DIY Drawstring Knitting Bag: How to Make a Project Bag for Knitting and Crochet

If you’ve spent any time knitting or crocheting, you already know the struggle. Yarn tangles in your purse, needles poke through plastic bags, and your half-finished sweater somehow ends up on the floor of your car covered in dog hair. A proper project bag solves all of these problems, and the best part is that you can sew one yourself in an afternoon with fabric you actually love.

This guide walks you through everything you need to know to make a beautiful, functional drawstring knitting bag from scratch. Whether you’re a beginner sewer tackling your first project or an experienced maker looking for a simple weekend sew, this tutorial gives you a bag you’ll reach for every single time you pick up your needles.

Why Make Your Own Knitting Project Bag?

Store-bought project bags are fine, but they’re rarely exactly right. The zipper is in an awkward spot, the fabric is too thin, the size is slightly too small for that chunky blanket you’re working on, or the design is just… uninspiring. When you make your own, you control every detail.

A handmade drawstring project bag can be sized to fit your current work-in-progress perfectly, made from fabric that matches your aesthetic, reinforced where it needs to be, and finished to a standard that means it’ll last years. Many knitters end up making several in different sizes — a small one for sock knitting, a medium for sweater projects, and a large tote-style bag for multi-skein projects or yarn storage.

Beyond the practical benefits, there’s something deeply satisfying about carrying your knitting in a bag you made yourself. It’s a little bit of craftwork holding your craftwork.

What You’ll Need

Before you sit down at your machine, gather everything together. There’s nothing more frustrating than getting halfway through a project and realizing you’re out of coordinating thread.

Fabric: For a medium-sized project bag (roughly 14 inches wide by 16 inches tall), you’ll need about half a yard of your main fabric and half a yard of lining fabric. Cotton canvas, quilting cotton, linen, or a cotton-linen blend all work beautifully. Avoid anything too stretchy, since you want the bag to hold its shape. A fabric with a tight weave will also help keep yarn lint inside the bag rather than escaping all over your lap.

Drawstring cord: You’ll need about 2 to 2.5 yards of cord. Paracord, cotton rope, leather cord, ribbon, or even a long strip of fabric all work well. Choose something that slides easily through the casing — very rough or textured cord can be frustrating to pull.

Coordinating thread: Match your main fabric or go for a fun contrast.

Two D-rings or cord locks (optional): These are little details that take your bag from functional to polished. A cord lock lets you cinch the bag shut with one hand, which is incredibly convenient.

Interfacing (optional): If you’re using a lighter-weight fabric and want a sturdier bag, iron-on fusible interfacing added to the main fabric panels will give the bag more body.

Basic sewing supplies: Sewing machine, iron, scissors or rotary cutter, cutting mat, ruler, pins or wonder clips, safety pin, seam ripper (we all need one), and an iron.

Cutting Your Fabric

For a medium project bag, cut the following pieces:

Main fabric: Two rectangles, each 15 inches wide by 18 inches tall.

Lining fabric: Two rectangles, each 15 inches wide by 18 inches tall.

If you’re making a smaller bag for sock knitting, reduce the dimensions to 11 inches wide by 13 inches tall. For a larger bag to hold bulky projects or multiple skeins, go up to 18 inches wide by 22 inches tall.

Before cutting, press your fabric with an iron to remove any wrinkles. Measure twice and cut once — a rotary cutter and quilting ruler will give you the cleanest, most accurate cuts, but scissors work just as well if you take your time.

Step One: Prepare Your Fabric Panels

If you’re adding interfacing to the main fabric, now is the time. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to fuse it to the wrong side of your two main fabric pieces. Let them cool completely before moving on.

Take a moment to decide if you want to add any embellishments at this stage. An embroidered motif, an iron-on patch, or a simple fabric label sewn onto the right side of one main panel can make the bag feel truly personal. It’s much easier to add these details before the bag is assembled than to try to wrestle with it afterward.

Step Two: Sew the Main Bag Body

Place your two main fabric pieces right sides together, aligning all edges carefully. Pin or clip around three sides: both short sides (the sides) and one long side (the bottom). Leave the top edge open.

Starting at one top corner, sew down the side, across the bottom, and up the other side using a half-inch seam allowance. Backstitch at the beginning and end to secure your seams.

If you want a flat bottom on your bag (rather than a simple envelope shape), you can box the corners now. With the bag still inside out, pinch one bottom corner so the side seam and bottom seam line up on top of each other, forming a triangle. Measure about 1.5 to 2 inches from the point of the triangle and draw a line perpendicular to the seam. Sew along that line and trim off the triangle point, leaving a quarter-inch seam allowance. Repeat on the other bottom corner. When you turn the bag right side out, the bottom will be flat and the bag will stand up on its own.

Clip the two bottom corners (if you didn’t box them) to reduce bulk, being careful not to clip through your stitching. Press the seams open with your iron.

Step Three: Create the Drawstring Casing

This is the part that gives the bag its signature look and function, so take your time with it.

Turn the main bag body right side out. Fold the top edge down toward the wrong side of the fabric by one inch and press. Fold it down again by another inch and press again. This double-fold creates a clean, sturdy casing for your drawstring cord.

Before you sew the casing down, you need to create openings for the cord to pass through. On each side seam of the bag, use a seam ripper to open up a small gap in the folded casing — about half an inch wide, positioned in the middle of your folded section. These gaps are where the drawstring will enter and exit the bag.

Alternatively, you can leave the openings unsewn rather than seam-ripping. Many sewers find it easier to simply stop and start their stitching on either side of where they want the opening, leaving a deliberate half-inch gap on each side seam.

Pin or clip the folded casing in place all the way around the top of the bag and topstitch it down close to the inner folded edge. Sew a second line of topstitching close to the upper folded edge for extra security and a professional finish. You now have a channel running all the way around the top of the bag with two openings at the side seams.

Step Four: Sew the Lining

The lining is what separates a polished, finished bag from a rough-and-ready one. It also protects your yarn and knitting needles from any rough seams on the inside.

Place your two lining fabric pieces right sides together and sew around three sides just as you did with the main bag body, using a half-inch seam allowance. This time, leave about a four-inch gap unsewn along the bottom edge. This gap is your turning hole — you’ll use it to turn the entire bag right side out in a moment.

If you want pockets on the inside of your bag, now is the time to add them. A simple slip pocket sewn onto the right side of one lining panel before assembly is perfect for holding a tapestry needle, a row counter, or a small scissors. Just cut a rectangle of lining fabric, fold the top edge down twice and sew it, then fold the remaining three edges under by a half inch and topstitch the pocket onto the lining panel before sewing the two lining pieces together.

Box the lining corners the same way you did the main bag if you want a flat bottom. Press the lining seams open.

Step Five: Put It All Together

This is the satisfying part where everything comes together.

Keep the main bag body turned right side out. Turn the lining inside out. Slide the main bag body inside the lining so that the right sides of both fabrics are facing each other. The outer bag and lining should be nested together with their top raw edges aligned.

Pin the top edges together all the way around, making sure the side seams of the outer bag and the lining match up. Sew all the way around the top edge using a half-inch seam allowance.

Now, reach through the gap you left in the lining bottom and slowly pull the entire bag through. It will feel a little awkward at first, but keep gently pulling. The bag will emerge right side out, with the lining tucked inside.

Push the lining fully down into the bag and give everything a good press with your iron. Close the gap in the lining by folding the raw edges in and topstitching across the opening, or by hand-stitching it closed with a slip stitch.

Tuck the lining down into the bag one more time and press the top edge so everything lies flat and neat.

Step Six: Thread the Drawstring

This is where a safety pin becomes your best friend. Attach a large safety pin to one end of your drawstring cord.

Starting at one of the openings in your drawstring casing, feed the safety pin into the channel and work it all the way around the top of the bag until it emerges from the same opening. Tie the two ends of that cord together or attach a cord lock.

Cut a second piece of cord the same length. Starting at the opposite opening, thread this second cord all the way around the channel and out the same opening. Tie or lock those ends together as well.

When you pull both drawstrings at the same time, the bag cinches closed evenly. This double-drawstring method is the most common approach for knitting bags because it closes completely and securely. If you prefer a simpler look, you can thread a single cord all the way around and tie the ends together, though it won’t cinch quite as evenly.

If you’re adding cord locks, thread both ends of one drawstring through a single cord lock before tying them off. Sliding the lock toward the bag cinches it shut; sliding it away releases it.

Customizing Your Project Bag

One of the great joys of making your own bag is the ability to personalize it in ways that actually suit how you knit or crochet.

Size variations are the most obvious customization. Sock knitters often prefer a smaller bag that fits neatly into a tote or backpack. Those working on big blanket projects might want something closer to a laundry-bag size. Once you understand the basic construction, scaling up or down is simple arithmetic.

Fabric choices make an enormous difference in the look and feel of the bag. A Liberty Tana Lawn lining inside a plain canvas exterior feels luxurious. Oilcloth works wonderfully for a water-resistant outer shell that wipes clean easily. Vintage fabric from a thrift store can give the bag real character.

A zippered pocket on the outside is a useful addition for holding your pattern printout, stitch markers, or a small notebook. Sew a simple zipper pocket onto one of the main fabric panels before assembling the bag.

Leather handles transform the bag from a pure project bag into something that doubles as a stylish tote. Two short handles sewn into the side seams at the top of the bag, below the drawstring casing, let you carry the bag by hand even when it’s cinched shut.

A yarn feeding hole is a clever feature beloved by knitters who work directly from their project bag. Before assembling the bag, use a grommet tool to set a small metal grommet into one side panel of the outer bag, about halfway down. Thread your working yarn through the grommet, close the bag, and knit away without opening the bag at all. The yarn feeds smoothly through the grommet as you work, keeping the rest of your skein contained.

Caring for Your Knitting Bag

A well-made project bag will last for years if you look after it. Most cotton and linen fabrics are machine washable on a cold, gentle cycle. Remove the drawstrings before washing and replace them afterward, or tie them in a loose loop so they don’t tangle in the machine. Air drying is always safer than tumble drying for maintaining the bag’s shape.

If you used interfacing, check the manufacturer’s recommendations — most fusible interfacings are fine to machine wash, but some may soften slightly over time.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

If your casing is puckering or pulling, your fabric may have shifted while you were sewing. Press everything flat with steam and try topstitching more slowly, especially around the side seams where layers of fabric overlap.

If the drawstring is difficult to pull through the casing, the channel may be too narrow or the cord may be too thick. Try a thinner cord, or open the casing back up and resew it slightly wider.

If the bag looks lopsided, check that your side seams on the outer bag and lining were matched up before you sewed the top seam. A small difference in seam placement can throw off the whole shape. Press everything well and it will often look much better.

Making Multiple Bags as Gifts

Once you’ve made your first drawstring project bag, you’ll probably want to make more. They are genuinely one of the best handmade gifts for knitters and crocheters in your life. The construction is fast enough that you can sew several in a single weekend, especially if you cut all your fabric pieces at once and chain the steps together.

Pair a handmade project bag with a skein of beautiful yarn, a set of stitch markers, or a set of interchangeable needle tips and you have a thoughtful, practical gift that any fiber enthusiast will reach for constantly.

Consider making coordinating sets in the same fabric but different sizes — a small notions pouch and a large project bag together make a particularly useful pairing.

Final Thoughts

Making your own DIY drawstring knitting bag is one of those projects that delivers an outsized reward for a modest investment of time. A couple of hours at the sewing machine, half a yard of fabric you love, and a length of pretty cord is all it takes to have a project bag that’s exactly the right size, exactly the right fabric, and entirely your own.

Once your bag is finished, load it up with your current work-in-progress, close the drawstring, and bring your knitting with you everywhere. That’s what a good project bag is for — making your craft portable, organized, and just a little bit more enjoyable every time you pick it up.