching on both sides of the gap. Press the seams open and clip the corners.

Step 3: Create the drawstring channel.

On both the exterior bag and the lining bag, fold the top raw edge down by 1.5 inches toward the wrong side and press firmly with your iron. Then fold it down another 1.5 inches and press again. This creates a double-folded hem that forms the drawstring channel. At this stage, don’t sew anything yet — just press those folds in place so they hold while you move to the next step.

Unfold those pressed hems. You’ll see two crease lines near the top of each bag piece. Those crease lines are your guide for the next steps.

Step 4: Attach the lining to the exterior.

Turn the exterior bag right side out so the pretty fabric is facing outward. Keep the lining bag wrong side out. Slip the exterior bag inside the lining bag so that the right sides of both bags are facing each other. The top raw edges should align. Pin or clip all the way around the top edge.

Sew all the way around the top edge using a half-inch seam allowance, making sure to keep those pressed crease lines visible and to align them as you sew. This is a continuous seam — don’t leave any opening at the top.

Step 5: Turn the bag right side out.

Reach through the opening you left in the lining’s bottom seam and pull the bag through, turning everything right side out. The exterior and lining are now attached at the top. Give everything a good press with the iron so the top edge sits flat and the seam is right at the edge rather than rolling to one side.

Step 6: Close the lining gap.

Tuck the raw edges of the lining’s bottom opening inward by half an inch on each side, press, and topstitch close to the folded edge to close it up. Push the lining down into the exterior bag.

Step 7: Create the drawstring channel seams.

Here’s where your pressed crease lines come in handy. Using those as your guide, topstitch all the way around the bag at the first crease line (1.5 inches from the top) and again at the second crease line (3 inches from the top). You’ve now created a drawstring channel between those two lines of stitching.

Step 8: Create the opening for the cord.

On each side seam of the bag, you’ll need to open a small gap in the channel so the cord can be threaded through. Using a seam ripper, carefully open the side seam stitches within the channel area — just the stitches between your two topstitching lines. Do this on both side seams. These small openings are where the two cords will enter and exit.

Step 9: Thread the cord.

Attach a safety pin to one end of your first yard of cord. Insert the safety pin and cord into the opening on the right side seam. Thread it all the way around through the channel, coming back out of the same opening on the right side seam. Tie the two ends together in a knot or bow.

Take your second piece of cord and do the same thing from the left side seam opening, threading it all the way around the channel and back out the same left side opening. Tie those ends together as well.

When you pull both knotted ends apart, the bag will draw closed from both sides simultaneously — this is the classic two-cord drawstring method that distributes the tension evenly and makes the bag much easier to open and close with one hand.

Customizing Your Drawstring Project Bag

Once you’ve mastered the basic pattern, the options for customization are nearly endless. Here are some ideas to make your bags uniquely yours.

Adding a zippered interior pocket is easier than it sounds and makes the bag dramatically more functional for storing small items like stitch markers, scissors, or a measuring tape. Cut a small rectangle of lining fabric and install a short zipper before attaching the lining pieces together.

Embroidering your fabric before cutting adds a beautiful personalized touch. A simple floral motif, a monogram, or even just a few running stitch lines in a contrasting color can transform a simple bag into something truly special.

If you want a bag that stands up on its own, add a layer of fusible fleece or foam stabilizer to the exterior fabric panels before sewing. This gives the bag enough structure to hold its shape when sitting on a table, which is particularly handy for knitting or crochet projects where you want the bag to stay put while you work.

Bias tape along the top interior edge instead of a folded hem gives a polished look and works beautifully with medium-weight fabrics that are a little bulky to fold over twice.

Video Tutorial

If written instructions aren’t your preferred way to learn, or if you’d like to see these steps in action before you begin, the video tutorial walks through every step in real time. Seeing the fabric being manipulated, the iron working its magic, and the cord being threaded through the channel can make everything click into place in a way that written instructions sometimes can’t quite achieve on their own. The video is filmed in clear, well-lit detail and includes tips for common mistakes to avoid along the way. You’ll find the full video embedded above this post.

Finishing Touches and Care Instructions

Once your bag is finished, give it one final press with the iron for a crisp, professional look. If you used quilting cotton, a light spray of starch before pressing will give the bag a lovely crisp hand that makes it look beautifully made.

To care for your finished bag, machine wash on a gentle cycle in cold water and tumble dry on low, or hang to dry to prevent any shrinkage. If you used linen, expect a little softening and relaxing of the fabric with each wash, which only improves the texture over time.

Share Your Makes

There’s nothing more motivating than seeing what other crafters make with a pattern you love. If you sew this drawstring project bag, please share a photo — it’s always wonderful to see the different fabric combinations people choose, and every single one turns out beautifully in its own way. Whether you go bold with a bright geometric print or soft with a vintage floral, this pattern is forgiving enough to look gorgeous in almost any fabric combination you can dream up.

Happy sewing, and enjoy every stitch of your new favorite project bag.