You can never have enough storage space for toys and these drawstring bags are both functional and pretty. Made from oddments of fabric sewn together and decorated with a cute fabric flower, you can simply throw toys in them at the end of the day and hang on a peg rail. They would work equally well for storing gym kit or ballet shoes.
Take 1.5-cm/½-in. seam allowances throughout unless otherwise stated.
2 hours
1. Cut a 45 x 18-cm/17½ x 7-in. piece of each of the three co-ordinating fabrics. With right sides together, machine stitch them together along their long edges. Press the seams open. Machine stitch one ribbon over each seam on the right side. Press.
2. Cut a 48 x 45-cm/19 x 17½-in. piece of fabric for the back of the bag. With right sides together, machine stitch the front and back together, leaving 7 cm/2¾ in. unstitched at the top of one side. Turn back the unstitched part of the side edges, so that it’s level with the stitching, and press. Trim the corners at the base of the bag to reduce bulk. Fold the top of the bag over by 1 cm/⅜ in. and again by 3 cm/1¼ in. Machine stitch close to the folded edge to create a channel, then turn the bag right side out.
3. Cut two 21-cm/8-in. lengths of ribbon and machine stitch together to create a double thickness. Stitch onto the middle of the back of the bag, just below the channel, folding the ends under by 1 cm/⅜ in. Thread the cord through the channel. Cut two 7 x 8-cm/2⅔ x 3-in. rectangles of fabric. With wrong sides together, fold each piece in half widthways and machine stitch along both sides. Turn right side out and turn under the top edge by 1 cm/⅜ in. Push the ends of the cord into this pocket and machine stitch along the top.
4. Using the template, cut two petal shapes from each of five different fabrics. Pin each pair together and machine stitch around the edge, leaving a small gap for turning. Turn right side out and make a few small stitches to gather at the end. Stitch the five petals together to form a flower, and hand stitch to the bag, with a button in the centre. Attach the tip of each petal to the bag by making a few small stitches at the back.
