Reversible Japanese Knot Bag

DianaHM
Silver Answer Medal for All Time! 440 Answers

The finished Japanese knot bag. Use old jeans of different colors to sew this original Japanese bag. This bag is made of two different fabrics and is reversible. You will get two different looks in one bag.

Total Time: 4-5 Hours

Supplies:

4 pairs jeans of different colors: dark blue, blue, light blue, white
fabric for the second side of the bag 120 cm × 60 cm
pocket from jeans
2 zippers for pockets 20 cm, 35 cm
thread
needle
scissors
checkered paper
carbon paper
cardboard (I used a chocolate box)
pen or pencil, chalk
ruler
sewing machine

Steps:

Draw (copy) the pattern on your checkered paper, according to the squares. I made this bag 36 cm wide (about 14 inches) and 56 cm long (about 22 inches), but you can change the size, keeping the proportions.

Write numbers and color of the necessary jeans on each piece.

Transfer the pieces of the pattern onto the cardboard with the help of carbon paper. Cut the pieces out. Do not forget to write number and color on each piece.

Unstitch the jeans seams and smooth out the folds. Lay your cardboard templates on the jeans as closely as possible, leaving around the cardboard 0.7-1 cm (0.3-0.4 inches). Circle the cardboard templates. Cut out the pieces from the jeans with margins.

The bag has the same pattern on both sides. Therefore, you need two parts with a mirror pattern. For the second part, the templates need to be turned to the other side.

In total, there will be 33 denim pieces for one side of the bag and 33 denim pieces for the other side. Do not mix them.

Using the template to cut out the fabric.

Sew the denim pieces so that you get the pattern like on paper. Do the same with the denim pieces for the second side of the bag, except for the seam between pieces #14 and #15 (this will be the hole for a pocket).

Sew a zipper between the denim pieces #14 and #15. Sew a pocket from jeans to the zipper.

Put together the denim parts of the bag with the front sides. Sew the bottom and lateral edges. Sew the top of the handles. Turn out denim part of the bag.

Cut out the paper template along the outer contour.

Fold the fabric for the second side of the bag in half. Lay on top of the fabric template (the bottom of the bag will be on the fold), circle and cut out the bag pattern with margins 1.0-1.5 cm (0.4-0.6 inches), 3 cm (1.2 inches) for top of the handles.

Make two pockets from fabric. Sew the pockets together on the bottom. Sew a zipper to the pocket. Then sew the pockets to fabric part of the bag.

Sew the lateral edges of the fabric bag. Don't turn out the fabric bag.

Put the fabric bag inside the denim bag. Sew outer edges of the handles, then turn out the handles on the front side.

Sewing the inside bag into the denim bag.

Sew inside edges of the handles, folding them. Sew the top of the fabric handles by hand, folding edges of fabric. The reversible Japanese knot bag is ready.