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Monday, July 19, 2010

no-sew bag tutorial - reader submission


Wow, another b-e-a-utiful weekend in Seattle. We took our boys canoeing in Lake Washington and soaked up the sun while searching for bald eagles and blue herons and navigating through the lily pads. All that fun meant not much time for crafting, so we're so happy to have a reader submission to share with you today. This no-sew bag from our readers Vanessa and Nicholette is absolutely incredible. Read on!

No-Sew Purse Tutorial (via our friends at Craft Envy)

Hi there friends! I can't wait to show you what I've recently learned. Have you heard of Furoshiki? I hadn't until a week a go, and I'm in love. Furoshiki is a Japanese technique, like origami, but for fabric! They are a type of Japanese wrapping cloth, used to transport food, gifts, or other goods. It used to be very popular, but now, we have become too dependent on the evil plastic bag!!! So if you're looking to go green, this is it! I've recently learned how to make a purse, from a lady called Leticia Yabiku. Let me show you:



Isn't that cute? No sewing required, either, all we're going to do is fold and tie knots.


What you'll need:


- any square piece of fabric (yes, it must be a square)

Mine is 1.25 yards

-Flower for embellishment


Here we go:



Step 1: Lay down your fabric with right side facing up.




Step 2: Fold it into a triangle, wrong side out.




Step 3: Take the right hand corner, and bring it up to meet the center of your triangle, bunch it together to make a roll.





Step 4: Tie a knot at the base.




Step 5: Do the same to the left side.




Step 6: Take the top of your triangle and open it up. You can now see the right side again.




Step 7: Flip the whole thing over, wrong side up.




Step 8: Tuck your knots and straps into the middle.




Step 9: Pick up both ends and put them together, your knots are inside now. You can push down on the inside of the bag to stretch out the fabric. The knots are now to the sides of your bag.




Step 10: Turn the bag over so the knots become front and back of your purse. Stretch and pull the fabric as you go to get the right look for you.







Step 11: Tie a knot at the very top of your bag to make a handle, left over right, then right over left. That's it!



You have finished your really cute purse, without having to sew a stitch. And the best part is, if you get sick of it, just untie it and find a new and fun way to fold and tie your fabric, and you have a brand new style.


I added a flower to mine, just for some fun. I just pinned it with safety pins. No need to stitch it on, I might take it apart anyway one of these days. :)


I hope you liked this as much as I did, and look on YouTube for some amazing videos on how to fold your own Furoshiki.


post signature

Thanks Nicholette and Vanessa! We feature reader submissions weekly. If you have a fun craft you think our other readers would enjoy, send a note to littlebirdiesecrets(at)gmail(dot)com!

26 comments:

  1. really cute and simple!
    wanna try it!

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  2. How cool is that?! A fantastic way to easily make a completely cool & unique piece to carry! :>:>:>

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  3. Qué facil, lo voy a intentar!Saludos desde España!

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  4. That's just brilliant - great for when you've no stylish bag to hand. Would make a good convertible picnic bag and tablecloth!

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  5. Thanks for sharing, I will most certainly be using some old bed sheets up.

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  6. That's awesome! I've been watching tons of you tube videos on furoshiki and i'm going to be doing an activiy with my girls at church! They'll totally love this!

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  7. What a cool idea!! I linked to your tutorial over at Craft Gossip Sewing:
    http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-no-sew-purse-from-a-square-of-fabric/2010/07/19/

    --Anne

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  8. What a cute purse! Thanks for the tutorial.

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  9. I'm going to have to try this! I'm always looking for new purses and never want to pay the hefty price for one. These are so simple yet still look cute, especially for summer!
    thanks for posting this!

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  10. Cute purse!

    I've wanted to canoe in Lake WA for a long time, but somehow we never get to it. Love the picture and what a perfect day you had for it. :)

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  11. genious! Now I have to go dig through my fabric drawer!

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  12. That's so cute! I'm going to try this one for sure. Thank you for sharing!

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  13. what? get out, that is adorable!! christmas presents for my family!

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  14. Wow how cute! Can't wait to give it a try!


    Kelli
    xoxo

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  15. That's so cute - as non-sewer, I can't wait to try. One question tho - how do you keep the edges from fraying? Or, do you have to worry about that?
    Thanks so much!

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  16. That's so cute! As a non-sewer, I can't wait to try it. One quick question, tho -- how do you keep the edges from fraying? Or, do you even have to worry about that?
    Thanks so much!

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  17. Amazing. Thanks for the instructions, I love it!

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  18. This is really cute and I just love to see fun no-sew tutorials.
    Thanks

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  19. I've not got a dinkie little bag made from a hankie lol
    Just so I don't foget about this fab tu. tfs
    Anne x

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  20. I just made one of these and LOVE IT!! I only paid $6 for the fabic... can't get a purse that cheap!

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  21. Can't wait to try this coz no sewing required, yipee! Thanks =)

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  22. I have a bed sheet that got torn and I didn't want to throw out. Such a waste of material.

    This no sew pattern is perfect for it I can make so many bags out of the sheet.

    I know what my friends and family are going to get for presents when ever I have left over material now lol

    Thanks a bunch for sharing with us!! :D

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