On Pinterest I saw some really cute, super simple Bento bags that internet models were using to carry produce, toiletries, and of course lunch boxes. I was charmed by the no effort linens and free-spirit stripes swaddling pretty food, and was thus inspired to make a few “test” bento bags as proof of concept, starting with small scraps of fabric so that I could figure out the best pattern and finishing techniques for replicating internet lies before I would dare cut into a larger piece of patterned cotton or linen.
I tried two different patterns, neither of which I recommend: the first, two overlapping triangles, making a double-thick bottom of the bag, and the second I did a single thickness polygon in the shape that the two overlapping triangles made anyway….. Honestly, I chose the wrong pattern. Upon further research, there seems to be other better options out there for how to pattern the bag so that you end up with one knot instead of two. Perhaps I’ll try those next.
Also to be experimented with was edge finishing technique. Most of what I saw on Pinterest was unfinished because it’s quite an annoying shape to roll a hem on. So most tutorials were suggesting a straight stitch or no finishing at all. That doesn’t sound sturdy, does it? I’m supposed to wash this bags with no finished edge? What? But this is a test and I was being lazy/in a hurry so I tried a surged edge first and then a zig-zag hem second. Both look pretty bad. The surged hem is bulky and detracts from the whimsy and effortlessness of the bag. The zig-zag made a ragged mess of the fabric I chose, and while rustic, isn’t appropriate for most projects and not really what I was going for. No doubt that taking the time to do a rolled hem or a lining on a larger bag would be worth it in the end, but I still haven’t decided if making a larger bag is even worth it. I need to do a few more small tests in different patterns.
This design looks like stuff wrapped in a fabric square. Not much fancier than that. Maybe they’d be cuter tied to a stick? These small bags don’t hold much, so it’s hard to speak to the functionality of a larger bag, but I can’t imagine these would be all that convenient to carry. I think the lesson is it’s a good thing I did a test on a small-scale, because the pattern and tutorial that I was using is no good. Do not attempt.
Now the questions is, will I find a better pattern to test successfully so I can make a larger bag to carry lunches in? Check back to find out, because I don’t know how this project ends.
