Martha Bag

The Martha Bag

As a small child, I would stand in fascination of the wooden Finnish loom in the basement of my childhood home. So many warp and weft strings, the tall wooden frame, and the colorful balls of  recycled clothing cut into strips, stitched together forming a colorful mix of colors.   The balls would  revel a chuck of red or yellow  child's dress, a threadbare blue apron, or a worn out pair of denim farm pants. Everything was re-purposed and up cycled into a new and useful articles.  Finnish homes had wood floors, and a hand made quality loom rug would be the center piece of the area.

When I found this free pattern on www.knitty.com  under the heading bags and titled Unbiased.   I knew that I had to make it, but this time, using my ever growing stash of leftover yarn from other projects. I did add 3 inches to the length of the bag, and then added a bottom so the bag would sit upright. I used a size 8 needle using 2 strands of yarn, just tying one snippet of thread with a square knot.. I lined the bag in a black fabric to give it some stability. Then I place black webbing under the strap for strength. The colors are so bright that they reminded me of those Finnish cotton loom rugs and the design also reminded me of my favorite aunt Martha that was thrifty and a creative designer in fashion.