Every time I teach a Shibori class I end up dyeing a few sample pieces for that class and I’d accumulated a bag of them that I didn’t really know what to do with!

The Japanese have a concept called “Mottainnai”, which essentially means don’t waste and reuse where possible and I thought it would be great to make these lovely little sample pieces into something practical people could enjoy on a daily basis.

Kinchaku means “attached to the sash” and these little pouches would have been a traditional Japanese accessory to attach to a kimono sash to keep a few little necessities handy.

There are a number of different patterns to choose from. When picking from the images count from top left - so row 1 has bags 1, 2 and 3, row 2 has bags 4, 5 and 6, etc.

These are cute gift bags too if you want to give a present wrapped with a bit more style.