Tutorial: No Knot Cord Ends

Here you will find two ways of finishing off the cord ends of your drawstring bag. It takes just a little bit extra time to add this cute detail to your bag and gives you an opportunity to use any leftover fabric. I am going to show you how to make square and pentagon ends.

Note: for this tutorial I am going to use a single cord but if you are decorating your drawstring bag, you would have to complete each step twice for each side of the bag. You decide what shape you like the best and start stitching away. Here we go.

Step 1: For the square shape: Cut a piece of matching or contrasting fabric 4cmx8cm each. For the pentagon shape: Use the cut off corner (triangle) from Step 5 of Bento Drawstring Lunch Bag Tutorial.

Step 2: For the square shape: Fold the rectangle in half with the right sides together. Stitch the right and the left sides separately using a 0.5-0.8cm allowance. Backstitch the beginning and the end of each seam. The folded side is going to be the bottom of the square.

Step 3: For the square shape: Turn the rectangle the right side out carefully pushing the corners out with a chopstick. Iron. For the pentagon shape: Turn the triangle the right side out carefully pushing the corner out with a chopstick. Iron.

Step 4: For the square shape: Fold in about 1cm from the top and iron well. Now you should have a small square.  For the pentagon shape: Hold the triangle in your left hand with your index and thumb fingers. With your right hand push the right corner to the left. Now hold the triangle with your right hand with your thumb, index and middle fingers. Push the left corner to the right on top of the right corner. Make sure that the sides are symmetrical. Iron well. It might seem a bit complicated and tricky but with a little bit of practice you would be able to do it easily. Fold in about 0.5-1cm from the top and iron well again.

Step 5: For the square shape: Insert the ends of the cord inside the small square, carefully push the ends to the very bottom. Make sure that the cords are placed in the middle and that they are not twisted. Pin in place. For the pentagon shape: Insert the ends of the cord inside the small pentagon, carefully push the ends to the very bottom. Make sure that the cords are placed in the middle and that they are not twisted. Pin in place.

Step 6: For the square shape: Stitch around the perimeter of the square close to the edge starting at the left top corner. Remove the pin. At the corners, lift the foot of the machine and turn your work 90 degrees clockwise, lower the food and stitch to the next corner, continue with all four sides. Backstitch at the end of the seam, tie a know and cut off the excess of thread. For the pentagon shape: Proceed as above with all five sides. You are done.

Please feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or suggestions regarding this tutorial. I would love to hear from you. Happy stitching!