Make: FP Escapes Pouch Necklace

Adorn yourself with a unique and easy-to-make medicine pouch…

In rhythm with the sound of lapping ocean waves, our Yelapa troupe busied its hands and drifted through many conversations — growing closer to one another and reigniting our now pooled creativity. Here, in the comfort of sisterhood, in the mental pause brought by our FP Escape, powered by YOGASCAPES, we were able to rekindle that fire.

We gathered fabrics, beads and strings of all sorts to pay homage to those necklaces known as traditional medicine pouches, adorned by shamans and used as a safe place to keep medicinal plants, personal items and good luck charms, among other remedies. Our group’s personalities and souls imprinted themselves upon this project and, as you may expect, each bag became something very unique to its maker.

Follow along with these steps to create a bag all your own.

You’ll need:
Fabric
String
Beads
Sewing needle with large eye
Miscellaneous found objects for embellishment

Steps
What you plan to carry in your pouch should dictate its size. Maybe you want to stash your credit card? A collection of essential oils?

1. Pick your fabric.

2. Cut out two pieces and pin them together.

3. Beginning at the top left corner of your pouch, begin a whip stitch by tying a knot at the end of your thread and poking the needle through one layer of fabric.  This will allow you to hide your knot. Then poke the needle through both pieces and pull thread all the way through.

4. Continue whip stitching down the length of your pouch until you reach the other side.

If you want to include beads, add a bead before puncturing the fabric for each stitch.
You can also tack your cord between each stitch to create the necklace portion.

5. End by poking through one layer and tying a double knot at the end.

Adding a drawstring closure:
6. Using scissors, poke 3 holes on the top front of your pouch and 4 in the back.

7. Thread cord through so both pieces meet at the front.

Get creative and add embellishment to your pouch however you’d like: tassels, fringe, beads, patches and/or feathers!

Photos by Naomi Huober & Serin Remedios.