Tuesday Tutorial - Self Lining Little Bags

I've been making little bags to give as gifts and also to put gifts in. Some I made from handkerchiefs, others from square pieces of fabric. Recipients have asked me how I make them and maybe someone who reads this blog is also wondering the same thing. 

First, you need a handkerchief or square.  This one is 16 inches square, but some are smaller or bigger.

You can add a decorative bit, but you don't have to.

Fold the square in half, with right sides together and stitch along the long side. I did this one on the sewing machine, but have done others by hand.

Next, put the seam in the middle, and sew along the short sides, leaving a small unstitched part for turning the bag right sides out (upper left corner in this photo).

It looks like this when turned. Give it a quick press if you want.  This pink handkerchief was rather wrinkly.

Next, poke the top half to the inside to form the lining of the bag.

The inside/lining looks like this.

I recently made one with a zipper to close, but usually I do a little draw string. I stitched around the top, about 3/4 of an inch, to make the draw string space.

After unstitching the seam at the back, I use a pin to pull the string around. The handkerchief has finished edges, but if I used a cut square of fabric, I would turn under the fabric at the seam to prevent it from unraveling.

Here is the finished bag. It's a quick finish.

Here are two more I made from handkerchiefs, front and back.  They really do finish up quickly.