Pillowcase Bags

How is this for a darlin' little bag?  Not only is this a great over night bag for girls, but it also makes a very cute bridesmaid gift because it is just the right size for make-up AND curling/flat irons, etc.  And let me tell you - SUPER easy to make.  I do a lot of things, but sewing isn't one of them, yet I was still able to pull this off - which means you CAN, too!

First, you need to decide how big you want your bag to be, and buy fabric and ribbon accordingly.  I used approximately 1 square yard of fabric and 1 1/2 yards of ribbon (1 1/2 in wide)  for each bag.

 Fold your fabric in half, inside-out, and sew together 2 adjacent sides.

 Trim off any excess, especially at the corners, then turn right-side-out and iron the seems flat.

Fold under the remaining edge twice to ensure no raw edges (basically, I folded the fabric down about 2 inches, then just tucked the raw edge under and pinned it into place).  If you haven't guessed, this is the pocket for your drawstring, so depending on the size of your ribbon, you may need to make it larger or smaller.  Also note that this will be the top of your bag.

 Sew it down (this is why I can do this simple sewing project - it's all straight lines, no curves, no buttons, no zippers!)

Fold in half, like a book, with the pocket you just made on the outside, or "cover" of the book (see below) Sew across the bottom and the side, but stop just BELOW your drawstring pocket, or you won't be able to thread your ribbon through!  

(Side note, I'm certain there is a better, and much more professional way to do this so that all of the seams would be between the two layers of fabric, and after having done this, I'm pretty sure I know what that is, but this is how I did it, and it's what I have pictures for, and it's still pretty dang cute, so I do promise to update this post whenever I get around to making more of these - how was that for a run-on sentence?!?)

Flip your bag right-side-out again. Depending on the type and size both your ribbon and fabric, it may or may not be easy to thread your ribbon, but here is how I did it - I folded my ribbon in half and pinned it with a safety pin.  Then I began to work the safety pin through the drawstring pocket.  This gave me something somewhat substantial to hold on to, so it really wasn't difficult at all (and "ease," as you may have figured out by now, is a necessity for any sewing project I'm even going to consider attempting!)

Tie it up, and there you go!