Sewing isn’t my favourite creative activity. I’m more prone to hot glue something than whip out my sewing machine. That said, I can sew a straight line, so when I was organizing my packing for an upcoming trip, I decided to make myself a couple shoe bags. Shoe bags help keep your clothes from getting dirty from the soles of your shoes. And they’re pretty. I had some leftover fabric scraps sitting around, so that’s what I used, but if I was shopping for fabric, I’d probably make these out of something softer like velvet or velour, and less likely to show dirt. The one good thing about these cotton bags is that they weigh next to nothing, which is a bonus for travelling.
getting my materials together
I started with a rectangle roughly 12” x 37”. My shoes are size nine. You can scale this up if you have large shoes or boots or man feet.
Fold your fabric together on the long end, right sides together. Pin.
fabric folded and pinned
Sew up each side, leaving a gap where you will later insert your drawstring. Your gap should be 1” long, and 4.5” down from the open end, which will be the top of the bag.
gap left for drawstring
Iron your seams flat so your hem sits more cleanly.
seams ironed flat
Fold the top edges of the bag down roughly 3” and pin in place if you have slippery material. Iron the fold flat if you like.
hem on top of bag
sew above and below the gap in the hem
Now you want to sew the hem that you just made. Sew one on the top of the 1” gap you left in the side seam, and another at the bottom of the gap.
gap where you thread the rope or ribbon
If you’d like to keep your shoes separate, now sew a seam up the middle of your bag, to the bottom hem stitch.
sew a seam up the middle of the bag, stopping at the hem
Cut your cord or ribbon for the drawstring. You’ll need two 3’ pieces. If you use a nylon cord, put the end briefly in a flame so it doesn’t unravel. Place a large safety pin through the end of each length of cord.
inserting the ribbon
Starting at one gap, thread your ribbon through to the other opening, then back to where you started. Then do the same thing with the other ribbon, starting and ending on the opposite side.
adding the second ribbon
Knot your two ribbon ends together. If you like, dab glue or clear nail polish on the edges of your ribbon to stop your ribbon ends from fraying.
ribbons knotted together
You’re done! Put your shoes inside and keep your clothes clean.
finished bags!
This seems like such a good idea, will have to take a look at it!
Awesome!!! X
Thanks, Keri!