Today I am sharing a Flannel Drawstring Shoe Bag Pattern with optional separated compartments. This project came about due to true necessity as a way of keeping Fairy’s tap shoes un-scuffed and show ready.
The girls take a lot of dance and with a lot of dance comes a lot of shoes, all different kids of shoes. Their duffel bags are overflowing. During the school months they do get assigned a locker in the dance studio so that they don’t have to bring all of their shoes home every night. But Fairy-girl’s favorite style of dance is TAP and it is hard to tap without your shoes, so she won’t leave them in the studio. Her tap shoes bump around in the bottom of her duffel bag every day allowing her to practice again when she gets home. When she was younger and had cheaper, lighter weight shoes this wasn’t really an issue, but the stacked heels on her heavy adult tap shoes are very rough on the leather of the other shoes in her bag, including the other tap shoe.
To help keep them in show ready condition, I decided to make her a Drawstring Shoe Bag with individual slots for her tap shoes. Now they can knock around in her big duffel bag without damaging any other shoes or each other. This drawstring shoe bag pattern works well for adult women shoes with the separating seam or men’s shoes without it. See notes below for sizing.
Materials for Drawstring Shoe Bag Pattern:
- 2 corresponding fat quarters (18×21 in) of fabric
- 6 feet of grosgrain ribbon or cording
- Matching thread
Basic Sewing Supplies Needed for Drawstring Shoe Bag Pattern:
- Sewing machine
- Rotary cutter
- Straight edge
- Cutting mat
- Straight pins and safety pin
- Scissors
- Iron and ironing board
Choosing Fabric for the Drawstring Shoe Bag Pattern:
I like to collect fat quarters of fabric. These days, I don’t have much room to store extra fabric in my craft room, which is now shared with my daughters’ dance practice space. I only have a few tupperware containers in the closet that contain fabric for works in progress and some scraps. Rather than buying fabric by the yard, lately I have found myself collecting fat quarters of fabric. I tend to buy them in groupings of 5-8 fabrics that coordinate together. They are easy to store and often provide just enough fabric for a quick sewing project. The Drawstring Shoe Bag Pattern uses 2 fat quarters.
I decided to use a heavier weight flannel for my Drawstring Shoe Bag Pattern. The flannel will be soft on the leather and comes in adorable prints. But keep in mind, if you your flannel is too light weight it will not hold up as well to repeated uses. Calico fabric, velvet, fleece, or light weight corduroy fabric would also work.
You will need two different fabric prints for you Drawstring Shoe Bag. For you main color, choose a print that doesn’t have noticeable direction. The main fabric will be folded in half and appear on the front and bag of the Drawstring Shoe Bag. It will also be used for the drawstring cord band. The secondary fabric can be any contrasting fabric that coordinates with the main fabric color. It can be directional.
Directions for Cutting Out Drawstring Shoe Bag Pattern:
The easiest way to cut out your fabric is by using a rotary cutter, straight edge, and cutting mat. If you do not have those tools available, sharp scissors will work.
- From your main fabric, cut out (1) 15 x 18 inch piece for the main part of the bag.
- Using the left over main fabric section, cut out (2) 15 x 2 inch pieces for the cord band.
- Cut out (2) 15 x 10 inches pieces from the secondary color for the top panels.
Directions for Sewing the Drawstring Shoe Bag Pattern:
I use 3/8″ seam allowances. All measurements listed below are rounded.
Drawstring Shoe Bag Pattern Main Body
First you will need to sew one top panel to each end of the main bag piece creating a long 15 x 37 inch rectangle. Due this by lining up the 15″ long sides with right sides together and pin in place. If your secondary fabric has a direction to the pattern, be sure to have the top side in towards the middle of the main piece of fabric while the wrong sides are together. This way it will be at the top when you fold it up after sewing the seam.
Sew the two seams. Fold open and iron seams flat. Set aside main bag piece.
Drawstring Shoe Bag Pattern Attaching Cord Bands
Now prep the (2) cord bands. Fold under the edges 1/2″ and sew the edge down. You will now have (2) 14 x 2 inch bands with finished edges.
Iron under one long edge of each band 1/2 inch.
To attach the cord bands to the bag body, start by laying out the bag body right side up on your cutting mat. If you don’t have a cutting mat you will need to use a tape measure. Place the first cord band, right side down with the open edge lined up 4 inches from the top of the top panel on one side of the main bag body section.
Center it so that there is a 1/2 inch gap on either side. Pin in place.
Sew across the open edge that is lined up at the 4″ height. Fold it up and iron flat.
Across the top of the cord band about 1/4″ from the edge, sew the folded edge of the band down. Sew a second seam closer to the edge of the band.
Repeat for the cord band on the other side.
Finishing the Drawstring Shoe Bag Pattern
Fold the main bag body panel in half so that the wrong sides are out and the top panels are lined up at the top edge. Starting at the top edge, sew down each side of the bag 3/8″ from the edge to the fold. Be careful not to catch the cord band in the seam so that you don’t sew it closed. Repeat on the other side.
Fold top of the bag down 1/2″ and iron. Fold it under again another 1/2″ and iron. Starting at a side seam, sew the top edge fold in place by going all the way around the whole bag. This will create a nice finished edge to the top of your bag.
Flip the bag right side out. Iron the bag if you would like.
If you would like to create a separate slot for each shoe so that they don’t knock together in the drawstring shoe bag, sew a seam in the middle of the bag starting at the fold and ending just below the cord band. The easiest way to mark the sewing line up the center is to fold the bag in half and iron it folded. Then open it up. This will create a nice straight fold line that you can follow. You can add 1/2″ of zig-zag stitching near the cord band to help reinforce the top edge.
Note About Sizing:
If you do add the separating seam, it will reduce the size of the shoes that fit in the bag. This pattern with the separation works well for adult women’s shoes or kids shoes. If you are making the bag for larger men’s shoes or shoes with high heels, you may have to increase the width of the bag or eliminate the separating seam. Extra large shoes may also require more length. This drawstring shoe bag pattern as written does accommodate my husband’s size 10.5 dress oxfords.
Adding the cording to the Drawstring Shoe Bag Pattern
Cut your grosgrain ribbon or cording into (2) 3 foot sections. Attach a safety pin to the end of the cord. Starting at one edge of the bag, thread the cord through the cord band. Flip the bag over and thread the cord through the cord band on the back.
The two edges of the cord should now meet. Tie them together. Repeat with the second cord starting at the opposite edge.
Uses for the Drawstring Shoe Bag Pattern:
Although I designed this Drawstring Shoe Bag Pattern for my daughter’s tap shoes, it would make a great gift for anyone who travels frequently. It allows you to pack shoes in your main suitcase without worrying about them getting clothes dirty. It would also be great for golf shoes, tennis shoes, or other sports where you often change into your sports shoes once arriving to play. If you make this pattern, we would love to hear how you use your Drawstring Shoe Bag in the comments.
