Fabrication PCB

Drawstring bags are one of those sewing projects that can transcend all purposes. You can make them to hold small objects, like those seasonal colored glass rocks that you fill your vases with. You can use them as gift bags to cover wine bottles, hold small jewelry boxes, or any size gift. You can make them for decorative items for your home or bath.

Whatever your reason for sewing a drawstring bag, you will discover that making one is super simple. The construction is sew simple, that you can easily modify your dimensions, fabric and string to create a huge variety of drawstring bags.

So, decide on the size of your bag first. Are you making to hold a wine bottle? Something small?

Then pick out your fabric. You’ll need a little more than twice your bag’s dimensions. So, if your bag will be 12″ by 5″, then you want fabric that is at least 24″ plus 1 1/2″ by 5″ plus 1″.

You’re also going to need some cord, ribbon, or whatever you plan on using for a drawstring. You will need the diameter of your bag plus at least 8″. In the example above, I am making a bag that is 5″ wide, so the diameter will be 10″. I will need 10″ plus 8″ of cord.

Once you have your dimensions, cord and your fabric, follow these easy step-by-step instructions below to learn how to sew a drawstring bag… within minutes (yes minutes) !

1. Cut your fabric so that the length is twice the finished length plus 1 1/2″.

Example: The finished width of my bag will be 12″. So I will cut my fabric to be 24″ plus 1 1/2″ long… 25 1/2″.

2. Cut your fabric so that the width is the finished width plus 1/2″.

Example: The finished width of my bag will be 5″. So I will cut my fabric to be 5″ plus 1/2″ wide… 5 1/2″.

3. Serge or overlock stitch the raw edges. If you don’t have an overlock stitch, you can sew a zig-zag stitch along your raw edges.

4. Fold the fabric in half… right sides together… wrong sides facing out… aligning the raw side edges and the raw top edges. The folded edge will be the bottom of your bag.

5. Press and pin if necessary.

6. On one side, sew all the way up the side edges with a 1/4″ seam. Be sure to back stitch in the beginning and end of the stitching to lock the stitch.

7. Measure down the other raw side edge 3/4″ and mark with a pin.

8. Sew a 1/4″ to sew the other side seam… but this time stop at the pin mark. Be sure to back stitch in the beginning and end of the stitching to lock the stitch.

9. Fold down the top raw edge a 1/4″ and press.

10. Fold down the top edge again 1/2″ and press. The folded edge created in step 9 should align with the mark made in step 7.

11. Starting at the mark made in step 7, stitch around the bag close to the folded edge created in step 9. This will create the pocket for your drawstring.

12. Turn the bag right side out and press well.

13. Slide your drawstring through the pocket. You may want to use some wire and a safety pin to help pull the cord through the pocket.

And your done! Pull the drawstring to gather the opening closed and tie.

Once you have the basics down, the possibilities are endless. You can sew sequins and beads to the fabric. So fringe around the top edge. Glue a glittery snowflake… handstitch a design, cut out fabric in shapes and press them to the bag with web adhesive. Create the fabric with a crazy quilt technique or a simple patchwork style. Use fancy fabrics like silk, velvet or lace.

A drawstring bag is super easy to make. The fun is making the design your own. Spend the time in the details and you’ll be sewing drawstring bags all the time.

And most importantly… have fun!

Jennifer Thoden has helped thousands of people just like you to successfully sew home decor and to decorate their homes beautifully. Click here for more exciting projects like this.

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Some couples decide to marry in the fall to take advantage of the beautiful fall foliage that can accent that background of any outdoor wedding and it is a delight to have a themed wedding favor to give your guests. A fall themed favor features the same colors and leaves of fall that work so well to add variety to your wedding. This one is a very simple picture frame.

You’ll need:

Enough simple, cheap frames for each of your guests

A large sampling of fall leaves, twigs, acorns and other plants that remind you of Fall

Spray adhesive

Hot glue gun

Acrylic gloss gel medium

Paint brush

You may want a mixture of fall leaves that are flat and that are really curled in. Spray just the picture frames with the spray adhesive. Next, spray the backsides of all of your flat fall leaves. This is a contact adhesive, so you need both objects to be coated with it for it to stick together really well. When the adhesive is slightly tacky to the touch you can begin pressing your flat fall leaves around the frame. The best leaves to use for this are leaves that are a little bit leathery and can be folded easily. It’s okay if they don’t wrap around the corners and just break though. You can apply the broken pieces to the sides.

Once this is done you should now be able to apply a coating of the acrylic gloss gel medium. This acrylic medium is opaque and a little bit gooey, but it dries clear and will leave a glossy shine on your leaves. You should also dip or simply brush the gel on the other fall materials that you will be applying to the picture frame at this time. Now, wait for everything to dry. It might take a few hours.

You can apply the rest of the fall materials to the picture frame with the glue gun when everything is completely dry, not tacky, dry to the touch. Just apply a little dot of the melted glue to the backs of your really curled leaves, tiny acorns and other items you gathered and press onto the leaf covered picture frame. Do it one object at a time, because the glue will harden and dry on the other objects.

Applying the fall materials at this point can be as creative as you like. If you want you can cover the entire frame with little acorn tops and twigs or just place an elegant little arrangement of acorns and curly leaves at the bottom corner. When the glue has dried and you’ve applied the materials to all of the frames you are finished. Go ahead and stick a picture of yourself and your fianc

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Surreptious opening of most envelopes sent through the mail takes
little effort and only minimal skill. Instructions are readily available on the Internet and in books suc as “CIA Flaps and Seals Manual”
(Paladin Press).

While your mail is in the hands of the postal service it is relatively secure from outside snooping but readily available to postal employees and the alphabet soup of government agencies that may, for whatever reason, take an interest in your private correspondence. If your mail is delivered to your home, perhaps to a box at the end of your driveway, someone can easily remove your mail before you do, unless you are waiting when the postment delivers it.

LET ME ASK YOU THIS…

If a private investigation or neighborhood snoop removed private letters from your mailbox, carefully opened them, recorded the contents, and then resealed them and returned them to your mailbox, would you know it?
If you received a letter in the mail on Wednesdays instead of tuesday, would you be aware that it had been missing that day?

HOW GOVERNMENT KEEP THEIR MAIL PRIVATE

When government agencies send sensitive material, they double-wrap it to prevent it’s surreptitious opening. The government procedure is to place the sensitive material in an envelope, seal all seams and edges with tape, and record appropriate addresses and security markings on the envelope.

This envelope is then placed into a second envelope, which then has all edges and seams sealed with tape. The outer envelope is addressed, but there are no security markings recorded on it. This is effective, but the outer envelope with all edges and seams sealed with tape stands out from ordinary mail.

HOW YOU SHOULD KEEP YOUR MAIL PRIVATE

For security of personal correspondence I recommend double-wrapping your private letters, but with a bit of a change. Instead of sealing just the edges of the inner envelope, i use clear sealing tape or clear packing tape.

1- Cut a lenght of tape twice the lenght of your inner envelope.
Place the tape on a table, adhesive side up. You may need two strips of sealing/packing tape to cover the entire width of the envelope (I was able to obtain 4-inch-wide packing tape, which works well for the smaller 3 5/8 x 6-inch personal correspondence envelopes, from a local moving company).

2- Now, after sealing your envelope, place it on the adhesive portion of the tape and then fold the tape around the envelope so that it covers all surfaces.Leave a slight edge of tape around the envelope so that you can have an adhesive-toadhesive seal. This type of seal, covering all surfaces of the envelope, is damn near impossible to get into in a surreptitious manner.

3- Now, place the sealed envelope in an out envelope and seal and address it normally.

The outer envelope doesn’t stand out from other letters, but your private correspondence sealed inside is protected from snoops.

Even the old tricks of using chemical sprays to make the envelope momentarily transparent won’t work because the inner envelope is completely wrapped in tape and therefore impenetrable by these sprays.

Max Penn is the man behind the respected Spy equipment buying guide site.
You can learn and benefit from his unique privacy, surveillance and antisurveillance knowledge
by signing up for his free spy equipment & techniques
newsletter at Spy Gear
& Tech Xpress Newsletter page

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