If your fabric is creased or wrinkled, iron it before you cut the rectangle. If you’re new to sewing, practice making a drawstring pouch using old fabric. You can even cut up an old pillowcase to use for practice! To prevent the inside edges from fraying, cut the fabric with pinking shears. You can pick these up at a craft supply store or online.
Now, your rectangle measures 7 in × 9 in (18 cm × 23 cm). This will roughly be the dimensions of your fabric pouch.
If you don’t have sewing pins, use sewing clips.
Don’t forget to make a few backstitches before you start sewing the straight stitch and when you finish sewing the side. This locks your stitches in place, so they won’t unravel later. Remove the pins as you sew, so you don’t accidentally damage your machine by stitching over them.
Folding the top twice prevents the edge of the fabric from fraying and gives the closure edge a more polished look.
Remember to make a few backstitches when you start and stop sewing.
You can use shoelaces or the drawstring from an old bag, too.
It’s fine to use just 1 drawstring—the pouch will close, but it will be a lot more secure with 2 drawstrings. It’s really important to tie the ends of the drawstring closed or it could slide back into the casing.
If you use a fabric like cotton or an acrylic blend, cut a matching piece of fusible interfacing and iron it onto the fabric. This adds support, so your folded pouch will be more stable. Make your rectangle larger if you’d like to sew a bigger pouch.
If you’d rather have a flat, straight folded edge, skip this step.
If you don’t have a sewing machine, this is simple to do by hand—try a blanket stitch or sew a zigzag stitch.
Some types of velcro have to be sewn, so check the product carefully when you’re shopping.
