Japanese Lotus bags.

 

A Japanese Lotus bag with drawstring cords

I have made a few Japanese Lotus bags.  These are very simple to make and make lovely presents.  

I found this lovely tutorial on the web.  This sort of sewing I can do. Very easy and uncomplicated.

https://www.sewingmachinesplus.com/sewblog/lotus-drawstring-pouch-gift-bags-purse-tutorial/

Take two pieces of cloth and put the wrong sides together.  Sew around the edge leaving a small space so that it can be turned inside out.

Now, sew around the edge. Do refer to the web instructions for detailed instructions.. 

Here I have used a small piece of Japanese cloth with a grey silk for the lining. The next stage is to turn in the four corners. These must be accurately measured and pinned in place. 

Here are two bags ready to be sewn.  Sew a straight line across each of the corners.  These form the channels for the drawstring cords. 

The next stage is more difficult to explain.  The corners are folded together and sewn. Then another line of sewing produces the shape of the bag. Be careful not to sew across the openings for the drawstrings. 

Turn the bag inside out so that the lining appears at each corner. 

Sewing a seam from top to bottom 

Three sewn corners.

Now turn the bag inside out so that the lining is now on the inside. 

Completed bags waiting for the drawstring cords. 

I made several drawstring cords using an unusual method. These cords are woven and have a filling so they are very sturdy.  The Braid Society is running an online workshop in January 2023 about weaving tubular filled cords. Do join in if you want to find out more about this mystery weaving disc method. 

https://groups.io/g/braidsandbands

Here is one of the silk cords.  I used 60/2 silk with several strands for each of the 13 warp ends. I used two colours of silk with 13 warp ends.

 2 yellow / 1 blue / 3 yellow / 2 blue / 1 yellow / 1 blue / 1 yellow / 2 blue 

Here is the drawdown with the pattern.  The warp ends are threaded into a circular disc with an additional central core thread. The weft is silk. 

Close up of one of the woven filled silk drawstring cords

The pattern spirals around the cord. I used a different pattern for the second cord. 

Japanese lotus bag with two woven silk cords. The blue material is Japanese and the silk lining is from China.

This type of weaving is unusual and although more time consuming than simply twisting a cord. It can produce an interesting variety of patterns.

Festive greetings

Susan J Foulkes December 2022.