Well, I did it. I cut up my woven fabric that I so lovingly made last week. It looked great on the table as a table center and the week worth of friends and students got to compliment me on it... but we started spilling things on it at dinner and I decided I would take the plunge and make a tote bag. Gulp.
I knew I wanted to line the bag just because I'd seen one of Watanabe-san's woven bags so beautifully lined and outfitted with pockets and such. I figured that as long as the weaving was from kimono material, the lining should be too and so I got out a box of old kimono... some that were Tetsu's mother's, some that had been given to me... and found a nice black silk funeral
obi (wide belt) that would NEVER get used again as an obi... It has already probably lived in a box for the past 40 years...
So I CUT into my table runner and made an approximate size. The obi was very thin black silk but heavily lined and I thought the heaviness would remove the need for innerfacing. I was right... the lining is very sturdy... And also hard to sew through! My sewing machine jammed in protest numerous times and I sometimes had to coax the needle through the layers by hand. Even doing that I broke one of the machine needles! This is not sewing for the faint-hearted! (Nor for a mere domestic sewing machine.)
But I did it! And I even got a pocket put inside (sewn in by hand). The handles too of course had to be hand sewn but my woven bag seems very sturdy and heavy-duty. Now it won't get spilled on, just dragged through supermarkets and patchwork meetings....
It looks great! Good job!
ReplyDeleteVery pretty!
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh about you breaking your sewing machine needles sewing on the old kimono. I was given two huge bins of vintage kimono and distributed them to members of my local fiber arts group as a challenge. I kept one for myself that I wanted to cut off into a jacket, and needed to topstitch the seams. I couldn't believe that I broke one needle on the VERY FIRST stitch, and then broke a second one after about five minutes. Then I switched to a larger needle and did OK, but sewing very slowly and turning the wheel by hand. I'm glad to know that it's not just me!! They must make that silk with a secret ingredient of steel.
ReplyDeleteYour bag looks great!
Great job! This one will last you for years.
ReplyDeleteOh, what a wonderful bag you made! Yes, obi material is hard to sew through but it should be strong and long-lasting.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful Tanya, and extra special!
ReplyDelete...and admired by many more than your patchwork friends or students! It is a great looking bag!
ReplyDeleteIt's fantastic - all the better for knowing you made it yourself.
ReplyDeleteYour bag is absolutely beautiful!! You did a really professional job on it.
ReplyDeleteGreat design!
ReplyDeleteYour bag is just beautiful! What a wonderful treat to have that pretty tote bag to use to carry "stuff". If you should sew heavy fabric again, try a larger needle in your sewing machine. I sew a lot of denim and use a jeans (or #16) needle and it really makes a difference.
ReplyDeleteLooks very special! and unique, too. No one else will have one like you!
ReplyDeleteSandy in the UK
And you have the satisfaction of knowing you made it from the beginning. It is very good looking and I know you will enjoy it for years to come.... shall I say 40 more......
ReplyDelete