How to Make a Drawstring Backpack
…From a Tea Towel!
Drawstring backpacks are the perfect way to carry the essentials without weighing you down!
Turning a tea towel, hand towel, or fat quarter into a simple drawstring bag is easier than you think!
Drawstring backpacks, the underdog…
With tons of options to choose from when it comes to carrying things, a drawstring backpack might be low on your list, if it’s even on it at all!
Tote bags, purses/pocketbooks, backpacks, and messenger bags are usually the default selections.
But what do you do if you want to bring just a few select items and don’t want to have to worry about lugging around a purse or tote?
A drawstring backpack may be the right option in those instances. For example, my family loves bringing drawstring backpacks to amusement parks and on day trips.
I, like most, overpack my purse with the essentials needed in my day-to-day. I don’t want to completely empty my purse only to fill it with the few items I will need for a day trip to an amusement park!
I also don’t want to drag its 5 pounds through the park all day and worry about something getting stolen!
A drawstring backpack solves this problem!
I can place a few items in a drawstring backpack and wear it on my back all day without weighing me down.
I also love them because they work great for kids! My children love using them to carry beach toys or items they find on a hike!
These bags are so simple and can be made in just about an hour.
Let me show you how!
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List of Supplies:
Makes: 1 Medium Drawstring Backpack
Estimated Time: 30-60 minutes per bag
Sewing skills needed/used: Straight stitch, boxed corners, grommet installation, topstitching, sewing a channel
Skill Level: Beginner-Intermediate
For this tutorial, I will use the dimensions I drafted my bags out of. You can alter the amounts depending on the size of your tea towel (or hand towel).
1 Tea towel (or decorative hand towel)
Lining fabric measuring 17” x 14”
Outer bottom fabric 10” x 13 1/2” (this should be a more durable fabric like canvas, duck canvas, faux leather, etc)
Interfacing of your choice in the same amount as your tea towel (I used lightweight fusible interfacing)
2 1/2 yards of cording
Sewing Machine
Ruler
Pinking shears (optional)
Fabric pins or clips
Grommet kit (4 grommets will be used)
X-Acto knife (optional)
Fabric pen
Hammer
How to Make Drawstring Backpacks
Step 1:
Gather the supplies.
Step 2:
Unpick the hems on the towel and press the hems flat.
*This step is optional. If you have a small tea towel (like I did) you will get another 1” - 1 1/2” of material from unrolling the hems.
This allowed me to utilize the whole towel and the original hem was used as my seam allowance after the material was squared and cut to size.
Here is the hem that I removed. It was folded over twice and I was able to utilize that space for trimming and seam allowance.
*This image is from another tea towel project, but the results for this project were the same.
Step 3:
Cut the tea towel to size and cut the interfacing to match. Then, iron the interfacing to the WRONG sides of the towels
To do this, I measured the length of my towel, divided by two, and cut my towel in half. Then, I laid my pieces on top of each other, measured the width, and trimmed each side accordingly.
My finished measurements were 12” x 13 1’2”.
Step 4:
Cut your outer bottom fabric to size.
To do this, I folded my fabric in half and cut out 10” x 13 1/2”.
*I cut the price on the fold (so I only measured down 5” to the fold) and intend to keep the fold in place. There are other ways to box out the bottom of a bag as I did in my Fabric Gift bags and my Tea Towel Totes.
Step 5:
Sew the outer bottom fabric to the outer top fabric.
To do this, place both pieces of fabric with the RIGHT sides together and stitch together using a 1/4” seam allowance.
Step 6:
Press the seam allowance to the top of the bag and then topstitch the allowance down.
To do this, I used a 1/8” seam allowance to secure the seam allowance underneath.
*Not only does this help reinforce the seam, but it provides the bag with a professional appearance.
Step 7:
Line up the seams and stitch the side seams together using a 1/4” seam allowance. Then, turn RIGHT side out.
To do this, I matched up the seam line where the bottom fabric meets the top fabric. Once that pin was in place, I pinned along the rest of the side seam.
Step 8:
Insert holes near the side seams to serve as channel openings.
To do this, I decided to use my buttonhole foot to create four holes (one on each side of the side seams) for my cording to go through.
First, I measured down 2” and placed a small mark with a removable pen.
I wanted to give my self enough space to account for the seam allowance for the top of the bag (I still have to attach the lining).
You can see the mark 2” is at the bottom of the buttonhole. This leaves me a 1” allowance to attach and topstitch the lining to the outer shell.
I spaced my buttonholes roughly 1/2” away from the side seams.
Once the buttonholes are sewn, I used an X-Acto knife to carefully cut down the centers.
Step 9:
Measure out the lining fabric, cut, and stitch up the side seams and bottom seams with the RIGHT sides facing each other, leaving a 3” gap in the bottom seam for turning.
My lining measurements were 17” x 14”
Step 9:
Stitch the lining to the outer fabric and topstitch the top of the bag.
To do this, I placed the outer bag shell RIGHT side out inside the lining. The lining was WRONG side out. This way the RIGHT sides of the bag and lining were facing each other.
I stitched along the top of the bag using a 1/4” seam allowance. Then, I turned the bag inside out and topstitched the bag to keep the lining in place.
***I recommend topstitching a bottom to the channel, roughly 1” down. I sewed mine 1/2” down from the top and my cords had just enough space to be threaded in.
Step 10:
Turn the bag inside out and insert the grommets.
I measured in 1” x 1” and placed installed the grommets.
For step-by-step instructions on how to insert grommets, see this post.
Step 11:
Measure out and attach the straps.
To do this, I measured out two 40” strips of cording, looped it through the top channel, fed it through the grommets (threading it from the front of the bag to the back), and secured it with a basic knot.
I removed the outer casing of the cording to give it a tasseled appearance.
That’s it!
Your Tea Towel Drawstring Backpacks are complete!
Hot Tips…
Tape the ends of the cording to prevent it from fraying when you cut it.
Use a safety pin to help thread the cording through the channel. It is much easier to feel and grip a safety pin than it is to feel the cording in the channel.
Pressing your seams will only help give your bag a more professional look.
Strap length is entirely customizable. You can make longer or shorter straps depending on your taste.
You can use a hand towel with any kind of nap (the length of the fuzzy pieces) or you can use scraps of fabric!
Adding pockets, embroidery, or embellishments should be done before the lining is attached to the outer shell of the bag.
If you don’t want to place buttonholes in your bag, you can leave small gaps in the side seams as I did in these bags.
I used a grommet piece as the gauge for the length of my buttonhole.
Things I would do differently…
This bag turned out to be easier than I thought it would!
First, I want to personalize it (just like my Tea Towel Totes)
This is the simplest way to make a bag feel unique. Adding a name or special element to the bag will only make it feel like it was destined for a person.
Personalization can come in many forms, from adding a name to adding rhinestones or a key chain. The sky is the limit on how you want to personalize your bag.
Additionally, I want to add a small zippered pocket to my next backpack.
You never know you want pockets until you don’t have them! While this bag is wonderful and perfectly functional, it would be better with pockets (I mean really everything’s better with pockets)!
Overall, this project is a great project for beginners because it doesn’t involve a lot of additional techniques. The best thing about these bags is that they already have a design on them, so there’s no need to add anything else! Simply sew and go! And as a bonus, they would make great gifts!
I really hope you enjoyed this make! If you did please consider subscribing to my newsletter, so you never miss a new project!
If you make a drawstring backpack, make sure you tag them with #DarkkFluriDIY so I can see your creations!
