Criteria for tote - strong handles; do not stretch out of shape; washable

Do you have any tips or warnings or recommendations for a first time tote weaver?

Comments

Fri, 08/19/2016 - 19:16

theresasc

I love weaving totes!  Totes, bags, backpacks, they all seem to lend themselves to hand weaving.

Make sure that your straps are long enough to sit comfortably on your shoulders.  For my totes that I wove out of hemp, I wove inkle bands in 5/2 perle cotton, the totes I did out of plastic newspaper bags and carpet warp, I bought nylon straping at Joanne Fabrics.  For the backpack, those were braided cords out of carpet warp.  Be sure to secure them well, I always double stitch the ends at the bag opening.   I also like my bags to sit flat so they are constructed with either a flat bottom or a box corner.

Most of all, have fun!  It feels great to use your handwoven bags everyday. 

a line of plastic totes

hemp tote

Also, the hemp totes are lined with cotton fabric and I sew a pocket on the inside of the tote.  These babies go in the washer and dryer.  I use one like the one above for my everyday purse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sat, 08/20/2016 - 02:08

Queezle

I need to start making myself bags.  These are beautiful.

I do not own an inkle loom, but recently the glimakra band loom came to my attention as a faster way to weave bands.  A good strong handle that goes across the bottom of the bag seems like a good idea. 

I currently recycle the few grocery bags I get during, errrr, dog walks. 

Theresa (right?)  -  do you just make up your pattern as you go or do you have a template?

Sat, 08/20/2016 - 02:59

theresasc

Queezle - (yep, it is Theresa) the totes out of plastic and carpet warp are of my design.  I based them loosely on the kind of bags that you get at the grocery store now and I wanted a flat bottom.  I wanted something that could handle wet and frozen items from the store.  Now days, I have one that I use to bring home my weekly watermelon:-) The last time I made some I posted a project here and included some pictures as I assembled them.  The idea for the hemp bags came from May/June 2004 Handwoven but I put my own twist on by weaving the inkle bands and lining them and used a couple of different 4-shaft twills.  I run the strap under the bottom of all my bags - I like the strength that I get that way.  I also have woven some purses in rep weave - those were fun but I had to rewarp for each one that I did.

There has been a pretty interesting discussion over on Warped Weavers on Ravelry regarding the Glimakra band loom.  Looks like a really sweet loom, but I just cannot justify the cost on them.  My floor inkle works just fine for the type of bands that I weave and it cost a 1/4 of what those looms go for.  Actually for the bag I use as my everyday purse I used my Schacht inkle and just wove two bands to get the length I needed.

The idea for some new bags has been running around in my mind again.  I tell you, there is just not enough time in the day to do all the weaving I want to do!

10ashus - I sure do not mean to highjack your thread but as you can tell, I enjoy making bags:-)

 

 

Sat, 08/20/2016 - 06:03

10ashus

More talking. More. More. Thanks to you ladies, I had my shopping cart loaded on the same day I asked the question. Halcyon's Casco Island Blend (hemp, cotton, rayon) is a 20 wpi, tabby 10-12. I hope that I will be able to use the size 10 dent reed. My 12 has a bent spot and a single thread will hang up causing floats.

Y'all have mentioned bunches of things I had not thought out, such as the bottom shape and handle position. I plan to try making patterned bands for my handles.

 

Sat, 08/20/2016 - 12:47

[email protected]

One of the very first things Osma Tod taught me was to weave handles into the bag. A variety of materials including woven bands (with or without unwoven ends) can be laid in as weft in a bag woven from side to side with a continuous bottom.  Creating corners for bottom is easy sewing afterwards although loom shaping is possible.  

The length for handle material is twice the width of the cloth plus twice the distance between two placement sheds plus 4 times the extension of the strap. To place, center in open shed leaving tails loose while you continue to weave until you reach shed for the other end of handles at which point the two ends are brought in to meet in the middle of the cloth.  

Unwoven ends provide additional opportunities for embellishment and strength.  Unwoven ends also can provide narrower profile than band.  If symmetry desired with this approach, center of band and ends will need to be unwoven for approximately the width of the bag with fine tuning for material and desired effect.  

I used this technique with plyed wire at Convergence.  

Francine

Sat, 08/20/2016 - 13:48

theresasc

Inga Dam does fascinating weaving by incorporating card woven bands in handwoven fabric on the looms.   I have been to a number of conferences where she has had a workshop and one of these times I am going to take it.  I have her book and I really need to study it more thoroughly.   Her fabrics and garments are gorgeous and I would bet her process could be worked into a bag.  As I said, too much to weave, not enough time!  Every time I think I have a direction to weave in someone comes in with a new idea.

Ten- you are a girl after my own heart, filling up that cart.  You go girl!

Sat, 08/20/2016 - 15:02

[email protected]

Inge Dam's card weaving band strategy would allow woven in handles along the warp but it would be a lot more challenging that what I was captivated with at my first weaving lesson.  

A different thread today is looking for ideas for how to use woven bands.  I think about woven bands used within cloth in many different ways besides straps and handles.  Will continue thought in that thread

Sun, 08/21/2016 - 23:05

10ashus

A variety of materials including woven bands (with or without unwoven ends) can be laid in as weft in a bag woven from side to side with a continuous bottom

This concept would not sink in until I saw a picture. Like so many times, I am amazed at the simple solutions weavers have developed. My thinking was making it super complicated.

http://www.warpedforgood.com/2015/07/quiet-friday-weave-a-bag-with-handles/#sthash.MgiYywYY.dpbs

Mon, 08/22/2016 - 00:15

Queezle

I didn't get the woven/unwoven parts.  But the picture did make it crystal clear.