How to Sew a Gym or P.E. Bag

Simple drawstring bags have been used for gym (P.E.) for as long as everyone I know can remember. They are simple to make and quite sturdy, useful for school, swimming, trips to the gym or even the allotment! 

Here is my skew on a pattern for a lined drawstring bag that can go over your shoulders.

I made this one for my daughter who is about to start school this year. I thought it might be nicer to make her her own individual P.E bag rather than buy one of the cheap, all look the same and easily broken ones on offer at the school.

I lined this bag as the material she insisted I made it from, wasn't particularly strong - so if you have some good sturdy fabric you don't have to bother with a lining. Also this bag was made for a 5year old so if you need a slightly larger one just increase the material sizes to suit.

Materials

• 2 rectangles of fabric 40cm by 30cm for the outside of the bag.
• 1 rectangle of fabric for the lining, I used one piece 80cm by 30cm.
• 2.5 metres of cord cut in half.

Steps

1.    Iron a 1cm seam allowance on all sides of your fabric pieces. At the top of the fabric where the opening of the bag will be, iron over another 3cm, and then another 3cm again. This will be the guide for sewing the section to thread the cord through.

2.    Pin the 2 pieces of fabric for the outside of the bag together right-side in. Sew the bottom of the bag together end to end and then sew the sides, but leave the 7cm at the top of the bag free and also 1cm at the bottom on each side. This is where the cord will be threaded through to make the shoulder straps.

3.    If you are using a lining, sew the sides of the lining material together and leave 7cm at the top for the drawstring section. I stitched the lining into the bag at the top to reinforce the section that will get the most wear from being opened and closed.

4.    Turn the outside of the bag right-side out, place the lining inside and pin the top section to the outer material. (Make sure the lining is round the right way so the seams face inside the two layers of fabric, I made the mistake of putting the lining in right-side out so the seams were visible inside.)

5.   Stitch the top sections of both the outside and lining together to create a 3cm pocket through which to thread the cord.

6.    Thread both pieces of cord all the way through the top pocket of the bag both sides, the ends of each piece should come out on the same side.

7.    Adjust the length if needed and attach the ends of the cord into the holes at the bottom of the bag that were left from step 2. I put a few stitches though both ends to secure them together first, then placed them inside the bag. To attach securely make sure your stitches go through both pieces of cord and both sides of the bag at the bottom. This can be a little tricky to do neatly, I didn't sew through the lining for this part but I don't see why you can't do this if you choose.

8.    Tidy up the sides of the drawstring pocket at the top of your bag, fold under the edges and stitch in place, then stitch both sides together taking care not to put your needle through the cord.