Drawstring Backpack. Project Needs & Notes:

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1 Drawstring Backpack A handy drawstring bag made out of durable nylon fabric is perfect for camping trips, kids gear, and more! Add your favorite embroidery design to personalize it, too. Project Needs & Notes: - 1/2 yard nylon (for bag) - 1/4 yard nylon (for pocket) - 1/3 yard print lightweight canvas (pocket back and drawstring pockets) - 9" all-purpose zipper - Medium-weight cutaway stabilizer - Air-erase pen - Temporary spray adhesive - 2 1/2 yards cord (for straps) - 12" length of 1" wide strapping (for strap loops) - Safety pin Designs featured in this tutorial include: - M7608, Wild and Free Finished Size: 15" x 19" The video tutorial demonstrates how to embroider on nylon fabric. Instructions specific to the drawstring bag are below. Special Notes: I'm using rip-stop nylon to make the backpack -- you can also use sport nylon fabric. For the front of the pocket, draw a 9" x 7" rectangle on the rip-stop

2 nylon. A template, or printout of a design, is an excellent tool to help with placement. Print a template of the design from your embroidery software. If you do not have embroidery software, Wilcom's TrueSizer is a free program to use. Center the template inside the fabric as shown, allowing at least one inch of space between the outer edges of the design and the edge of the shape. Spray a piece of medium-weight cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive. Smooth the fabric on top, making sure it is laying nice and flat with no wrinkles.

3 Hoop both layers together, aligning the marks on the hoop with the marks on the fabric. Attach the hoop to the machine and load the design. Move the hoop so that the needle is directly over the center point on the fabric and embroider the design. When the design has finished, trim away the excess stabilizer on the backside of the embroidery. Cut out the shape. Cut another piece of nylon to 9" x 7". Fold the bottom edge of the fabric over 1/2" to the wrong side, align it with the top edge of the zipper, and pin in place. Also, turn the top edge of the embroidered fabric piece over 1/2" to the wrong side, align it with the bottom edge of the zipper, pin in place. Sew a seam along the folded edges sewing as close to the zipper as possible.

4 For the back of the pocket, lay the print cotton fabric flat with the wrong side facing up. Place the front pocket piece on top, wrong side facing up. Pin in place and cut around the shape of the front pocket piece. Open the zipper slightly and sew a 1/2" seam along the entire outer edge of the fabric. Turn the pocket right side out through the zipper. For the bag portion of the backpack, cut a piece of nylon to 17" x 36". Lay the fabric flat with the right side facing up. Place the pocket on top of the fabric, right side facing up, so the top edge of the pocket is about 10" from the top edge of the fabric. Center the pocket side to side and pin it in place. Sew a 1/4" seam along the entire outer edge of the pocket. To create the drawstring pockets, cut two pieces of print cotton to 16" x 5". On each fabric piece, turn the short ends in 1/2" to the wrong side and press with an iron. Also, turn the long side edges in 1/2" to the wrong side and press. Then, fold the fabric in half by aligning the long folded edges together, wrong sides together, and press.

5 Turn the short ends of the bag portion in 1/2" to the wrong side and insert them inside the drawstring pockets about 1/2". Pin in place and sew a 1/4" seam along the inner folded edges of the pockets. Fold the bag together, wrong sides together, aligning the drawstring pockets at the top of the bag. For the cord loops, cut two 6" lengths of 1" wide strapping. Fold the strapping into loops and insert them between the fabric layers of the bag about 2" up from the bottom fold. Allow the raw ends of the straps to extend 1/2" out past the edges of the fabric and pin them in place. Sew a 1/2" seam along the side edges of the bag (do not sew the top edge) -- sew back and forth over the loops to strengthen the seam. Turn the bag right side out. Add a safety pin to one end of the cord. Thread the cord through the front drawstring pocket.

6 Then, thread the cord directly through the back pocket and again directly through the front pocket. Allow equal lengths of the cord to extend out of each pocket. Thread each end of the cord through the cord loops at the bottom of the bag and tie the ends of the cord in place near the drawstring pocket openings. Slide the knot up or down to adjust the length of the straps. Pull on both straps to close the top of the backpack. And you're ready to explore!

7 This project is featured on the Embroidery Library Pinterest page. Pin it yourself using the "Pin It" button on this page. Questions or comments? Let us know! Send an to us; the address is