Have you ever made a Japanese Rice Bag? Eva asked me if I’d like to make one along with her. For those of you new to my blog, Eva and I are online quilting friends – we’ve never met in real life, and we live oceans from one another, but we chatter back and forth through email. She found my blog, we started chatting back and forth, and we both enjoy sewing. We’ve done some sewing together before – she sewed along with us last year with her Stay at Home Round Robin quilt, and we stitched up a fun sunflower block this fall. So when she asked if I’d like to make a Japanese Rice bag, I was all in.
We used this Japanese Rice Bag pattern to make our bags. The directions are pretty clear, but it was helpful to sew along with someone, so we could ask questions while we stitched. We also watched a Tips and Tricks video by Jean Wells on YouTube.
Eva was making her bag for a gift. Here’s how hers turned out.
Each side is a little different. You start with a long strip of fabric, either one solid cut of fabric, or by piecing it. Adding in some stitches and additional fabric patches adds a bit more to the bag.
I like all the colors in Eva’s bag, and I’m sure the recipient will love it. It’s so festive and fun!
The bags are around 8 inches tall, but you can vary the size once you get the hang of the pattern. For my version, I played around with scraps from quilts, pieces of an old shirt, and some fun stitches using 12 wt Aurifil thread.
I couldn’t resist adding in that little phrase on the selvage, along with the “maker maker” patch. I enjoyed pulling bits and pieces to use on the bag!
I spent an enjoyable evening adding the stitches using the 12 wt Aurifil thread. I didn’t think too much about what color thread to use, I just went with what felt right.
The bags are very roomy inside. I could easily fit a large stack fat quarter bundle into my bag.
For the drawstrings of my pouch, I used some twill tape in tan and yellow, left over from fabric bundles I had purchased a few years ago. For her bag, Eva made her drawstrings using leftover bits of her fabrics.
Another fun sewing project with Eva is done. I wonder what she will come up with next??
Have you made one of these bags? If so, let me know. I’d love to see your version!
Happy New Year, all! See you in 2024!
Wendy
Both bags are beautiful. I’ve not tried to do that pattern. I love the fabrics in both of them. I would be tempted to use decorative stitches from my sewing machine instead of hand stitching. So wonderful that the two of you have become friends and share your projects with us.
Thanks Rochelle for being the first to comment. :-)) it really makes so much fun. Sure, your machine may have wonderful stitches. Whatever you try – it makes much fun!
I like the bags you and Eva made, particularly how each of you put personal, unique hand stitching into the project. I’ve not made a rice bag I could share with you. On my “yet to be made” list is a rice bag using the tutorial from Sunny Day Supply’s blog found here:
https://sunny-day-supply.myshopify.com/blogs/blog/marys-sunny-rice-bag
Hannah, thanks for your kind comment. Yes there are a lot of tutorials, I checked a lot, but this one has a special doing that makes it for me a good method to do.
Oh what beautiful bags. The decorative hand stitching on both of them caught my eye immediately.
I love your bags you both made! I’ve never made one and had not heard of them before. Very cute! Hugs,
Hi Sandi, guess the name “rice bag” has a historical background.. I looked often Stiching Post and the variety of decoration get my interest. You first do the stitching and decoration – than the sewing. This makes it so interesting.
Beautiful bags! What a fun project to do together!
Thank you Cindy, you hit the bell… yes it was fun to do it – even there are thousands of miles between Wendy and me. I love Wendy do the “special decoration”.
Adorable makes!
Dania, thank you for reading this blog from Wendy. Hope we could inspire you. 🙂
You and Eva did good, the patchwork is beautiful on both bags! I love the fabrics, and the stitching looks like Sashiko. I have that black/white kitty fabric and have covered a barstool seat with it in my sewing room!
Hi there, thank you for loving our project. Yes – you are in the dreamland of fabrics .. never seen this fabric here. I like “free-style” … but the stitches are very similar to the ones you do with Sashiko. I do not use the thread but another very good one a france brand. Start well into 2024 and happy quilting.
Wendy both bags are adorable. I love that you used the tape from fat quarter bundles, what a great idea. I need to see where I have put mine for a future bag!!
Very cute. I like the kitty.
Cute bags! I like your little patches and added stitching. I had to look up “what is a rice bag?”. I pictured something to store my bag of rice in the kitchen. Ha!
Tracie, thanks for your comment. I was wondering as well when I heard that first. But I think we know “bags for food” in all first nations … if on Teneriffe for example. They put in animal leather bags some bread and tomato and the moving of the body forms little “balls” and they had good food on stock when they were out in the fields. Not very clever explained – but little bags for food in old times are famous. Why this is called rice bag… don’t know. I think I will store in a bigger one my knitting project or one when we travel (hair accessories), for kids may be a good Lego container or for small toys?
interesting! I had to look it up to see what it was – nice!
Karen, thank you for your comment. Nice to see you here again! :-))
Very fun bags. It’s interesting that Eva used warm colors and you used cool colors. What plans do you have for your bag?
Kate, thank you for your comment. that’s interesting.. I did not realized that. But yes, you are right cold and warm colors! I did one test run before and take it as wrapping for the christmas presents, so try to be sustainable and avoid buying paper and throw away. the bag could be used for a lot of things I guess. with kids fabric … Lego or small toys, a bigger one will do for my knitting items. I think the one I gave this one will find a good way to use.
Both yours and Eva’s bags are so unique! Love all the extra embellishments! Great job, both of you!
Thank you Judy! :-))
What a fun project, Wendy! I love Eva’s for its fun color and all those hand stitches she put in it. Yours has some great prints, and I’m a big fan of adding the words. I’m going to check out that pattern! What do you plan to use yours for?
Hi Diann, thanks for your comment. It was a present for my sister for Christmas. It was really really much fun! And I will do more. A big one later for my knitting things. Have a good start into the new year!
Nice job, Wendy and Eva!!! Skiing in Hawaii? Haha! Love the kitties and maker reference, too!
Hi Nancy, yes – it was a special request from my sister!! Skiing and Hawaii… and the best, the fabrics were long time hidden jewels … because they were from Hawaii and the skiing fabric I found when we have been in MI before Corona came on our road trip (no tracel without visiting some quilts shops – lol). So now they had a job to do. thank you for you comment :-)), start well into 2024
You two do seem to inspire each other and prod each other to try new and wonderful projects. Keep up the great creative work, ladies!
Thank you Laura, yes it is so much fun to have a sewing buddy … yes we have plans for 2024!!
have a great start
Sewing is always better with a friend or more 🙂 I love both bags and how fun to add those special bits and bobs of fabric for positive messages!
Sandra, thank you for your kind words. The variation of adding things and sticking is endless ..and makes really fun. Start well into 2024
Oh how fun! Do you and Eva FaceTime or Zoom to sew together? I love how different each rice bag that I’ve seen come together – they all seem to have great personality.
Yvonne, nice to see your comment. Thanks! No, due to different time-zones we do not use zoom. And we are busy at different time slots – it works so well with eMail. Have much success with your blog and a healthy and happy year for you!
These turned out great! I’ve made two rice bags, using the same pattern as you:
https://aquilterstable.blogspot.com/2020/06/modern-japanese-rice-bag.html
https://aquilterstable.blogspot.com/2020/07/stitch-club-sashiko.html
Debbie, thanks! That’s a lovely remark your links. Yes, it makes so much fun and creativity could flow. Sure there are much ways to sew a “bag” … but this pattern is really unique.
What a fun collaboration across the seas! I love seeing what you and Eva did – each choosing fabrics that are different and the personality of each. Eva’s fabrics have lovely earth tones and will be adored by the recipient. I chuckled at the upside down cat, glad to see a right side up one later and fun fabric choices.
Kathleen, collaboration and inspiration and much fun – you are right. Thank you for your kind words. I love the bag from Wendy too, the cat is like Wilbs… often upside down… or rolled in his basket or giving helping hands / paws to Wendy .. lol
Start well into 2024
Well those are both really cute! I don’t think I’ve ever seen or heard of them. At first I thought they were pretty tiny but then you mentioned fitting a FQ bundle in them. I bet they would make great knitting project bags!
Multi- use bags for sure. Even great for a soda and a snack, craft projects, catch all bags. They can be hung on the handles of wheelchairs to carry stuff like cell phone and keys, or hooked on a walker as well
Those bags turned out great, Wendy! Both so unique. I couldn’t possibly choose a favorite!
That’s why you always make more than 1. It’s amazing how different fabrics and add on touches can create/change the appearance
Thankyou for your style…reuse in quilt ing.i like too to save material.fabric from old clothes..thank you..keep on..
I’ve done the bag using 5 equal sized squares for the outer fabric, lining, and fusible interfacing. I was checking the yardage specifications for the pattern you cited and it states it uses a 8 x 25″ panel requiring 1/4 yd fabric (using wof for 25″ length, that leaves a 9″ x 17″ piece). One panel like that only allows for a bottom and 2 sides only. Also it states you need 6 tab pieces at 3″ x 4″- if you’re sewing 2 pieces together for 1 tab, that only gives you 3 tabs but your finished product has 4 tabs. Even if you used just 1 piece of 3″ x 4″ that gives you 6 tabs when you only used 4.so why cut extra?