I made a Tarot bag!!!

Just feel the need to brag. Over the weekend, I bought a small fabric remnant at Wal-Mart (pink with butterflies) and I just now finished sewing a little bag for my Tarot cards. 'Cause if your cards didn't come with a really nice box, they deserve a really nice bag to live in.

The idea sounds lovely... I can barely thread a needle though!

Well done you!

cool. wish I could sew... I've discovered in life-skills class that it's not my thing. lol. congrats. I think personally crafted bags (and items) are a great way to go.

Congrats! I have fabric for making Tarot Bags but have yet to find room (and time) to do it, I'll include a pic when I do tho, can't wait to see a pic of yours

Yes, what Silverlyn said - we want pics!

Oooh, I'd also love to see pix. I've bought a few Tarot bags and added special glass beads to make them more personal, but I wish I could make my own pouches. I don't have a sewing machine, do you think it's feasible to put a bag together using that sewing tape, or I think that's what it's called.

Sorry, can't upload pics, I don't have a digital camera.

It's easy to do, though. I'm not much of a seamstress, and am terrified of sewing machines, so I did the whole thing by hand. I don't know about sewing tape, it seems like you'd have to cut it awfully thin for a project so small, but if you mark the back of the cloth ( the side that would be the inside of the bag) with a pencil or sewing chalk, it's pretty easy to keep the seams straight with hand stitching.

I just measured my deck in all three dimensions, and made the cloth 1/2" wider than the width plus the thickness of the deck, plus allowance for the seam and allowed a quarter inch more than the thickness at the deck at the top, plus a half inch to fold the top edge of the fabric for the loop for the drawstring to go through. I ended up with a quite lovely bag.

For a thicker deck, I think I'd cut the cloth to the width of the deck plus 1 1/2X the thickness, plus a little extra for seam allowance, and 1 1/2 the thickness of the deck for headroom. It should make for a fairly snug fit, but not tight, you want to be able to get your cards in and out.

This is too much math! But OK, I might try this. I'm feeling creative as of late, so I better get on with something!

oh you should feel proud of yourself! I have material and a sewing machine, but all I can manage to do is jam the thread up in the machine-well done!

Disa-

I've never been able to use a sewing machine. I've tried a couple of times and ended up with a mess, plus I'm afraid that my thumb will end up as part of the project (really, I'm afraid of sewing machines).

Hand stitching isn't that hard, really. I once made a belly-dance costume stitching everything my hand. 'Course, I cheated and used a sports bra that was the same color as my fabric for the top... It takes a lot longer, but, well, I still have my thumbs.

For something small like a Tarot bag, it's kind of relaxing.

So, to break it down for easier reading, cause it was kind of jumbled in my previous post... (I hope I'm making this clear enough that total non-sewers can understand)

Measure your deck (length, width, and thickness.)

Measure your fabric-

*length, 2X length of the cards, plus 2 1/2X the thickness of the deck, plus an extra half inch so you can fold the top edge over for a drawstring loop. This will leave you with 1 1/4X the thickness at the top to allow for closure with the drawstring.

Width, the width of the cards plus 1 1/2X the thickness of the deck, plus an additional quarter inch to allow for seams.

Mark your seams with pencil or marking chalk on the back (inside of the bag) .

Fold top edge over toward the inside and pin with straight pins, and sew your drawstring loop (I sewed up the sides first, and that made sewing the drawstring loop tricky).

Fold material in half lengthwise, so that your bag will be inside out, being careful to keep your edges and seam markings lined up, and pin with straight pins inside the seam markings. Stitch up first one side, then the other.

Stitching note for non-sewers- start your stitching at the fold, not the open end. Start from the front at the bottom corner, on the top (side toward you) push the needle through, and make the first stitch 1/8". After you bring the needle back through, go back to where you pushed it through the first time and run it through there again. After that, you will be bringing the needle through from the back. Make each stitch about 1/4" as it comes through from the back, and go back 1/8" as you go back through the fabric from the front- viewed from the front, each stitch should connect with the top of the previous stitch. Doing this makes for a nice tight, even seam.

(I learned this by trial and error.)

Now turn your bag right side out. Tie a narrow ribbon or attractive piece of cord or yarn to a lingerie pin and thread it through the drawstring loop.

Voila. You now have a very nice Tarot bag.