Making Tarot Bags

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 09 Jan 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

HeyElan	09 Jan 2003
I have never been an artsy-craftsy kind of pagan, but I did do a sewing class about 5 years ago in high school and loved it but haven't sewn since - I made a stuffed dragon. Trust me to pick the most difficult pattern in the book on my first attempt. (No. No Aries here. Hm?) Does anybody have a Tarot Bag pattern? A simple one with drawstring and instructions for lining it?

HudsonGray	10 Jan 2003
Aren't they mostly squares of cloth? A quarter yard should be enough for 2 decks with the lining & everything I'd think. Take some newspaper & fold it in half over your deck. Allow 2" on the top, bottom & the open side,for seam allowance. Cut the paper out. That's your template. Cut two pieces of fabric the same size. After that, um, the inner bag needs to have an opening left on the 'bottom' as it's how you'll turn it right side out. The outer bag gets sewn all the way around, I remember. You need to leave a channel on the top for the cording to go through (both ends coming out the same side, or two cords, one set coming out on one side, the other on the other side, so a small opening needs to be left on both side seams (or one side seam, depending) for the cords to be strung through. A large safety pin is the easiest way to work the cording through, you pin it to the end & feed it into the channel, working it with your fingers. Check what some look like over on ebay, there's at least 3 people who make them & put them up there. I'm not sure of the sequence for sewing the seams, but if you have the fabric in front of you, you should be able to figure it out. I do know the top edge of the bag gets sewn first. but I think you have to fold the side seam back to allow for a finished edge at the cord opening. Good luck! If it gets too hard, pop on over to www.sewingworld.com and ask in their crafts board, someone there will know!

WolfSpirit	11 Jan 2003
If you can make a stuffed dragon... a tarot bag will be a piece of cake for you :D Enjoy yourself with your creative skills (and it is much cheaper than buying bags ;))

purplelady	11 Jan 2003
I make tarot bags and the easiest way that I've found to work the cord through: Get an old wire hanger and cut or bend a piece into a stick. Then scotch tape your drawcord to the end and just push it through.

cjtarot	11 Jan 2003
Hi, As long as you can sew a strait line, you can make a bag. I stared about a year ago and now make them for sale and trade. This is how I make my bags. - make an ouside and a lining (inside) bag..then sew them together Material. I use cotton or velvet (satin is lovely, but shifts like crazy-if you use the good velvet scotch tape it together..pins damage expensive velvet..it was an expensive lesson I learned). Pattern: mine is 9-1/2 x 6-1/2 (use a paper grocery bag, no ink on cloth or deck - sorry hudson) *if you put the patter on the fold of the material, you only have to sew 2 sides of each bag. Inside Bag..sew 1 side complete..at the top, back stitch (go over seam 2 times{reverse the machine..most have button for that} so when you are working on it later it doesnt unravel). sew the other side 1/2 way down.. back stitch..leave aprox 2 - 2-1/2 inch slit..back stitch at bottom of slit and down the rest of the bag Outside bag...sew aprox 1-1/2 inches down..leave about a 1/2" slit (do the back stitch thing everytime you start and stop sewing..top of bags and at slits) on both sides of the bag... *I actually use scotch tape to mesure the slits so they are the same size and directly across from each other. I go back and sew the seams down around the slits (it helps when you are putting the cording thru and when you pull it closed) OK..The fun part.. Turn the outside bag so the good side is facing out..put it in the inside bag (seams on inside bag are facing out)..so basically if you looked at the 2 together you would see the seams for both bags. Sew them together at the top. pull the ouside bag thru the slit on the side of the inside bag (so no you have 1 tube with the good side of both materials showing)..sew the slit up.. Stuff the inside bag into the ouside bag (wala a nicely lined bag)... Stitch around the verry top (try to get about 1/8 from top..I do this with the inside bag up so that I can keep the lining from showing when its done). Now, if you have a machine that does sleaves, just put the bag on the machine so the ouside bag is facing up (you need to be able to see the slits you made on the ouside bag)..sew strait lines around bag at the top and bottom of slit - if it is an old one, turn the bag inside out and sew the lines....and you have a place for your cording... Watch cording it unravels..tape the ends then cut thru the tape..use a safety pin (thru the tape) to help thread the cord...I wire wrap the ends of the cording I use to keep it from unraveling..depending on the cording, glue sometimes works, I have always wanted to try suade..it doesnt unravel Now get really good at making bags and open a shop..go nuts and the minute you get your hands on a new deck..run the the store and buy material for a bag...go even nuttier and start adding things to the bags..charms, paint, beading, fringe..hehehe Your absolutely Crazy friend Cj see what I mean... www.geocities.com/magickcottage

cjtarot	11 Jan 2003
hi again. here is a direct link..the older style with the unraveled ends didn't stand the test of time..the new style with all the ends wire wrapped works.. click the link and you will see what I am talking about http://www.geocities.com/constanceluke/ Cj

kayne	11 Jan 2003
To make the easiest tarot bag, all you need is an old long sleeved shirt. I 'rescued' a black velvet one from being thrown out at a friends place... Chop off the sleeve at the size you want the bag to be, turn it inside out and sew (I hand stitched...) up the bottom. Be sure to sew the end that you cut, leaving the other end already neatly finished off (as it was a sleeve...) To tie up my bag I thread ocean coloured beads on a small thread which I twist around the end. :) This has always been the home to my old faithful Cosmic Tribe and I love it! :D

HudsonGray	11 Jan 2003
CJ, do you finish off the fabric ends in the cording channel? I didn't & had threads start unraveling once as the cord worked back & forth. With some fabrics it makes no difference (velours, velvets) but with cotton bags the raw seam, even if tucked inside, can be pulled on enough to start showing threads poking through. I did see a different kind of tie done at one of the SCA events, which made things even EASIER to do. The cording was tucked into the side seam about 1 1/2-2" down from the top and sewed in place. The top was finished with a turned under hem, and when you wanted to close the bag you pulled the top together & just tied it (it'll look like one of those twist tie closures on a plastic bag of dinner rolls, is the best description). The only thing you have to remember is to make the bag deep enough so the deck isn't mushed up too high against the tie area. It's easy to add beads to the end of the cords (large holed beads). Dipping the ends in craft glue (white glue, Elmer's glue, Gem Tac glue) and shaping it with your fingers & let to dry works great on the ends. OR do what the fabric stores do, wrap clear tape around the end & trim off all but 1/2" of the tape. Scotch tape isn't strong enough for this, I found that 2" wide clear mailing tape is perfect. The ends look like shoelaces a bit, but they won't unravel. Or you can always just knot the ends & let the rest unravel for a sort of tassle.

Melvis	11 Jan 2003
Kayne! That is such a great idea! I actually have an old red velvet top that is --ahem-- a little to small for me now, and I was just loathe to give/throw away such nice fabric. I'm not much of a sew-er, so using that sleeve trick is a perfect way for me to cut down the actual sewing to a minimum. One thing I've started doing is to write the name of the deck that's in the bag on a strip of ribbon, and tie that ribbon to the bag's cord. After all, I have more than 90 decks, half of which are in bags. (Yes, I am a frequent customer of TarotTotes!) I sometimes forget which deck is in which bag, even though I have them in alphabetical order. A little fabric ribbon and some fabric markers, and my tired old brain has a handy reminder! Peace, Melvis :TSTRE

cjtarot	11 Jan 2003
Hudson, "CJ, do you finish off the fabric ends in the cording channel?" By sewing down the seams on the outside bag where the cord channel keeps the seam in that area from unraveling. It's kinda like making button holes. The rest of the bag is 1/4" seams with a small stitch...So far I have not had any problems with the bags falling apart... Cj

Aoife	12 Jan 2003
Another style of bag - like a big enevlope - for those who hate sewing: It requires an iron and a product known in the UK as Bondaweb. [it's like a sheet form of that glued web-like stuff used to iron up hems] Cut outer fabric and inner lining the same: width of pack + approx. 3 inches by length of pack x 3 plus 2- 3 inches [depending on how long you want the outer flap to be] - Turn the outer edges to wrong side [turn over about 1/2 an inch] and iron flat - both outer and inner sheets of fabric [get the corners as neat as possible] - Cut a piece of Bondaweb fractionally smaller than the inner sheet of fabric and iron it onto the wrong side [ follow instructions carefully to ensure it's completely glued] - peel off the paper backing and place inner fabric on top of back of outer fabric. Iron again to glue the two together - You now have one piece of fabric which can be folded up into a long envelope with a flap extending about 3/4 over the pack. - All you have to do then is sew up the two sides - you can oversew the inside [with the envelope turned inside out] or you could oversew or blanket stitch on the outside. - For added security you could use a piece of cord or ribbon, wrapped lengthwise then widthwise then tie a bow - like a parcel or you could just use a couple of rubber bands.

HeyElan	12 Jan 2003
YOU GUYS ARE FABULOUS I've drafted a pattern on a piece of newsprint for both my small Crowley Thoth and my larger Fairies Oracle - If I get 'round to it, I might do one for the Fairies deck I'm trading, but probably not. If I can get a hold of a sewing machine, I'll be all over this action. OH, JOY! Another excuse to go to Hobby Lobby and Wal Mart!

cuddles	12 Jan 2003
great timing :-) i've had my fabric and was just waiting to sort out how to sew it. and voila! here it is. thanks for sharing!

HudsonGray	20 Jan 2003
HeyElan-- I was making some bags today & figured out a way of sewing the drawstring in the channel WITHOUT having to thread it through once the bag is done. I started with a rectangle 14"long by 8" high. I folded down the top edge 1/8" and sewed that in place. Then I folded that down again about 1/3", laid the drawstring against the folded edge on the inside, tucked in the left edge so no raw side was there, and started sewing the channel. Make sure not to catch the cord in the sewing, it needs to be free in there. OR mark the center & catch the cord once at that part, so it won't pull out if some kid tugs at it, then continue sewing the channel the rest of the 14". At the other end, tuck that raw edging under & finish the channel. Then all you need to do is fold in half, right sides together, and do the other 2 sides. This wouldn't work if you're going to line the bag, but if it's a single layer, it sure saves a lot of time. No more using a safety pin to try getting the cording through the channel & out the other end.

The Making Tarot Bags thread was originally posted on 09 Jan 2003 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.