There's a PLETHORA of adorable printed polyester shirts in the world. Everyone knows polyester is a terrible fabric choice as it can be really hot to wear AND it doesn't biodegrade meaning it often ends up polluting the planet at some point.
I have quite a few lingering in my closet from my early career, before I knew how uncomfortable they are. So I decided to save them from a sad, unloved life in thrift stores or landfills and turn them into cute drawstring pouches! Huzzah for free materials!
I made these with French seams, a (optional) lining, and casing for the drawstring. If you can learn to wrangle these silky polys, you can do anything! You can practice your French seams with standard cottons if you're intimidated by silky fabrics. They're definitely not beginner friendly, so be patient with yourself if it's a first!
Difficulty: Intermediate/Confident Beginner
Supplies
Silky polyester shirt or dress
Lining fabric of similar weight (optional, mine is a poly dress lining remnant)
Drawstring (shoestring, ribbon, cording, bias tape, etc)
Safety pin
Sewing machine needle: 60/9 or 70/10, if similar fabric as me
Rotary cutter is helpful for straighter cuts
General sewing supplies
Deconstruct your material so that you have the simplest, flat fabric panels as possible. Usually this requires cutting up the side seams and shoulder seams in a shirt/dress or the side, crotch, and waist band of pants.
Based on my fabric shapes and sizes, I determined that I would be able to make 3 medium sized bags that are roughly the same size. Cut rectangles from your fabric, you can cut 1 big enough that can be folded over OR you can cut 2 that are the same size per bag. It will depend on the size of your material!
If you need/want a liner like me, go ahead and cut a 2nd rectangle (or set of rectangles) in a matching size as your first fabric.
Sew your fabrics wrong sides facing (this is opposite from normal!) If you're using a folded rectangle, you will sew up the 2 sides. If you're using 2 rectangles, sew around the bottom 3 edges. Trim your seam allowance and clip the corners!
Flip your bag, right sides out. Sew along the edges a 2nd time, making sure that the inner seam is caught in it's own pocket. This is what will keep the fabric from unraveling! Repeat the same steps for the lining.
You should have something that looks like this now!
Prior to making the casing, I basted my lining and outer bag together. The fabrics are really slippery so I used a bit of cardboard to get them to line up better. You can even up your edges now too. I made my lining a lot longer (I wasn't sure how I was constructing it yet) that I cut off the excess at this time.
For the casing, cut a strip of fabric slightly longer then the diameter (opening) of your bag by roughly 2" wide. Roll the edges and sew them. Fold in half lengthwise and finger press or use a cool iron to get a center seam.
There's a few ways you can attach the casing!
Opt 1: Easiest, pin the casing to the opening of the bag with the bag right side out.
Use lots of pins/clips, it may seem like overkill but this fabric is SLIPPERY!
Sew 1 round of regular stitches....
then sew a 2nd row of zizag over the raw edges.
Opt 2: More fiddley, iron your casing so that the raw edges are folded inward and looks more like bias tape.
Sew the same way as bias tape or be brave/lazy (like me) and try to sew it in 1 go with it sandwiched around the bag opening. Proceed at your own risk, you'll prob need a seam ripper to redo a few sections!
Opt 3: A backup plan in case you fudge up Opt 1 like me and do more French seams! If you accidentally sew your casing on with your bag inside out, you will get something that looks like this, a mess edge on the outside.
To fix, leave your bag right side out, but flip down the casing edge. Sew the previous seams so that they're in a pocket.
Flip the casing back up and your raw edge should be hidden now!
Mine looks a tad clunky on the inside as it was an experimental fix, but I think this could be a very nice way to finish an extra fancy bag if done intentionally!
Since you can't tell the difference from these 3 techniques on the outside, below is a side by side comparison of the insides! Opt 2 and Opt 3 are the nicest finishes
We're in the home stretch! Pick a ribbon or cording to go with your bags and thread it through your casing by attaching a safety pin to the ribbon and pushing it through the casing. I like finishing the edges of my synthetic fraying ribbons by holding the edges over a flame to lightly melt it, but you do you!
And that's all there is to it! Now you have some super cute drawstring bags to organize your life or to gift your awesome handmade gifts. I love giving gifts in handmade bags like this, people often ask to keep them as a bonus gift or to reuse themselves!
If you try this project, I'd love to see! Tag @Sunny_Salvage on Instagram or Facebook and follow me on Pinterest for more upcycling ideas! Hope this inspires you to recycle your polyester clothes!
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