Monday, May 26, 2008

Drawstring Bag for Kids



Hi! I just finished up this drawstring bag, and it looks pretty good if I do say so myself. :) It's made with two strands of acrylic worsted weight yarn held toghether throughout (except for the handle) and a size L hook. It took almost the whole skein of veriegated yarn, so if you had a skein of veriegated (5 oz. Red Heart pictured) and a solid skein (just under 5 oz. partial skein) then you should have no problem making this. You can always make them larger as well. This one holds 6 large, 7 oz. skeins of Red Heart yarn inside, to give you an idea of size. I designed these to be used for bags to hold goodies for the kids in foster care. I'm going to use ziplock baggies probably, for holding anything small like crayons in the bag, as the holes are definately big enough for things to slip through. I'm also looking for anyone who might like sewing enough to do some linings for these. Without further ado, here's the very basic pattern (please, you can sell items made from this if you wish, but don't sell the pattern) If you like this pattern a lot, feel free to make one and send to our group here. This has not been tested by anyone but me, so let me know if you find any errors. Thank you!


Materials:

5 oz. each of 2 contrasting colors (veriegated pictured, but 2 solids, or even two of the same color would work just fine)


L hook (K, M, L, N, all would work just fine, whatever is comfortable for you


Directions:

Row 1:ch 4, in 4th chain from hook, work 11 dc join with sl st in top of ch 3


Row 2: ch 3, 2 dc in same space as joining, and in each dc around (24 dc, the ch 3 space doesn't count) join to top of first dc (skip the ch 3)


Row 3: ch 3, 2 dc in same space as joining, 1 dc in next dc, 2 dc in next dc, 1 dc in next dc, around. (36 dc total) again, join in top of first dc in this row and every row from here out.


Row 4: ch 3, 2 dc in same space as joining, 1 dc in each of next 2 dc, 2 dc in next dc, around


Row 5: repeat row 4


Row 6: ch 3, 1 dc in same space as joining, and in each dc around. Work these in the back loop only of the row, and it will make a little ridge that will be on the outside. This helps the bag stand up a little better, and gives it a little decoration I guess. :)


Row 7-desired height (I did 13 rows of dc in the picture): ch 3, 1 dc in same space as joining, and in each dc around, going through both loops. You could definately do a row where you go just in the back loops again if you like, just change it up and be creative.


Last row: 2 dc in each dc, to make a frill edge. Leave out if for a boy.


Handle:

With one color, and H hook, make long tail (10 inches or so, do NOT weave this in yet, it will be used to sew the handle to the bag at the end) ch 40-45 (I did 40 and I think it's ok, but could have been a little longer)


sk first ch, and sc in each ch to end


continue, sc rows until piece is about 1 1/2 inches, or about 6 rows. I would suggest, making it an even number of rows, and then making a long tail when you finish off. This way, there is a long tail on each end of the handle, that you can use to sew it to the purse.


Sew one end of the purse (whipstitch is what I did) along the ridge row, and the other end along the row just before the frilly row.


Drawstring:

Make a drawstring by chaining enough so that it is about 4" longer than going around the top edge of the purse. Finish off, weave in ends, and tie the two ends of the drawstring together. This isn't how I did this drawstring, but I didn't like how I did it. There are a number of ways to do a drawstring, so just do what you're comfortable with if you don't like long chain rows. I also will do a long string, then twist it, until it twists on itself, tie a knot, and weave it through.


Enjoy!

No comments: