Today I am so excited to share a little bit about how you can elevate your handmade bags and accessories. Especially this month, with my Vancouver exhibition coming up, I am working on a special canvas bag and wanted to add some fancy adornments to really make it shine.

Recently, I made a tote bag decorated with a whole grouping of hearts and some lovely tassels to make it look extra special. But for the last two months, I have been absolutely raving about something called latkans, and today, I am going to show you exactly why I love them so much!

What on Earth is a Latkan?

If you are wondering what a latkan is, it is a beautiful fabric adornment traditionally used for bags and clothing. They are particularly popular in Middle Eastern and South Asian fashion, where you often see them draped elegantly on the backs of dresses. I have been singing their praises because they are incredibly simple to make, require very little material, and are extremely cost effective.

In fact, I shared some resources in August and September featuring talented creators on YouTube and Facebook who make these beauties. Today, on a bit of a down day, I decided to dive in and create my own to embellish my upcoming exhibition bag!

Gathering Materials and Inspiration

My canvas bag features my fransfriends.com heart motif, so I wanted to pull those specific colours into my latkans. I found a wonderful tutorial on Facebook by Fashion Duty that I quite liked. To get started, I dug into my stash of very old scarves that I never wear. I pulled out a lovely satin scarf and paired it with some basic blue fabric that perfectly matched the colours in my motif.

My top tip here is to use what you have! The beauty of this craft is that it breathes new life into old textiles.

My Handcrafted Latkan Collection

I simply left the tutorial video running over and over so I could easily check the steps, and then I let my creativity flow. Here is a look at what I managed to create during my fun crafting session:

The Quick and Easy Starter The first latkan I made used the satin scarf and the blue fabric. It is incredibly simple to sew, taking only about five or six minutes. These would be absolutely perfect as stocking fillers, little gifts, or items to sell at a craft fair to accompany your products!

The Classic Fold Next, I tried another variation using the same two fabrics. This one was all about the way you fold the material. It was even quicker, taking less than five minutes, and it is going to look stunning attached to my bag. If you find a folding technique you like, just go for it!

The Happy Accident Not everything goes perfectly the first time! For one of my latkans, I used a top fabric that was a bit too thick, meaning it would not pull through to create a nice pointed edge. However, I ended up loving the solid look it produced. I simply added a couple of baubles to the top, and it is perfectly useful. That said, you are definitely better off sticking with very thin fabrics to get those crisp, pointed results.

The Triple Latkan I also experimented with a design featuring three latkans combined, incorporating my blue fabrics, the satin scarf, and just a little bit of wool. The only downside was a visible raw edge. I really dislike unfinished edges, so my plan is to glue a small heart shape over it to give it a neat, finished look.

The Horse Adornment If you have been following my masterclass horse project, you might remember the latkan I made from soft cotton fabric. It sits just over the horse’s ear and happens to be the very first latkan I ever made. They are so enjoyable and simple to construct.

The Blank Canvas Finally, I made one that turned out a little bit too plain for my liking. But a plain latkan is just an excuse for more crafting! I am planning to sew along the edge, add some delicate beading, and perhaps even incorporate a tassel dangling from the edge.

Wrapping Up

It has been such a delightful crafting day! Getting to utilise so few materials to create something so beautiful was incredibly satisfying. I think my favourites are actually the simplest ones we made first; they are easy to whip up and look wonderfully classy.

Thank you so much for joining me on my crafting journey today. I will be doing a tutorial soon on how to make those little tassels I mentioned, so stay tuned for that. Bye for now, and happy crafting!