The lazy, crazy days of summer are right around the corner, which is our cue to come up with fast and easy projects you can fit in between all your outdoor activities. Simple – yes, but they also need to be interesting and inspiring. These cute drawcord bags check all the boxes: make-in-an-afternoon, possibly use some of your favorite scraps, maybe learn a new technique, like the precision topstitching, box corners or how to create a drawcord channel with double, beaded drawcords.

This is a true beginner-friendly project. If you’re a sewing pro, it’s a fun project to whip up in between your more complicated WIPs. Or, if you’re teaching someone to sew, a little bag like this is a perfect first project. Your sewing newcomer ends up with a project to use themselves or proudly give away. Putting even the simplest item into a handmade fabric bag elevates a gift to a new level.

We suggest a lightweight canvas the exterior paired with standard quilting cotton for the lining. The drawcord is a classic twill tape with cool wooden beads at each end. Our cuts and supplies are shown for TWO coordinating Cinch Bags (identical accent panels and lining, different center panels). If you’d prefer to make just one, refer to the cut sizes in the Getting Started section; you may have just what you need for a single bag in your scrap stash.

Even with the easiest of projects, the quality of your tools make all the difference in frustration free sewing and an awesome finished project. We used the Janome Memory Craft 1000, and send our thanks to Janome America for their sponsorship of this project and many of our other most popular, learn-to-sew projects.

When you’re an advanced sewing enthusiast, all the features and extras on a machine are like arrows in your quiver and add to the creative potential you can bring to your projects. But when you’re just starting out, a quality machine is almost more important. You should never have to worry about your machine when you’re starting out; it pulls you away from the learning process. You need power, reliability, and intuitive operation. Which in our world, means you need Janome.

Not only do we give you the step-by-step instructions below, we also link to our full technique tutorials whenever possible, such as our How to Box Corners article that shows two methods and includes how to measure.

The bag is fully lined. We used a quality quilting cotton, but you could swap out a rip stop nylon and now the bag is water-resistant on the inside to handle a chilled soda, toiletries for travel, and more. We love to hear how you change up our designs to make them yours.

Our shout out again to Janome America for their support. To find out more about the amazing Janome machines, visit their website, follow them on social media, and visit a local dealer for an in-person test stitch on a variety of models.

Our Two Tone Cinch Bag finishes at approximately 8” wide x 10” high with 4” box corners.

Sewing Tools You Need

Sewing Machine and standard presser foot
Bi-Level Foot – we used both the Right and Left versions; optional for the precision topstitching

Fabric and Other Supplies

NOTE: As mentioned above, cuts and supplies are shown for TWO coordinating Cinch Bags (identical accent panels and lining, different center panels). If you’d prefer to make just one, refer to the cut sizes in the Getting Started section; you may have just what you need for a single bag in your scrap stash.

½ yard of 44”+ wide lightweight canvas, denim, twill or similar fabric in a simple graphic print, such as a stripe for the bottom accent panels and the upper drawcord panels; we used a wide gray and off-white stripe in a lightweight canvas
¼ yard EACH OF TWO 44”+ wide lightweight canvas, denim, twill or similar fabrics in colorful, bold prints for the main center panels; we used a soft pink and bronze floral and a bold green and yellow geometric – both in a lightweight canvas
¾ yard of 44”+ wide quilting weight cotton in a color to coordinate with both of your main prints for the lining; we used an off-white
1½ yards of 20”+ wide lightweight fusible interfacing; we used woven Pellon Shape-Flex
5 yards of ½” wide cotton twill tape or similar for the drawcord; we used natural twill tape
FOUR apx. ¾” round beads for the ends of the drawcord – make sure the hole in the bead is large enough for the twill tape to pass through; we used wooden beads to match the “natural” tone of our fabric motifs
All purpose thread to match fabric; go for a match to your lining fabric and the lightest color in your accent fabric
See-through ruler
Measuring tape
Fabric pen or pencil
Seam gauge
Seam ripper
Scissors
Rotary cutter and mat
Iron and ironing board
Straight pins
Safety pin for threading the twill tape through the drawcord channel
Seam sealant; optional for the ends of the drawcord

Getting Started

NOTE: Remember, our cuts are for TWO coordinating Cinch Bags; expand or reduce to match your plans.

From the accent fabric (the stripe in our sample), cut the following:
TWO width of fabric (WOF) x 5” high strips, then from EACH of these strips, sub-cut TWO 13” wide x 5” high panels
TWO WOF x 3” high strips, then from EACH of these strips, sub-cut TWO 12¾” wide x 3” high panels
From the main center panel fabrics (the pink floral and green geometric in our samples), from EACH fabric cut the following:
ONE WOF x 8” high strip, then from this strip, sub-cut TWO 13” wide x 8” high panels
From the lining fabric, cut TWO 13” wide x 12” high rectangles.
From the lightweight interfacing, cut the following:
FOUR WOF x 12” high strips (the Shape-Flex we used is 20”wide), then from EACH of these strips, cut ONE 12” x 7” panel and ONE 12” x 4” panel.
NOTE: This yields two large panels and two small panels for EACH bag. Remember, you can always reduce (or increase) you cuts to make fewer or more bags.
Here are the main fabric elements for our green geometric bag.
From the twill tape, cut FOUR 38” – 40” lengths.
NOTE: You may wait to cut these lengths until the very end of construction. You can then start by simply cutting your 5 yards into four equal lengths. Then after threading through the drawcord channel and attaching the beads to the ends, you can cinch and open your bag(s) several times to make sure you like the finished lengths of the drawcord ends. When satisfied, add the beads, knot and trim as shown within the instructions.

At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board

Interfacing

For each bag, find the TWO 13” x 5” accent panels and the TWO 13” x 8” main center panels as well as the corresponding 12” x 4” and 12” x 7” interfacing panels.
Center an interfacing panel on the wrong side of each fabric panel so there is ½” of fabric showing beyond the interfacing on all four sides. Following manufacturer’s instructions, fuse in place.

Assemble the main panels

Set up the machine with thread to match your fabric in the top and bobbin.
Attach the all-purpose foot (Janome A Foot), and adjust the stitch length to 2.8mm.
Match each accent panel to a main center panel, pinning along the bottom 13” side.
NOTE: Our fabric motifs were random, so we simply chose what would be the “bottom” of our center panel. If you are working with vertically directional motifs, make sure your are aligning the bottom of your main center panel with the top of your accent panel.
Using a ½” seam allowance, stitch together each pair. This means you are stitching right along, but not on, the edge of the interfacing panel.
Press the seam allowance together and down toward the bottom of the bag (toward the accent panel).
Change the foot on your machine to your favorite foot for topstitching. We used the Left version of the Janome Bi Level Foot for our topstitching, and adjusted the needle position to 3.0mm. This foot has two levels; in this case the narrow toe on the left is higher, allowing it to ride on the layers of fabric that create the seam. The result is a perfect line of stitching!
Place the front and back sewn panels right sides together. Pin along both sides and across the bottom, leaving the upper edge open. Take care to make sure the accent panels and main center panels are perfectly aligned along each side. It’s especially important the horizontal seams meet and match at each side.
Change from your topstitching specialty foot back to an all-purpose foot, and adjust the needle position to center.
Using a ½” seam allowance, stitch along both sides and across the bottom, sharply pivoting at each bottom corner.
Press the seam allowances open.
Leave the bag wrong side out.

Box the bottom corners

Use both hands to pinch and pull apart the corner. As you pull, the fabric will begin to form a little peak with the corner point at the top and the seam lines running down the middle of the front and the back. Align these side and bottom seams. Place a pin in the matched seams to hold them together. It is very important to exactly match the seams; that is what will make the intersecting lines of your finished corner look good.
Mark the depth of the boxed corner with a fabric marking pen or pencil and a straight ruler, positioning your ruler so the desired depth is measured from side to side at the base of the “peak.” Our desired boxed corner depth is 4” . Slide the ruler down from the peak until you reach the point at which your “triangle” is 4” in width. Draw a horizontal line at this measurement.
Sew across the peak on your drawn line. Be sure to backstitch at the beginning and end of the seam.
NOTE: For added strength, you can sew across two or three times to reinforce the corner. This is a good idea if you know your bag will be holding some heavier items.
Trim away the peak to ½” from the line of stitching.
Turn the bag right side out and press or steam. We pressed seam allowances open from the inside (as mentioned above) and pressed the boxed corner seam allowances toward the top of the bag.

NOTE: If you are brand new to making box corners, we have a full tutorial you can review prior to starting that goes over two methods as well as measuring tips.

Create the upper casings/drawcord channels

For each bag, find the remaining accent panels: TWO 12¾” x 3” panels for each bag. These will form the casings (also known as drawcord channels) at the upper edge of the bag.
Finish each end with a double -turn ¼” hem, stitched in place. To do this, fold back each raw end ¼” and then another ¼”, encasing the raw edges in this narrow double fold.
Press well and then stitch in place, running the seam close to the inner fold.
Fold each strip in half lengthwise and press.
Find the bag, which should be right side out. Align the raw edge of the casing strips to the top raw edge of the bag along both the front and the back of the bag. Pin in place.
The strips are just slightly shorter than the upper edge of the bag. This leaves a ¼” gap at each side seam, just right for threading the casing with twill tape when the bag is complete.
There’s no stitching at this point – just pinning. Set aside the bag.

Create the lining

Find the two 13” x 12” lining panels for each bag.
Place the lining panels right sides together and pin in place along both sides and across the bottom. The top remains unpinned. Along the bottom, mark a 5” opening at the center. We like to use double pins to mark our start and stop points for the opening.
If necessary, re-thread the machine with thread to best match the lining in the top and bobbin. We continued to use the all-purpose foot, but we adjusted the stitch length to 2.4mm for the lightweight cotton.
Using a ½” seam allowance, stitch along both sides and across the bottom. Remember to sharply pivot and each bottom corner and to lock your seam at either side of the 5” opening along the bottom.
Press the seams allowances open just as you did for the exterior bag above. The seam allowance across the opening should also be pressed back to match the sewn seam.
Also as you did above for the exterior bag, create 4” boxed corners.
Trim the seam allowances to ½”.

Assemble the lining and the exterior

Find the exterior bag, which should be right side out. Find the lining bag, which should be wrong side out. Insert the exterior bag into the lining bag so the two are now right sides together. Align the side seams and the upper raw edges of both layers. The casings are in between the two layers. Pin around the top through all the layers.
Adjust the stitch length to 2.8mm to accommodate the multiple layers, and using a ½” seam allowance, stitch all around the upper edge. Go slowly and carefully so your seam allowance stays nice and even.
Turn the bag right side out through the opening in the lining. Smooth the lining down inside the bag so the box corners of both layers are right against one another. Press well.
The upper edge of the bag is finished with a line of topstitching just below the casing, through all layers. Replace the all-purpose foot with your favorite topstitching foot. For our seam, we used the Right version of the Janome Bi-Level foot, which has the narrower side to the right.
Re-thread the machine with thread to best coordinate with the main center fabric in the top and keep the thread to best match the lining in the bobbin. We adjusted the needle position to 6.0.
We started our topstitching at a side seam. At the end, we simply used a slight overlap of our stitch line.
To complete the bag, hand sew the opening in the lining closed with a ladder stitch.

Insert the drawcord

For each bag, find the two lengths of twill tape. As mentioned above, we suggested a starting length of 38”- 40”, but mentioned you may have wanted to wait to cut the lengths until this point in the construction. If so, you can now cut your 5 yards into four equal lengths (two for each bag).
If the twill tape you chose has a tendency to ravel, add a line of seam sealant to each end of each length and allow it to dry.
Stick the safety pin through one end of one length.
Thread the drawcord through the front casing, running it through from left to right.
Insert the drawcord into the back casing, running it through from right to left. This means there is now a loop to the right of the bag and both tails are to the left of the bag.
Loosely knot the tails or clip them together. This keeps the first length from being pulled out when you are threading the second.
Remove the safety pin and stick it through one end of a second length of drawcord. Thread this length through in the opposite direction: from right to left through the back casing, then from left to right through the front casing.
When finished, you should have a loop on each side and a pair of tails on each side.
With the bag all the way open, thread each pair of tails through a bead. Tie a knot below the bead about 3” down from the top of the bag. Slide the bead down so the bottom of it rests against the knot.
Now is the time to adjust the length of the tails if need be… obviously, they can’t be longer, but you can shorten them now. Holding on to each set of tails, gently and evenly draw the bag all the way closed. You can re-tie the knot if you feel the tails are too long or too short.
Once you are happy with your length, trim the twill tape to approximately 1” below the bead. Re-apply seam sealant if necessary and let it dry.