Parthenon of Life, Arts and Crafts: Sakura Drawstring Bag

I decided to make this dress a week before my graduation day. I could have bought a clutch or those mini purse women bring during parties. But, I thought those would be impractical since I always bring everything with me (cell phones, digicam, tissue, etc). And this drawstring bag would match my dress which is rather kimono styled.
I took the original design from Sarah Bradberry (click link to see the tutorial) with alterations due to my inability to use the sewing machine. Seriously, I don't use those scary machines! It's all handmade.

What you need:
2 pieces of 29 x 30 cm cloth of your choice (cotton works best, IMHO)
neadle
thread
embroidery thread
scissor
pencil/cloth pencil
pins

Time Estimation:
1 week (this is because I was sooooo lazy. Believe me, you can finish it in 1 or 2 days).

So here are the steps.

1. Prepare the cloth

I used one piece of cloth that I folded into two. You can use two pieces but it's really up to you. I just couldn't be bothered to hand sew a lot. Don't forget to neaten the fraying cloth buy using zig zag or overcast stitch (machine) or blanket stitch (hand-sewn).
The measurement is 29x30cm (length x height) as seen in picture.

2. Prepare the Embroidery

Before you sew your cloth together, it's easier to embroider on it first. I free styled sakura on a piece of paper and traced it on the cloth using drawing pencil. It doesn't really wash off but it's okay since the pencil line will be covered by thread.

3. Final Embroidery Result

This is what the final result is. The big Sakura are embroidered with running stitch and french knot. While the smaller ones use satin stitch. If you have no idea about embroidery stitches, go check Google. I've never done this before and it turned out not bad. So I think you have the chance to be able to do it even though you've never done it before.

4. Sew Your Cloth Together

*sorry for using the first photo, I forgot to take a pic of this step*
After you've embroidered the cloth, now it's time to sew it together. The red line on the pic indicates where you need to sew. I didn't sew the bottom part because I only need to fold it. But if you use two pieces of clothes, you definitely gotta sew it.
If you hand sew, use back stitch. It's pretty strong.

5. Sew the Top! :D

Now that you've sewn the sides, fold the seams and iron it. Then you take the top and fold it around 5cm. The red lines on the picture indicates where you have to sew.
I used double running stitch to give the effect of having back stitch (because original back stitch would show the ugly side of the stitch and you wouldn't want that).
When you're done with one side, do it on the other side.

6. Put the String In

Now it's time to put the string in. Make sure you put it from opposite sides, so when you pull it the top of the bag will crunch together.
I don't know what string I used, but the measurement is 1 meter each and I made a decorative shamrock knot on each of the strings (it's also a charm knot for luck^^).

7. Voila!