I have recently been enjoying making bags. I had to organize my belongings in a severely limited closet space, and that drove me to sew many bags.
I finished my fifth bag yesterday, so let’s introduce it.
A bag with several decorations
This time, I made a small handbag with some decorations. This bag was my first try at paying attention to appearance.
I combined different types of fabric on the outer fabric and added several ornamental parts: the hook and the small front pocket. Although we can use the front pocket, it is almost useless because it is just for ornament.
To be honest, I didn’t intend to add such decorations at the beginning. They are the measures taken to address my mistake.
After I roughly sketched the size of this bag, I wrongly cut the outer fabric without considering the size of the gusset, which adds depth to the bag. The fabric I cut was too small to make a bag. Since I wanted to avoid wasting the cloth, I decided to add extra fabric to it.
At that time, I was curious and tried adding the patterned inner fabric on the outside. I thought it would appear differently.
The outcome surprised me. It was not bad at all. Although its original purpose was to make up for my failure, it became a vibrant-looking bag with less monotony.
The functionality of appearance
That made me think about the functionality of appearance.
I used to think that appearance has nothing to do with functionality. A bag is something to store items. Choosing the fabric is a means to realize that purpose.
However, I was wrong. The atmosphere of the bag refreshes our minds.
For example, items with colorful patterns and designs are suitable for active environments. They make us energetic, and the people around us feel so as well. On the other hand, monotonous items calm us down. They allow us to decide rationally, and our surroundings feel similar.
Using items with designs that suit the occasion enhances our attractiveness.
In the case of the bag I made this time, it would be wasteful to use it only in my closet because it has a more energetic design. It has 80% naturalness and 20% gentle activeness. It may be suitable as the handbag that an elderly person carries when she enjoys something active with her friends or the one that a middle-aged woman takes to a calm gathering.
Accepting old-fashioned fabrics
The same goes for the material fabric. Although I used the natural-looking fabric this time, I didn’t intend to make such a bag because I have no idea how to use such fabrics. Since my parents suggested I use these fabrics, I accepted them without giving them much thought.
To be honest, I first felt these fabrics were too quiet and old-fashioned. I thought that they were for the elderly.
However, it was a narrow perspective. I realized I just thought that modern bags were the only kind of bags.
In a community that values naturalness and calmness, even a younger or middle-aged person can use this bag. A handmade handbag like this would stand out because many people carry modern bags.
Conclusion
Anyway, I finished my fifth bag. This one gave me an interest in the appearance and design of the bag.
These five bags allowed me to manage my belongings well.
I am thinking about what to make next. Learning about appearance and design seems interesting.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
