A Fabric Tote from Lepas

The gift has sat in the drawer for a while. Decided to take it out for a spin. Stared at the two pieces of square clothes in different colors and its straps. The design is rather pleasing. P had sent a video of how to fold the two square pieces of fabric into a fairly sturdy bag. Okay, let's try it out.

I'm not sure the artist created a facebook page for this line of fabric bags and headscarves. Pattani artist and designer Emsophian Benjametha branded his fabrics as 'Lepas, Pattani' (เลอปัส). The instructional video was sent directly to P by the artist and it didn't even have a youtube link. The artist does ceramics too, mainly, inspired by the tenets in the Quran, of clay and man, branding it as 'Benjametha Ceramic'.

The brand at its exhibition booth at a Bangkok craft fair last month. 

Folded it up. It wasn't difficult to do so. But the first attempt was messy. Undid the knots, smoothened out the cloth and began again. The second attempt resulted in neater knots and folds, but a too long drop at the bottom of the bag. I was happy with the third attempt. The cloth was secured into a bag that kinda looked like what it was supposed to, as seen in the instructional video and the photos, and at a length that doesn't weigh down too much.

It's quite a fun bag to carry out. It complements a casual tee and jeans very well. However, it's not very practical. While the strap is at the right width to sit comfortably across the shoulders and doesn't cut, it's not made from waxed cloth. The bag wouldn't stand up to rain. Or perspiration. Hahaha. On some hot days, I swear the bag absorbed either my perspiration or the humidity. But it could carry some sort of weight, minus a water bottle and an iPad.