This easy tutorial will let you create a drawstring backpack made with your own WOVNS design. Great for going to the beach, going to the gym, on a day trip to amusement park, or just for everyday use. With 1 yard of fabric you can make 4 backpacks- make them for friends, kids, dogs or sell them.
Materials:
Step 1
Lay out your fabric and decide what part of your print you want to use. Then with chalk mark off 2 rectangles in the size 13″w x 18″h and cut them out. This will be the front and back of your backpack.
Step2
After you cut them out, on both pieces, fold the top towards the backside of the fabric by .5″ and then fold it again 1″ and pin everything down. As you fold down try to tuck the sides into the fold to give it a clean edge.
Step 3
Sewing! Stitch down the folds about 1/4 of an inch away from the flap. You should be left with 2 pieces of fabric, both which have a stitched down fold. On the ends of these fold there should be opening large enough to put your finger or a pencil through.
Step 4
Take the rope you have for the straps and cut it in half. You should now have two straps at 72″ each.
*Tip
The next part is to get your rope through the tunnels made by the fold you just sewed. To make life easier take the ends and wrap them in tape. It will keep it from straying and fraying.
Step 5
Feeding the ropes through. Make sure before you start, both pieces of fabric are either both facing up or both facing down. Start with rope 1 and begin feeding it through on the right side of fabric A, it should come out of the left side of fabric A and then should feed through the right side of fabric B. Rope 1 should come out of the left side of side B. Continue to feed rope 2 through starting at the left side of fabric A, exiting on the right side of fabric A the entering the left side of fabric B and ending on the right side of side B.
Step 6
When the feeding of the rope is done, pull the ends of rope 1 together and rope 2 together. You should get something that looks like this >
Step 7
Place the 2 pieces of fabric right side to right side, making sure the straps are sandwiched between them. Pin the ends about 2″ up from the bottom. Continue to sew about .5″ away from the edges. Starting just below the fold, down the side, then bottom, then back up the side, then stop right before the fold again.
Step 8
If you have a serger go ahead and finish off the edge or if you don’t, finish off the edge with bias tape like shown. Any bias tape size around 3/4″-1″ will work.
Done!
Just turn it inside out and now you have your unique Drawstring backpack!
Can’t get enough?
To make sunglass cases do the exact same thing, just use the measurements 10″x6″ with two 20″ ropes, and tie off the rope instead of sewing them into the seam. With 1 yard of fabric you could make 13 cases. Just think of all the holiday gifts you don’t have to buy.
