How to Insert a Drawstring

Co-authored by Mia Danilowicz and Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: July 25, 2022 References Approved

Drawstrings are a great addition to shorts, dresses, bags, or hoodies, but they have a tendency to slip out of their casing. Instead of discarding the item, quickly and easily push the drawstring through the entire casing using a safety pin. If you don't have one on hand, use a straw, coat hanger, or pen cap.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using a Safety Pin to Insert a Drawstring

1
Pull out the drawstring if it's lost halfway through a casing. If your drawstring is starting to come out but it's still stuck in the casing, go ahead and pull it completely out. Re-inserting the drawstring is easier than trying to feed it back through the casing without a tool.^{[1]
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2
Secure a safety pin to 1 end of the drawstring. Use a large safety pin so it's easier to handle and feed through the casing. Ensure that the safety pin will fit through the casing and secure it about ¹⁄₂ inch (1.3 cm) from the end of the drawstring.^{[2]
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- If you're buying safety pins, look for skirt pins, which are larger and sturdier than standard safety pins.
Variation: If you don't have a safety pin, use a paperclip! Thread the end of the drawstring through the paperclip so it's snug.

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3
Insert the safety pin into the eyelet. Locate the eyelets, which are the circular openings where your drawstring comes out. Push the safety pin into 1 of the eyelets and pull it through the fabric until it reaches the other eyelet.^{[3]
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4
Work the casing toward the pin so the drawstring moves through the fabric. Hold the safety pin in place with 1 hand and use your other hand to scrunch the fabric casing toward the pin so it bunches up. Then, hold the safety pin in place with your other hand and pull the bunched up fabric away with the opposite hand.^{[4]
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- It's important to hold onto the safety pin so you don't lose it inside the casing.
5
Keep scrunching and pulling the fabric until the pin is at the end of the casing. Continue to bunch the casing up to the safety pin and pull the fabric away so your safety pin moves through the casing. Repeat this until the safety pin comes out of the other end of the fabric casing.^{[5]
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6
Remove the safety pin and knot the ends of the drawstring. Pull the drawstring until both ends are equal lengths. Then, remove your safety pin. If you'd like to prevent the drawstring from sliding back into the casing, tie a large knot at each end of the drawstring.^{[6]
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- Make the knots larger than the eyelets so the drawstring doesn't slip back in the casing.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Trying Other Tools

1
Buy a bodkin to save time and effort. This small tool looks like a large, dull sewing needle with a large hole at the end. Push about 4 inches (10 cm) of the drawstring through the hole and then push the bodkin through the casing of your garment. If your bodkin has a clamp on the end instead of a large hole, open it and put the end of the drawstring under it before you clamp it closed.^{[7]
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- You can buy bodkins from craft supply or hobby stores.
2
Use a straw if you're having trouble feeding a safety pin through the casing. If you're inserting a drawstring through a large casing or thick fabric, such as on a hoodie, it can be tricky to feel the safety pin through the fabric. To make it easier, push at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of a drawstring end into a straw and staple the straw so it goes into the drawstring. Then, push the empty end of the straw through the eyelet. Keep pulling the straw through the casing so the drawstring comes out the other side.
- Since the straw is larger than the safety pin, it's easier to feel it through the heavier fabric. It also won't snag on the seam allowance.
- To remove the staple, pull it away with a staple remover. Keep in mind that this may damage delicate fabrics, but sturdy drawstring cords will be fine.
3
Bend a wire hanger to make a hook for pulling the drawstring through. If you'd like to make a sturdy tool that you can use again and again, find a wire coat hanger. Untwist the hook and shape it into a long straight wire. Then, bend the straight end to create a small hook and push the drawstring through the hook. Push the hook end of the wire through the eyelet and keep pushing the wire until the drawstring comes out the other side.^{[8]
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- If your drawstring keeps slipping off of the hook, bend the wire over the drawstring to keep it in place.
- Feel free to bend the wire as you feed it through the casing, especially if you're inserting the drawstring through the rounded part of a hoodie.
Tip: Use caution when you're pushing the wire through the fabric since you don't want to accidentally rip the material.
4
Wrap the drawstring around a rounded pen cap if you can't find other tools. If you can't find a safety pin, straw, or hanger, look for a pen that has a pocket clip and wrap the drawstring around the clip. Then, slide the opposite end of the pen through the casing. Feel the pen through the fabric and pull it through the casing until the pen and drawstring come out of the other end.^{[9]
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- Ensure that you're using a pen with a pocket clip so you don't accidentally push an exposed tip through your fabric.

Community Q&A

Question

The end of my drawstring is frayed, making it hard to use the safety pin. What can I do?

Community Answer

Make a knot at the frayed end of the drawstring and insert the safety pin behind the knot. You can also buy a cheap toothbrush with a hole at the end of the handle, break the head, smooth it with an emery board, and pass the string through the hole and use that.
Question

How do I put it in without using a safety pin?

Community Answer

If the drawstring is already hard around the end (using the plastic tube-like thing), then you can insert and use that to pull it. If not, then put a thick piece of duct tape around it so that it is hard and you can grab it. I have also used bobby pins in the past. To do this, put the bobby pin on the drawstring and tape it on. Then use it as you would the safety pin.
Question

What do I do when the safety pin falls open in the middle of pulling the drawstring through?

Community Answer

You can close the pin while it is inside. It is common for it to open up inside. You'll need to adjust it while inside so you can pin it again. Push it back if going forward or pinning it is getting too tiring. Going backwards won't have it get stuck. Do it with a bigger pin after you get that out. Make sure to push the lower end of the pin up while in the case and not to hold the top side. Or, you can remove the stitch with a seam ripper or scissors to remove the pin. Then you can sew the opened stitch again.