The man of the house travels occasionally for business. I have been meaning to make him some drawstring shoe bags to keep his shoes separated from the rest of his clothing within his suitcase. Last week when I saw him pack his shoes into a plastic grocery bag, I put shoe bags on the top of my sewing list! I have made the shoe bag from two contrasting fabrics, and generously sized to fit a pair of men’s shoes. I have not lined the bag so that it will be light for travelling.
Men’s shoe bags are a quick, beginner friendly, sewing project and would make a great gift for a traveller or for Father’s Day. If you are making a ladies shoe bag, they could be made a little smaller, depending on the style of shoes. Boots and wedges will need a larger bag.
Materials
If you would like to make your own, you will need:
- 1/2 yard of feature fabric (I used black/white houndstooth)
- fat quarter of contrasting fabric (I used blue spots).
- 1 1/4 yards of white cord for the drawstring
Method
1. Cut fabrics as follows:
Feature fabric:
- cut two squares measuring 15 x 15 inches
Contrasting fabric:
- cut two strips measuring 15 x 2 1/2 inches (channels for drawstring)
- Cut a rectangle measuring 15 x 10 inches (bag base)
2. Take one square of the feature fabric and the rectangle of contrasting fabric. Place them with the right sides of the fabric facing and the bottom edge aligned. Pin them together and sew along the bottom edge. Use a serger or overlocker to finish the raw edge. Press the seam towards the contrasting fabric, and topstitch using a scant seam allowance. Stitch the other square of feature fabric to the other side of the contrasting fabric. Serge/overlock the edge and topstitch.
3. Press the two strips of contrasting fabric in half lengthwise. Press under 1/4 inch at each short edge. Topstitch along the folded short edges as shown. Pin the folded strip as shown below along the top of the feature fabric. Stitch in place and then serge/overlock the raw edge. Press the seam and then topstitch. Repeat for the other side.
4. Fold the bag in half with the right sides facing, matching the seams. Pin in place and then stitch both sides together with a 1/4 inch seam. Overlock/serge the raw edges. Turn the bag out the right way and press.
5. Cut the cord in half. Thread one cord in and around from the left side, and the other from the right side. Tie the ends of each cord loop together to create the drawstrings.
The shoe bag was made in under an hour. Now I plan to make up a batch of shoe bags for everyone in the family! It is a fun sewing project and a great opportunity to mix and match bright, colourful fabrics.
Disclaimer: Thanks to Ann Kelle for providing the Remix fabric that was used in this Men’s Shoe Bag tutorial.
Men needs awesome handmade things too. So perfect for father’s day. LOVE the houndstooth.
Thanks Stephanie! Looks like you had a fantastic time at Quilt market.
Showed this to my son. He loved it so I just made him two. Great idea!
It is good to make something for the guys for a change! Glad you son liked his gift.
Hi
I love this tutorial and have just made several shoe bags ranging from toddler to man-sized.
Thanks
Thanks Donna – sounds like you have been keeping busy sewing!
I make shoe bags for my husband and my own shoes when we travel. I keep it very simple 1/2 yard of good quality soft flannel for each bag. I fold over the top so a drawstring can be put through, like yours. I sew up the other three sides and have a nice drawstring bag…THEN from the bottom center I sew a stitch straight up to about 4″ from the top of the bag. This “divider” keeps the shoes from rubbing against each other in the bag, protecting the polish. The soft flannel fabric can be used as a polishing cloth and won’t scratch or damage the shoes.
A divided bag that is self polishing – sounds like a great idea! Thanks so much for sharing.
Used this Tutorial to make a snowboard helmet bag for my brother out of softshell fabric. Great Tutorial, Thank you!
Greetings from Germany, Nina (www.vervliestundzugenaeht.de)
Thank you ever so much for sharing this bag idea and instructions! I have made 24 of these so far! I cut mine down to make single shoe bags, 2 bags per pair of shoes. Then of course I had to make each person enough for 2 pairs of shoes! That’s why I ended up making 24! LOL I just love them!!
Wow – what a production line!! So glad you love the pattern.
Made one today! Great tutorial! I will for sure make many more for the family and friends. Thanks!
I plan to make a bunch for myself for storing shoes on shelves in my closet. I will make half of one large panel out of clear vinyl so I can see which shoes are in which bag. Thank you for the instructions!