Love making inkle bands but don’t need any more belts, bag straps, or other similar projects? Consider turning your inkle bands into bag fabric. While weaving a bag—not just the strap—with bands might sound unusual, it’s actually a technique that many inkle weavers use. Just as you might seam together two panels of fabric woven on a rigid-heddle loom when making a blanket or shawl, you can also seam together inkle bands to make a wider piece of cloth. It’s incredibly clever!
I realize that if you’ve never sewn an inkle band you might assume that handsewing something so thick must be incredibly difficult. Well, don’t break out the thimbles just yet. While inkle bands are indeed thick because of their warp-dominant nature, they aren’t terribly dense, so handsewing a band is actually easy-peasy. I personally found it easier to handsew inkle bands together than to handsew a rolled-cloth hem!
This clever, no-waste deisgn by Amy Abbott uses a single band that is cleverly folded to create the pouch and flap.
As with any sort of handwoven bag, half the joy of making an inkle bag is the customization. If you’re already weaving the bag fabric on an inkle loom, it’s incredibly simple to weave a coordinating strap. You can weave a narrower version of the bands used for the fabric, or you can even weave a coordinating tubular cord on your inkle loom. (It’s easier than you might think!) You can make the bag as big or small as you’d like, add pockets, lining, and anything else you see fit.
Of course, if you’re just looking for a basic project that is easy to weave and sew, we’ve got you covered! As a special bonus project for our subscribers, we’ve got a free project download for these cute Inkle Pouches by Amy Abbott. (Not a subscriber yet? Learn more about subscriptions here!) You can weave them as written or use your own palette. (Just make sure if you’re switching out the colors that you choose colors with different values so they don’t blend in too much. You can do this by taking a photo of them using a grayscale filter on your cell phone.)
Whether you choose to weave this adorable pouch, design and weave your own, or use the pattern as a template for bands you’ve already woven, I hope this inspires you to make something new!
Ready to weave your own no-waste inkle pouch? Subscribers can click here to get the PDF today!
Happy Weaving,
Christina