Exposed Gusset Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial

Welcome to the third week of the Lined Drawstring Bag Sew Along! Today I'm sharing a tutorial for an exposed gusset!

I'll be updating the Sew Along Page each week with all the posts so that you can easily catch up or reference these posts after the sew along ends!

I hope you'll sew along with us! Sew from the tutorial or the patterns:
Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial
Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern
Lined Drawstring Bag Expansion Pattern


Before we dive into the post, let's quickly chat about our to-do for week 3 of the sew along!

This week's task is sewing! Sew your bags through step 10. If you're making a lot of bags and you're short on time, I highly recommend making them assembly line style. This isn't quite as fun, but it's definitely more efficient! A few posts you might find helpful when tackling this:

- I recorded a video tutorial that covers making the bags from start to finish. It's a bit long, but it's meant to be comprehensive! Find it here: Lined Drawstring Bag Video Tutorial

- If you need a little extra guidance when it comes to the gussets, I have a video for that too! Find it here: How to Put a Gusset on a Bag Video Tutorial

- Check out this post that will help make your drawstring casing openings extra tidy: Tips for Tidy Drawstring Casing Openings

Exposed Gusset Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial:

Let's get to today's tutorial for exposed gussets! This variation has no functional difference from the original bags, just a different look. It's a fun oppoertunity to add an extra special detail. Usually we box the exterior and interior corners seperatly, and trim off the excess fabric. Those seams end up tucked away on the wrong side of the bag. With this exposed gusset version, we box the exterior and interior corners together on the outside of the bag, and we don't trim off the extra fabric. It kind of makes the side of the bag look like a little present! You can choose to use a fun pop of color to embroider the corner in place, or do it invisibly, it's up to you!

Sewing Level: Intermediate

Exposed Gusset Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial Materials:
- All required fabrics and notions based on either the free tutorial or one of the sizes from the pattern
- Handsewing needle
- Embroidery floss

Exposed Gusset Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial Cutting:
- Cut all pieces as usual using the free tutorial or pattern.

Exposed Gusset Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial Instructions:
*Use a 1/4” seam allowance unless otherwise noted*


1. Follow the instructions in the the free tutorial or the pattern to construct your bag, skipping steps 6-8.

After you've completed the body of your bag, we'll pick it back up again to create the exterior gussets. In this tutorial we're doing it at the end of the bag construction, but feel free to follow this tutorial anytime after step 10.

2. To create the exposed gussets, we're going to box the exterior and interior corners together, from the exterior (right side) of the bag. We'll only be doing these next few steps twice, instead of the usual four times. First, make sure that the interior corners are nestled neatly into the exterior corners.


3. Gently pinch the front and the back of the bag (grabbing both the interior and exterior layers), and flatten the corner (where the seams meet). Line up the bottom and side bag seams, wiggling them between your fingers to feel that they are lined up.

4. Lay your acrylic ruler across the corner, lining up the diagonal edge of your piece with the 45˚ angle line. The side seam should line up at 1.5" (as shown above). Draw a line 3" wide across the corner using a water soluble pen or pencil. (Reference the chart on page 4 of the pattern if you're making a size other than the Everything bag or the tutorial size.)


5. Sew on this line, across the corner. Backstitch when you start and stop. Repeat with the other exterior and interior corner.


6. Now we're going to secure this exposed gusset to the side of the bag. If you want this to be invisible, feel free to use a matching thread and a small invisible stitch or whipstitch. If you'd like a contrasting detail, I recommend using embroidery floss. Make a knot in your floss and start from the inside of the bag. Stitch through the gusset corner and the side of the bag several times to sure in place. Repeat on second side.

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial! I can't wait to see your bags! Please share them with me on instagram @jenib320 + #lineddrawstringbag or via email (jenib320 @ gmail.com)!

Don't forget to pin this post to your Pinterest for future reference!


Happy Sewing!