Tuesday, 20 Jun 2006

So, I had this idea the other day for a drawstring lunch bag. I've been longing for a bento box for ages now, but I just haven't seen quite the right one. I usually bring an apple or an orange or something just too big to squeeze into a flat-ish container, so I need something more versatile. And I thought, hey, I know, I'm sewing things the whole time, and lots of those things are bags -- I can make a lunch bag!

My original plan was to get a couple of round, stackable plastic containers with lids, which would sit at the bottom of the bag. There would be an internal drawsting section, and above that I could put in my orange, etc. This plan required waiting until I had said containers, the measurements of which would determine the size of my bag. But who can wait when there's a Project a-brewin'? I'm going to look for suitable containers when I'm in America, and I can always hand sew the internal drawstring section into place.

I'm really pleased with the details of this:

The ties (which can double as a handle) were inspired by the ends of Heather's headband -- I hope she doesn't mind! The front of the ties is green-turquoise dupion silk (in my dream world, I'd have an endless supply of this in every colour), and the back is a sort of light grey-purple cotton which I dyed with a cabbage (I do all sorts of strange things when you're not looking). Untie the ties and see the drawstring:

I used get really annoyed that all my drawstring tops wouldn't close all the way, and then I discovered the 'trick' of using a casing a centimetre/inch/etc from the top. Has everybody been doing this the whole time and I never noticed? I always feel silly for saying, 'Hey, look at this clever new thing I've discovered!' only to have people reply, 'Um, we've always done it that way.'

What's inside?

My lunch! Everything's tucked away and ready to go. I got a little carried away with the idea of crafty lunch items and had to make this:

A sandwich wrapper. The first two corners velcro together, and the others tie. If it were slightly smaller and had a layer of batting inside, it'd be perfect for protecting those apples and oranges from getting battered. I wrapped my sandwich in tin foil before wrapping it again in this, but I like the idea of lining the fabric case with some sort of water-proof, wipe-off synthetic.

And that's my new lunch bag. Other info: the print is Kaffe Fassett for Rowan, the bottom is crocheted with Rowan Calmer (held double), and it's lined with a stretch Jersey (totally not awesome to work with, but I love the finished product). I'm off to America tomorrow, so expect pictures of dogs and cats (well, one dog and one cat)!