I have been wanting to write this tutorial for a while now. I've shared a number of easy sewing projects over the years. Like how to make your own napkins, a window draft stopper and how to sew a coffee cup cozy. This tutorial for making a drawstring bag from a tea towel is now one of my faves. I hope it will be one of your faves too. Be sure to check out all of our amazing Green Living Ideas for Families.
Okay, I think we can all agree that we need to look for more eco-friendly alternatives in our lives - right? I've always believed that if each person or family makes a series of small changes, those changes will ripple out and have a major impact on our community and our environment. This is why I love the idea of skipping those single use plastic bags at the grocery store and at the bulk store. Yep, you know the ones that I'm talking about. I mean, why are we putting bananas in a bag anyway?
How to Sew a Drawstring Bag in Minutes
I picked up a couple of tea towels at the dollar store (you could totally use old tea towels you have at home) and I quickly transformed them into produce drawstring bags. Using a tea towel means that you can sew a drawstring bag in minutes - the fabric already has a hemmed edge.
How to Sew A Drawstring Bag from a Tea Towel
a 100% cotton tea towel
iron
coordinating thread and needle/sewing machine
cording or twine
safety pin
The first thing is first - you need to start with a tea towel that is 100% cotton. The bag will be holding food and you want it to be easy to clean, dry and made of natural fibres. Speaking of easy to clean, be sure to wash the tea towels before sewing them into bags. Pre-washing the fabric will allow the fabric to shrink, if it needs to. Once the tea towels are dry, you will want to iron them so you are working with a smooth piece of fabric.
Okay, washed, dried and ironed...now let's get to work. Tea towels are a great item to work with because the fabric already has a hem all around the edge...which means that you get to skip that step.
How to Sew the Drawstring Channel
If you are trying to reduce your waste, then I hope you'll try making these reusable bags and try shopping in bulk stores. When I look at the waste that comes from buying a box of cereal - a box and the plastic bag versus using a cloth bag at the bulk store - it just makes sense.
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