Drawstring/Gift Bags

Made up 20 of the drawstring/gift bags as pictured above.

They're easy and very simple to make up. Used the French Seams on them. I botched up on one of the gambling bags. The side French Seam ended up on the outside, so I simply turned it into a Flat-Felled Seam by sewing it down to look like the seams used on the sides of dungarees.

The main difference between these two seams is that the French Seams are on the inside of the garment, not sewn down, and the Flat-Felled Seams are on the outside, and sewn down. They're actually done in different ways, too. So, my Flat-Felled Seam is actually a False Flat Felled Seam on that one bag, to confuse you moreso.

Sewing books, such as the Readers Digest Complete Guide to Sewing  has step by step instructions with diagrams telling you how to make the two different seams up. This book even tells you how to do up the buttonhole pretty much the same way I did them up on these bags too.

I call that book my "Sewing Bible" and refer it it every once in a while when needed and not sure which way to make something up. My book of same is the older version which has the Tailoring section in the back of it.  It's the 1984 issue, the 10th printing. The newer versions seemed to have dropped that section on Tailoring from the book to update the book to make room for the newer methods of sewing, like serging and the like.

Buttonhole-like buttonholes are done up by using the seam on this bag. An inch is left open in the seam, which is hand-pressed in that area and zig-zagged around the hole.  When doing the French Seam and the Flat Felled seams that area for the button hole open has to be left open, too. I used straight pins to mark off the area for doing same when doing up those seams.

When using 2 inches for the casting for the ribons, shoestrings or the like, the buttonhole is just below where the fabric is folded down when making up the 1 inch buttonhole opening on same. So, the buttonhole opening is located 2 to 3 inches down from the top of the fabric.

A half of an inch is turned under on the folded down section when making the ribbon casting.  I also ran  a second row, which is an additional row of stitching across the top edge, sorta like you see on gathered curtains, with only about being about a quarter of an inch from the top edging. The bag instructions don't tell you to do that step. Just something extra that I did.

 The fabric strips were 30 inches long by 14 to 15 inches wide (3 across the width of the fabric for 3 bags) which were folded in half to make squares. They ended up not being quite square when completed. Used a yard of ribbon for the drawstrings that were drawn through the castings with a large 2 inch long safety pin.

You can see the white stitches going down the side of the gambling bag (cards & wheels print) when clicking on the photo up above, to enlarge to enlarge it. That seam resembles the Flat Felled Seams that are used on dungarees.  The gambling bag would be a great one for going to AC (Atlantic City, NJ) when one doesn't want to carry a large bag and just the bare necessities too.