What is an obi?

It's the decorative belt worn over a kimono. The ones I'm more drawn to are the heavily woven ones that were made anywhere from the 1930s to the 1970s. Dazzling designs, gold and silver threads, rich silks and romantic designs. You'll see what I mean.

I started to make the large totes from Japanese obis months and months ago. Before completing them, I suddenly just put them away. I didn't know why, but now I do. Since I started them, I have learned some great techniques and tips on how to make the structure of the bags much more substantial and crisp (ie: they retain their shape). Now I can finally pick up where I started and really make some excellent bags. Below are some pictures I took of what is done- enjoy!

	Check out this funky, green geometric shape! I loved it so much, I made myself one... to use and "test", of course. It's so big I can stuff my yoga clothes in there with a water bottle and all the usual purse stuff.
	my my my... this one kills me it's so rich and fabulous. It's from a very old obi- I think possibly from the 40s or earlier. It doesn't look like any other I've purchased before. The peacock is regal and is woven in such wonderful earth tones. This sucker made one very large purse...
	And here's the back.. all the obi totes have side panels to give them more width and large, double pockets on the back. It was so fun matching all the obis with dupioni silks.
	Designing these bags was tricky, but fun- each obi offered a pattern of a different size, so each purse had to be designed fresh. This one is smaller, but dense in it's weave of gold threads. It's crazy shiny and feels like solid gold on your arm!
	Peacock in the sun... glimmering and ready to be shown off.

Well, despite my efforts to have all my bags made and ready for the holidays, I couldn't quite do it. So sorry if you were drooling over the obi bags and now have to wait even longer. Good news- not only do I have a few new (vintage) obis to sew with, I've found a way to make the bags in a more efficient way (ie: you pay less). So maybe it's worth the wait!