Last summer I was prepared to make a drawstring swimming bag from a shower curtain for my children so they could pop it in their school bag when they did swimming lessons. Summer kind of finished before I even gave it a second thought. Lucky for a recent craft retreat I went on, I was able to catch up on all my unfinished projects. I’m now prepared for this coming summer.
As luck wouldn’t have it, I tried the thrift stores for ages looking for a fabric type shower curtain but none were available. I thought I’d ‘bite the bullet’ and try one of the dollar stores and it was my lucky day as the one I wanted was reduced to $6. I’m not sure the thrift stores would’ve sold them for much cheaper.
I picked up some vinyl lettering from the stationery store and the cord was salvaged from some venetian blinds. When I took the blinds down (they were faded from the sun and not working very well), I saved the cord as that sort of thing always comes in handy for a lot of things.
How to Make It
Choose how big you want it and cut 2 rectangular shaped pieces of fabric. I took advantage of the edges that already had been finished when I was cutting. It’s just straight sewing but the good part about using shower curtain fabric is that it is waterproof. Not only will it suffice for the children to take their swimming things to school, it will help when they bring them home wet.
Shower curtain fabric is very slippery so I was lucky at the craft retreat that one of the ladies had an overlocker that I could finish the raw edges otherwise it would’ve been fiddly trying to do a zigzag stitch on the seams. It frays, a lot, so it pays to do this.
This sort of fabric is also good for making peg bags, toy storage in the bath or shower and any time you need to store wet things.
Great idea, Anne. So much better than plastic bags.
Thanks Pam. Yes, that’s what they used last summer! lol
Anne xx
These turned out great, Anne!
Thanks Tonya. They’re nice and roomy. Should be plenty big for the kid’s things.
Anne xx
Clever !
Thanks Debi.
Anne xx
I love this idea! So very creative and I think I was pulled to it as we spend nearly 4 days out of the week right now poolside. 🙂
Thank you so much Mistie. Half your luck. We’re smack bang in the middle of winter and we all can’t wait for Spring so we can all be back at the beach and in the pool. Hope you enjoy the rest of your summer.
Anne xx
What a fun and useful sewing project. I’ll be trying your tutorial this weekend. Thanks for sharing at the #ThisIsHowWeRoll Link Party. Pinning Now.
Thank you so much Susan. Glad you like it and thanks for pinning.
Anne xx
What a fantastic idea, Anne! This would make it so much easier to carry swimming kit – especially when it’s wet! Pinned. Thank you for sharing with us at the Hearth and Soul Hop.
Thank you so much April. Better late than never. If I didn’t get it done my children would’ve finished school! I have all the ideas sometimes but never enough hours in the day it seems. Thank you for pinning.
Anne xx
These are so cute!
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, and tips:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Great idea! Better than store bought bags and perfect for the pool or the beach! Thank you for sharing at The Really Crafty Link Party this week. Pinned!
Thank you Teresa!
Anne xx
Anne, this is such a clever repurpose–love it! Thank you for sharing @Vintage Charm!
Thanks Cecilia.
Anne xx
Idk if i missed or there’s no full instruction on how to make the bag. I saw up to the overlock part and then some more pictures of the bag.
Hi Edina. Thanks for your query. It’s very basic sewing. Just make it as large as you want in a rectangular or square shape. Sew up the bottom and sides. At the top, fold over an edge to thread the drawstring through. In my case I used cord I saved from an old venetian blind. That’s it. Let me know if you need any more info.
Anne xx
Thanks for the info Ann, I think I will be able to make this bag. Clever idea !
You’re very welcome Edina. Thanks.
Anne xx