Alright friends, gather ’round. Today’s mess? My bag, specifically the one with those dang drawstrings. Been fighting with this one purse for weeks now, trying to look pulled together and ending up looking like I wrestled a sack. Finally sat down, dumped everything out, and figured out where I kept going wrong. Here’s the play-by-play.
First off, I grabbed my usual go-to bag – this kinda slouchy canvas tote with thick strings. Figured, easy peasy, right? Ha. Started by just yanking those strings tight like I always do. Thought it looked neat, bundled up nice. Snapped a pic in the mirror – whoa, hold up. Looked like I’d choked the poor thing. The top section was scrunched up crazy tight, like a weird puckered mouth, while the bottom just sort of sagged out all sad and lumpy. Total potato vibes. Not chic. Mistake number one: Cranking those strings way too tight. Kills the shape dead.
The Uneven Tug-of-War
Okay, I loosened it up. Feeling hopeful. Went to cinch it again, but guess what? My hands weren’t talking to each other. Pulled one side much harder than the other. What did I get? A lopsided disaster. One side all cinched high and tight, the other hanging low and sloppy. Made the whole purse look drunken and weird, like it was trying to limp away. Tried to fix it by fiddling endlessly with the strings, just ended up making it worse. Mistake number two: Yanking unevenly on the cords. Balance, people! It’s key.
Then, since the shape still felt off, I thought maybe stuffing it fuller would help? Piled way more stuff in there than I normally carry – phone, keys, wallet, sunglasses case, a whole paperback book… crammed it all in. Pulled the strings closed. Oh boy. Now instead of looking cool and relaxed, the canvas was strained and bulging weirdly around every corner. Those strings were working overtime, pulling against the bulges, making the whole thing look strained and uncomfortable. Like the bag was holding its breath. Mistake number three: Overstuffing the thing to the max. Heavy load fights the cinch.
Actually Fixing It (For Once)
Fed up, I emptied it completely. Deep breath. Started over.
- First, put just my ESSENTIALS back in: phone, small wallet, keys. Left the book.
- Then, fluffed the bag gently so the base sat kinda flat and natural at the bottom.
- Now the strings: Held a cord end in each hand. Took a sec to gently pull them UP, not just OUT. Got both sides to roughly the same starting point. Then – and this is the important bit – pulled them slowly and evenly across towards each other, feeling the tension spread along the whole top opening. Not tight, just snug.
- Tied the knot slightly off-center? Who cares? Left a little tail hanging loose, didn’t wrap it around a million times. Just a simple knot.
Stepped back. Looked in the mirror. Huh. Actually looked good. Bag had a relaxed, slightly gathered top, the fabric was loose enough to show the texture, and the bottom wasn’t a lumpy mess. Didn’t look like it was gasping for air or drunkenly stumbling. Finally! Simple, even, and actually comfortable.
The main lesson I finally learned today? Less is more with these bag strings. Gotta treat ’em gentle, pull even, and don’t stuff the bag like a Thanksgiving turkey. Basic stuff, honestly, but wow, it’s easy to get wrong when you’re rushing. Feeling way better about grabbing this bag now.
