Here is a super easy and quick tutorial to make this fun jewelry bag just in time for travel season. I made a bunch of these for all the ladies in the family about twenty years ago. Some of them, myself included, still use it today. It's a pretty simple drawstring bag with a twist. You'd be amazed at how much jewelry it holds! Inside there is a large, padded center and eight pockets. When you pull the drawstring to close it up, everything stays in it's place. Let's get started!
Supplies
3/8 yard fabric "A" or two fat quarters (outside of bag and pockets)
3/8 yard fabric "B" or two fat quarters (lining for bag and pockets)
2 yards of 1/4" wide ribbon or thin cording
2 1/2" round facial buff sponge (found in cosmetic dept)
--You can also cut out a 2 1/2" circle from batting if you prefer
Thread to match fabric
Facial sponges I used
General sewing supplies such as needles, pins, measuring tools, cutting tools, fabric marking pencils, sewing machine, iron
Instructions
1. Iron fabrics.
2. Cut one 13" circle and one 11" circle from each fabric. Take the large circle made from fabric "B" and fold it in half. Mark the fold at each edge with a pin. With the right side facing up, measure 5/8" down and draw a 1/2" long line. Fold the circle in fourths and cut a tiny snip (about 1/4") at the corner. It is important that this is a tiny snip because it is only for turning your fabric right side out. When open, it shouldn't be any bigger than an inch opening. Repeat the snipped corner with fabric "B".
3. Using a sewing machine make a buttonholes on the 1/2" line that you made on the large circle. I like to make my buttonholes using the manual method instead of the buttonhole foot because I feel like I have more control. Using a seam ripper, make the slit in the buttonhole. I place a pin at the top so that I don't cut through the stitching at the end. The correct placement of the buttonhole should be 5/8" from the outer edge of the circle.
4. Place your large circles together with right sides together and stitch all the way around the circle, 1/2" from the edge. Trim away excess seam allowance about 1/8" from stitching. Turn right side out through the square and iron. Repeat this step with the smaller circles. Top stitch around each circle 1/8" from outer/seamed edge.
5. Fold the smaller circle into fourths and mark the exact center on the side that matches the outside of the bag (fabric "A"). Lay the circle on a flat surface with that side up. Draw lines to make eight sections just like you would if you were cutting a pizza. Center this piece over the bigger circle with the bigger circles lining side facing up and secure with a couple of pins.
6. Place the buff sponge on top in the exact center. Draw around the sponge then slip the sponge between the two circles and secure with a pin. Be sure to be using a disappearing or water soluble marking pin or a chalk that you can brush away. Take to the sewing machine and stitch on that circle. I found the zipper foot worked best for this part.
7. Stitch on the straight lines from the edge of the sponge to the edge of the smaller circle. Remove all the markings when finished. You've just made your padded center and eight pockets.
8. Thread the ribbon through the two buttonholes using a small safety pin. Insert the ribbon into the first buttonhole, then come out the second one. Pull out the excess ribbon leaving a loop sticking out where you started about three inches in size. Insert the ribbon back into the hole you just came out of and thread all the way around. Bring it back out through the hole that doesn't have the loop. You will have one buttonhole with the "loop" and the other hole will have two tails. Tie the two tails into a knot about four or five inches from the bag and cut away the excess. Pull the loop and the tails you just made to close the bag!
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