Lately, I keep forgetting to put spare outfits in the diaper bag. The problem reached critical mass at church last Sunday.
During the closing song, Steve went down to fetch Henry from the nursery. After the closing prayer, I spotted them in the foyer. Steve was looking very grumpy.`
Henry, who looked rather cheerful, was not wearing any pants.
His diaper had leaked, soaking his khakis. A frantic search of the diaper bag uncovered three shirts, but no pants. Henry looked odd in his big puffy coat and bare legs. Embarrassed and irritated, we slipped out the side exit.
I always believe there is a change of clothes in the bag, but it’s hard to be sure in the race to get out the door in time.
I’d had the idea for a while that it might be easier to keep track of spare outfits if I set aside two shirts and two pants solely devoted to the diaper bag, and then contained them in their own little bag so I could tell without digging if they’re stocked.
Time to put this idea into practice! And because I’m not buying anything new, I knew I’d have to create something with the resources at hand.
A quick web search yielded an excellent tutorial from Skip to my Lou. You can follow her instructions, but I thought I’d give you my step-by-step process as well.
To make the bag, I used a piece of fabric and ribbon from my stash. Remember, though, that “fabric is fabric” – so you could easily make a bag like this from an old pillowcase, a skirt that’s too small, a pretty cloth napkin…..the sky’s the limit!
1. Cut a rectangle at the width you want the bag (plus 1″ for seam allowance) and double the height (plus 2.5″). I cut mine 10″ x 28″ based on the size of a sample stack of spare clothes.
2. If you’re going to add any embellishments, do it now. My mom laughs at me, but I always have to complicate things by adding something extra to every project I make. Isn’t that what makes handmade projects fun?
A little pocket would be a great addition to this bag. In my case, I settled on an applique letter, which I cut out, pinned to the bag, and attached with a simple stitch close to the edge. The rough edges of the fabric will ravel, which is intentional.
3. Press the two short ends of the rectangle(which will be the top of the bag) 1/4″ toward the wrong side of the fabric, and stitch close to the edge.
4. Fold the rectangle right sides together, and align the top edges. Measure 2″ down from the top of the bag on both sides, and mark with a pin.
5. On each side, sew with 1/2″ seam from the bottom of the bag up to the mark 2″ from the top. This will leave the top 2″ of the bag not sewn together.
6. Use pinking shears to cut the edge off the side seams (this keeps the rough edges from raveling inside the bag).
This part was funny for me, because I don’t have pinking shears and it was too late to borrow some. I found a scalloped blade intended for a paper cutter which specifically says “for use with paper only”….so I put it in my rotary cutter and cut away! I don’t necessary recommend this but it worked in a pinch.
7. Press open both side seams, and when you reach the top edges press them 1/4″ as well. To make this much easier, I was able to use this handy dandy ironing board, which I found in the free box at a garage sale this summer. I just KNEW it would come in handy!
8. Now, stitch down those pressed edges, across the seam, and back up the other side, making a U-shape. (the picture helps)
9. Now, fold down the top 1″ on each side toward the wrong side of the fabric. This will create the casing for the drawstring. Press, and sew close to the bottom edge.
10. Turn the whole thing inside out and press. You’ve got your bag! Now for the drawstrings.
11. You’ll need two pieces of string, ribbon, or cord (I used grosgrain ribbon). Each piece should be twice the width of the bag, plus at least 5″ of slack to tie a knot.
12. Attach a safety pin to one end of the ribbon. Feed it through the tube from left to right, then back the other side so the two loose ends are both on the left side of the bag. Tie the ends together.
13. Repeat the process with the other ribbon, starting and ending on the right side instead.
….and voila! You have a handy versatile drawstring bag!
And if I can make one, I bet you can too!
Let me know if you attempt this project, and if you have any tips or suggestions. What will be the special purpose of your new drawstring bag?
Ladies — Just came across your blog after you your twitter follow and comment on MY blog. What a fabulous idea this is! And I so love challenges … so it’s all I can do to say “this is not something for me to do at this time – maybe later!” instead of “COUNT ME IN!” (what can I say — I’m a “yes” person). Looking forward to following your adventure!
Thanks for stopping by! You’re more than welcome to just follow along….we won’t try to strong-arm you into joining in the challenge, I promise. I am enjoying your blog and hope we’ll have many more opportunities to share ideas!
Thank you for the clear instructions! I had been trying to find some simple instructions to make party favor bags and your were the best I found. Thanks!
Thanks for your clear instructions. You’ve inspired me to take up sewing. I’m going to make some bags for keeping my shamanic rattles in. Once I’m proficient, I’ll make some personalized bags as pressies for friends 🙂
[…] I sewed myself a new project bag, too. I have been using a smaller one for about two years, now, but I decided I needed a bigger bag for both sweater making and for projects like this – ones with many balls and pieces. Keep it all together! I followed this tutorial: Simple Drawstring Bag. […]
That little ironing board you found is for ironing shirt sleeves!