Drawstring Bags Sewing Pattern
The Way My Mind Works
Are you the person who can’t bear to waste a garden glut? Every year we have an abundance of rhubarb, both homegrown and gifted from others experiencing a surplus too. Somehow I find myself accepting the seemingly impossible challenge of not wasting a single stalk. It’s partly my resourceful side trying to make good use of what we’ve been given. But I think within me there’s a creative excitement of “what could this become?”.
The older I get the more I realise my creativity isn’t restricted to one art form. It shows up in the garden. In the kitchen. In the way I look at wildflowers. And apparently…in the way I think about embroidery placement. I’m learning to recognise this part of myself as stewardship. My brain always looks for meaningful homes for things. Rather than fighting it, I’m embracing it as another expression of creativity.
When You Don’t Know Where to Put Your Embroidery
Embroidery can feel a bit like that glut of rhubarb. We are enthused by endless ideas…flowers we want to stitch, techniques we want to try and there's the repetition the learning process itself requires. Everyone enjoys embroidery differently. Some stitch purely for the peaceful process. Some frame their work. Some keep samplers. For me, embroidery is like the rhubarb. I feel that bubbling creative excitement of “what could this become?”. I’m naturally drawn towards sewing projects that give my embroidery a home in daily life. But just like the garden harvest, embroidery placement can become overwhelming. That’s where creative rhythms help just like a recipe would.
Sometimes embroidery ideas are already intricately woven into a sewing project in my mind. Our upcoming tool case and needle case are examples of that. Your creative wires align them, and each feels like it uniquely belongs to and completes the other. But often my creativity or time is so focused on the intricacy of that embroidery pattern or stitch that I have no ideas left about where it will belong.
The Drawstring Bags Sewing Pattern
That’s when I need a practical solution to return to time and time again. Just like I turn to my favourite staple rhubarb recipes…pairings with apples, nectarines or even a crumble or two. In my sewing room, the Drawstring Bags have become my staple recipe.
Having a familiar project ready means I spend less time wondering where a design should go and more time stitching. I get to satisfy my wiring urge to find a home for everything and celebrate that embroidery I spent so long creating.
Design Notes
I designed the Drawstring Bags pattern with embroidery placement in mind. If you are an embroiderer but new to sewing, this is a perfect starting project. It offers simple sewing techniques while giving you a blank canvas for your creative stitching. I have detailed some of the design features below.
Beginner friendly
If you’re new to sewing, this little project is accessible for complete beginners. It combines simple construction methods with multiple sizes and optional techniques to suit your sewing set up. You could even hand sew these bags if you don’t yet have access to a sewing machine.
- Four sizes included
- Printable PDF pattern
- Step-by-step video tutorial
- Method for completing without an overlocker/serger (& no raw edges!)
- Methods & shortcuts for overlocked/serged versions
- Suitable for beginners
Four Thoughtfully Sized Bags
Each size has been designed to pair beautifully with a commonly used embroidery hoop size (details below), making it easier to choose a project that feels naturally proportioned to your stitching.
Size 1 - 4” hoop
Size 2 - 5” hoop
Size 3 - 6” hoop
Size 4- 8” hoop
Designed for Embroidery Placement
Each bag provides a generous central panel that allows botanical embroidery to sit comfortably without needing to rethink scale or positioning every time you begin a new design.
Made to Be Used
One of my favourite things about combining sewing and embroidery is watching handmade work become part of everyday life. These bags are designed to be filled, carried or even gifted. They can home your knitting, sewing tools, embroidery supplies or turn gift wrapping into a gift itself. I don’t think I’ll admit just how many of these I have made in the last year. But I can tell you that I have very few left in my own home. I didn’t think I knew that many people! It seems you can never have enough embroidered little gift bags at hand!
Less Time Deciding, More Time Stitching
Removing one small decision gifts us space to enjoy the process. This pattern helps me spend less time deciding and more time stitching. It has become my familiar starting point whenever I simply want to enjoy embroidery without overthinking where it should go.
Make it Yours
I hope this pattern helps solve a little of the decision fatigue for you, just as it has for me, and becomes a blank canvas for your creativity. You'll find the Drawstring Bags pattern right here. If you’ve been waiting for a project to try a new stitch, a favourite wildflower or your very first botanical embroidery, perhaps it doesn’t need to be complicated. Sometimes having one familiar place to begin is all it takes to start creating. After all, every beautiful thing begins with the same little question…what could this become?
Much love,
Lisa xx