Craft Project: Leaf Drawstring Bag

As promised, here's the tutorial for the leaf drawstring bag.

Copy the template above and print it out. It should fit on 8 1/2" by 11" page. Using the template, cut out two pale green leaves and two dark green leaves.

Using a contrasting green thread, top stitch the leaf veins onto one of the dark green leaves. This will be the front of the bag. Click on the image if you're having trouble seeing the detail.

Pin together a dark green leaf and a light green leaf with right sides together. Sew a straight line across the top of the leaves 3/8" from the edge (refer to picture). Make two sets of these.

Open up the leaves and press the seam.

Pin both leaf sets right sides together. Make sure to match up the colors. Sew all the way around with a 1/4" seam allowance. Leave a small opening to turn the piece right side out. Make sure the opening is on the lining (light green).

Turn right side out.

Tuck the light green leaf into the inside of the dark green leaf. You should now have a leaf shaped pouch that is lined.

Now you will sew the casing. This part is a little tricky because the opening of the bag isn't that wide. The measurements for the casing are 1" and 1/2" from the top edge.

In between the casing stitches on the side seams of the bag, use a seam ripper to open a hole on each side of the bag.

Tie a piece of ribbon to a safety pin. Thread the ribbon through the opening and all the way around the bag to where you started. Do this again with another piece of ribbon starting at the other opening.

You should now have something that looks like the above picture.

Done.