Design
It was difficult for me to wrap my head around the folds and inside-out construction. My initial sketches during this stage attempted to show an outside final view while using dotted lines to show the interior stitches, but that didn’t translate well. After researching some online patterns I realized it made more sense to show the inside view and draw the steps out.
The webpage that I ended up taking a lot of instruction from was Amy Smart: Diary of a Quilter’s article “Easy Fat Quarter Drawstring Bag Tutorial”: www.diaryofaquilter.com/easy-fat-quarter-drawstring-bag-tutorial/. I especially liked how these instructions included adding a gusset (boxed bottom) to the bag.
Prototype
I completed my first prototype with one piece of muslin, and my second prototype with one piece of thicker green fabric and a rectangle of stiff yellow canvas, both of which I found in UW makerspace fabric scrap bins.
Analysis
I made a major mistake on the first prototype: I had folded over the top drawstring casing all the way (rather than correctly folding it over halfway), which meant the drawstring casing was completely inside the bag. Though this frustrated me, I was still glad this happened because it gave me a much better understanding of what happens to the folds in the bag when I flip it inside out. I didn’t make the same mistake the second time!
With my final prototype, I constructed the bag correctly and I even decided to add a canvas rectangle to the inside of the bag to stiffen the boxed shape. This was difficult since I didn’t have any pattern or instruction to go off of, so I had to figure out on my own how to stitch the rectangle to the inside of the bag.
I also used a thick cotton rope because I felt like it gave a good grip as a bag strap and it had a lot of friction with the fabric, which made the bag close tighter.
I user tested my bags with two peers and heard that they appreciated the thicker material and the thick rope for the final prototype because it made the bag seem sturdy. They thought that this bag would be great for holding a phone, especially with the long strap. They also were curious if the mistake in the first prototype might actually work okay—the drawstring would be coming from the inside, which they thought might be interesting.
Unfortunately, the fabric began opening up near the casing because of the wear-and-tear of opening and closing the bag. In future iterations, I hope to improve on my stitching so that there is less damage from that—perhaps stitching deeper and with more folds, and using pinking shears. I’m also excited to try making a double-drawstring bag, because I feel that allows more control from the user to tighten the bag.