Japanese Knot Bag

During one of my frequent surfs through Pinterest, I ran across a pattern for a Japanese Knot Bag.  I was intrigued by the unique shape and the simple design. The bag is basically a tube with a circular bottom and uneven handles.  The longer handle feeds through the shorter one to close the bag and form a wrist strap.

My sister, Teri, gave me this wonderful fabric featuring dress forms and tape measures.  The bag is reversible, and I swapped the bottom pieces for a little contrast.  I used heavy-duty interfacing on the bottom to add some shape and strength.

I should have added something to the pictures to give you some size reference, but I can tell you that it is the perfect size to carry two cans of pop and a little snack to work.  In fact, I liked it so much I decided to try a larger, insulated version to carry my lunch.

The retro martini fabric has been sitting on a shelf for over a year - waiting for the perfect project.  It makes me smile just to look at it.

 Again, no size perspective, but this one is about 1 1/2 times the size of the first.  I used the same pattern and kept the handle width the same, just widened the curve in between to make it 12" wide - because that's the size of paper I had handy for drawing the pattern.  I also added 5-6 inches to the length.  In this version, I used Insul-Bright insulated batting in the bottom and sides.  There is no batting in the handles to keep them flexible enough to form the "knot".  

Normally I would give credit to the author of the tutorial, but in this case I won't.  The one I used is poorly written and leaves out a couple details that are crucial. This is really a very simple sewing project - if you have all the information.   After the second one, I think I've got it figured out, but there are lots of patterns and tutorials out there if you search "Japanese Knot Bag", so I'll let you find a better one.