Please forgive my english! I hope you understand my tutorial, otherwise feel free to ask and please correct me if I’m using wrong words. That way I can make the tutorial more understandable for more people. Enjoy but please bare in mind this is my first tutorial ever!
This is my own pattern to a japanese knot bag. The measurements are in cm and includes seem allowance for 0,7 – 1 cm. It’s your choice but keep it the same for the hole bag.
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- Cut out two opposite pieces of the outer fabric and two opposite pieces of the lining fabric. The bag will be reversible so both fabrics might be considered ”outer” if you want to use that possibility – choose fabric with care!
- Zigzag around all four pieces.
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- Pin the handles of the outer fabric together. Right side against right side.
- Do the same with the lining fabric.
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- Sew the top of all four handles.
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- Push apart and iron all four parts.
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- Sew…
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… and it will look like this. I use stitch size number 4 on my machine.
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- Here you can see what it looks like.
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- Put a little mark on the fabric on both left and right side by the line. Do this on both outer and inner fabrics.
- The arrows shows you the starting and finishing points. Be careful when you mark the fabrics. The inner fabric shall in the end fit in to the outer…
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- Sew the two parts of the outer fabric together. It should be folded the same way as the seems in the top of the handles.
- Sew the inner fabric the same way.
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- Now you have an inner and an outer ”bag”. Turn one of them inside out and keep the other one as it is.
- (I use my iron a lot and here I usually iron the one I have turned so I really can see the shape of it.)
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- Put the one you have turned inside the other one. Put the handles in place and…
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- …the seems should be over each other.
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- Pin the inner and the outer fabrics together in the inner ”circle” so it will leave an opening. Start to pin by the seems so the ”outer seem” will fit nicely over the ”inner seem”. Now it will start to look like a bag.
- Sew.
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- Cut small cuts as the picture shows on both sides. Be careful not to cut the seem! This will make it easier to make it look good when you turn it the right way around.
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- Now turn the bag inside and out and…
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- …tuck the inner fabric inside the outer fabric again.
- You will now prepare to sew where the marks are. FIRST – iron!
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- Then you can pin.
- Sew the opening as shown in the next picture.
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- Here you can see the seem you are supposed to sew…
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- What’s left now are the sides of the handles. You fold them in and pin them so they fit nicely together. Remember – start with the seems at the top of the handles!
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- For the best result in my opinion – after you’ve pinned the fabrics together – long stitch! Especially the little hole is a bit tricky to get in the sewing machine and therefore it’s easier if you don’t have the pins in the fabric.
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Now your bag should look something like the ones in the pictures here…
I hope this was to some help!
