Tweed Cycle Bag

In the fashion of a Thai bag (which is made from two pieces of cloth).



I used some New Grey Raver from Dashing Tweeds. I had intended to make a top out of it, as illustrated in the previous post, but I lost the nerve (and the fabric isn't cheap!). So I just made this simple bag which folds up beautifully small and seems almost invisible until it reflects. I figure that while cycling you can wear it across the body so it would work like a sash. Because of the cycling use, I made it a bit shorter than normal.

Below is the bag when photographed with a flash.

Making Clothes Cycle-Useful

This is a step in the quest for stylish cycle clothes that veer away from the Hi-vis jacket school of fashion (although we got some free from the London Freewheel).

Here is a Maharishi top I altered by just opening the seams (which are barely visible in this version of the top) and putting in some reflective piping from Point North so that it is more visible at night. I'm thinking of wearing it as an overtop (so its not a summer-only top).


(above) the top with one piece of piping in it. Maharishi clothes are extraordinarily well made.


(above) the top complete with the piping (the pattern is on the back too for great visibility)

(above) This is another Maharishi top in the same series. One of my ideas was to make a new version of this in Dashing Tweeds (British tweed with 3M reflective tape woven into it) and possibly include the same sort of piping, or even flat reflective panels where the pattern is.

The Maharishi designers clearly like reflectives. Most of the trousers and tops have a little tag on the side including black or white reflective material, and often the eyes of the embroidered dragons are sewn with reflective thread, which can be quite startling. I wonder if they would consider going a bit more reflective mad.