a few weeks ago i made some drawstring bags using random pieces of fabric i had in my stash.  i’ve made a few in the past; one for my mother-in-law as a gift with some knitting needles and yarn, and one for the bee about a year ago to carry some small toys around. i kept borrowing the bee’s so i thought it was time to make some more so that there were plenty to go around.

the pattern is from Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts.  they are fully lined, and super fast and easy to sew.

the bags in the book are very lovely, mostly made from nice wools and sized to hold shoes or jewelry for travel.  i just used whatever size my fabric was, without thinking much about the finished size.

this blue one came out a perfect size for carrying small things that would otherwise get lost in my tote bag (that’s my version of a purse.  it is maine after all.)  you know, lip balm and pens and what-not.  it has a sweet yellow lining with red dots, which i forgot to photograph.  oops.

but this turtle one came out sort of a weird shape and size!  this is for the bee, since she picked up this fabric and then dragged it around the fabric store.  we had to buy it.  it was an 18″ square… what’s that called?  is that a fat quarter?  i always get those confused.  anyway, a long piece of fabric works better for these bags than a square. still, she can fit lots of little animals in here, and the big polka dots are so great!

this one is all mine though!  it’s big and 70’s and i love it.  you may recognize the fabric from dolly’s dresses.  i’m not sure how much of this fabric i have.  no matter how much i use, there’s always some on my shelf.

it also has a yellow polka dot lining.  can you tell that i just love polka dots?  such a happy pattern!

these are really great for carrying around projects that i’m working on.  look!  a bear fits perfectly.