Selvedge Denim Japanese Knot Purse

It will never not be funny to me that the word "selvedge" means something of notable significance to a large population of men (mostly) who do not sew, don't make garments, don't know what a French seam is, but will drool at the look of a Japanese shuttle loom selvedge finish on a pair of raw denim jeans.

Despite knowing a handful of these men, I've resisted buying a pair of Japanese raw denim jeans for myself to wear (maybe someday), but I couldn't resist buying the last 1 1/4 yards left of Japanese deadstock selvedge denim from FABSCRAP to make something for myself. Definitely not enough for pants, but more than enough to make few lil accessories (even at its 33" width).

I had found a YouTube DIY tutorial from the elusive mitsumarl channel—who is she? what's her name?—some time ago for a quick and simple so-called Japanese knot bag. It was one of those glorious moments when one finds the perfect fabric + pattern combo, so I got to work.

Unfortunately, the video is lacking in certain measurements, despite its complete tutorial, so I had to improvise my own pattern (cm / in below):

My modifications to the pattern / instructions:

• To expose the selvedge on the bottom of the purse, cut the denim pieces on the cross-grain, and sew the bottom seam RSF before attaching the corners

• To make the handle openings easier to join and topstitch (especially with rigid fabrics), rather than sewing the main and lining side seams up to a 20cm marking, mark and sew only up to 18cm

For the lining / reverse side, I used a vintage U.S. Mint bank bag sourced from the antique mall in my old neighborhood in Vancouver, WA. These canvas bags, originally used to distribute loose coins from the Federal Reserve to banking facilities, were phased out by the 1990s and replaced with heat-sealable plastic bags. I rarely use the bag with this side out, but it's a fun easter egg.