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Activities / Phulkari / Phulkari Potli Bag

Phulkari Potli Bag

Phulkari Potli Bag: A Small Embroidered Drawstring Pouch

Level
Intermediate
Duration
5 - 8 hours (over a few evenings)
Budget
₹250 – ₹1,201
Age
14+
State
Punjab

Materials

  • Plain cotton cloth, coarse even weave
  • Stranded cotton embroidery floss in red, yellow, green and one more colour
  • Embroidery hoop, 12 to 13 cm (5 in)
  • Hand embroidery needles with a big eye
  • Cotton cord or dori, 3 mm thick
  • Water-erasable fabric pen
  • Sewing thread in a matching colour
  • Scissors, ruler, pencil, safety pin and iron (adult help)

Steps

  1. Set up a bright table and gather your supplies
    Sit near a window or under a bright lamp, because counting cloth threads is hard in dim light. Lay out the cotton cloth, floss, needle, hoop, scissors, a ruler and a pencil. Cut a piece of floss about 45 cm (18 in) long and thread it through the needle to check that the eye is big enough for 3 strands. Common mistake: starting with a long thread. It tangles, so keep it under 50 cm.
    Tip: Pull the 6 strands of floss apart one at a time and put 3 back together. Pulling all 6 at once makes knots.
  2. Cut two 22 x 16 cm pieces of cotton along the weave
    Fold the cloth in half and cut two rectangles, each 22 cm tall and 16 cm wide (about 8.5 x 6.3 in). To cut straight, pull out one cloth thread along the line and cut in the gap it leaves. Do not worry if the edges fray a little, because every edge will be sewn or folded later. Common mistake: cutting at an angle. A crooked bag will not hang or close evenly.
    Tip: Use the first piece as a pattern for the second so both are exactly the same size.
  3. Mark a 9 cm square and a diamond on the front piece
    On one piece, measure 3.5 cm in from each long side and 4 cm up from the bottom short edge, and mark a 9 x 9 cm square. Join the middle of each side of the square with light lines to make a diamond. Press the marked cloth into the hoop so it is drum tight, with the square in the middle of the hoop. Draw with a very light pencil or a water-erasable pen, because the lines should vanish later.
  4. Learn the darning stitch on the first row of the diamond
    Knot the end of a 3-strand thread and bring the needle up from the back at the diamond's left corner. Pick up 2 cloth threads, then skip 6 threads, and repeat across the row so the floss lies on the surface in long, even stitches. The stitches should be about 5 mm long and the same size each time. Common mistake: pulling the thread tight. Let it lie flat, or the cloth will pucker.
    Tip: Count aloud: pick 2, skip 6. After a few stitches your hand will find the rhythm.
  5. Fill the diamond with rows of stitches in your first colour
    Work row after row of the same stitch, each row 2 cloth threads below the last, so the floss covers the cloth like a smooth silky sheet. Shift each row's stitches half a step so they form a brick pattern. When the thread runs short, finish with 2 tiny stitches on the back and start a new thread. The diamond will take about 90 minutes. Common mistake: leaving gaps between rows, which lets the white cloth show through.
  6. Fill the four corner triangles in a second colour
    Change to your second colour and fill the four small triangles between the diamond and the square, this time with stitches running straight up and down instead of sideways. Because the stitches face a different way, the two colours catch the light differently, which is the heart of phulkari. Keep the same 2 pick, 6 skip count so the surface stays even.
  7. Stitch a border row in a third colour and press the panel
    Use the third colour to stitch one row around the outside edge of the square, then add a tiny single stitch between every 5 mm along the border for a lace look. Take the cloth out of the hoop, lay it face down on a folded towel and press it with a warm iron for 10 seconds. The towel stops the stitches from being flattened. An adult should do the ironing.
  8. Hem the top edge of both pieces to make the cord channel
    On each piece, fold the top short edge 1 cm to the wrong side, then fold again by 2.5 cm and pin it. Sew a row of small running stitches (about 3 mm long) close to the lower fold. This leaves a tube 2 cm wide that the cord will slide through. Common mistake: sewing the hem after joining the sides, which closes the tube so no cord can enter.
  9. Sew the sides and bottom, leaving the channel open
    Put the two pieces together with the right sides facing in. Sew 1 cm from the edge down one side, across the bottom and up the other side, but stop each side seam where the hem begins, about 3.5 cm from the top, and make 2 backstitches there. The 3.5 cm gaps at both sides are where the cord goes in. Sew every seam twice, for strength, and snip the bottom corners at an angle.
    Tip: Use small even stitches, about 3 mm long, because large stitches gape when the bag is full.
  10. Turn the bag out and thread the drawstring cord
    Turn the bag right side out and push the corners out with a pencil. Clip a safety pin to the end of a 70 cm (28 in) cord. Push it in at one side opening, work it all the way round the channel and out of the same opening. Knot the two ends together, and make small tassels from thread to tie to the knots. Pull the cord to close the pouch.
    Tip: Dab a little clear nail polish on the cord ends before you knot them so they do not fray.

Sustainability

Medium - uses scraps of cotton and lining; a handmade pouch lasts longer than a disposable gift bag

Safety

Needle pricks and eye strain, so use a thimble and good light; scissors are sharp; supervise under-14s