You may have seen them in your LNS. They come in fine mesh in bright colors or metallics. They come in a huge array of sizes and styles. They have sturdy zippers and/or handles — they’re Walker Bags.
The bags are made in the US; the company is based in San Francisco. They make many different sizes of bags in several types of mesh. With so many different choices, I’ll only talk about those of particular interest to stitchers.
The Color Mesh bags come in 13 different colors and include rectangular bags with single or double zippers, multi-color double zip cases, gusset cases, pen cases, square cases (similar to the gusset bags), yarn holders in two sizes, and open and zipper totes. The smallest case is 2×4, the largest 11×14. The biggest selection is the single-zipper case.
The Nylon Mesh bags have a mesh with more open holes and a heavier weight fabric. They come in eight colors. The selection in these bags is smaller and includes single zipper rectangular bags, gusset cases, shaving kit bags, and several kinds of totes.
The Metallic Mesh is similar to the color mesh and comes in gold only. They are available only in rectangular bags, and gusset cases.
Most needlepoint shops carry lightweight color mesh items. The bags are sturdily sewn with sewn and serged seams with generous seam allowances. They use nylon zippers.
The mesh reminded me of a slightly thicker and stiffer version of the mesh in Namaste’s Oh Snap bags. I liked that they weren’t so floppy and I especially liked the zippered top. This makes it better for projects that have smaller parts, such as needles, thread skeins, and scissors.
I have used more than my share of poor-quality project bags, and these are real winners. They are the lightest weight of any bag I’ve used. I love the snap of color they’ll add to your project tote. If you are looking for tool totes, consider the gusset, pen cases, and square bags. They’ll give you plenty of storage without much extra weight.
There are two downsides to these lovely bags. The first is the sizes. While fantastic in smaller sizes, the largest single-zipper bag is 11×14. That means these will work for holding projects up to 10 x 13 stretcher bars (working area 6×9). For those who work on bigger projects, these will only hold threads and supplies. For larger projects, you will need to look to the totes, which are available in sizes up to 24″ square.
My second concern is price. They are not inexpensive. My 6×10 bag costs in early 2022 about $22 before tax and shipping. The reinforced plastic bags I usually use cost less than $4.25 for a 10×13 bag. As you can see the Walker bag is about 4 times as much for a smaller bag.
But it is both beautiful and useful. It’s clearly something that will make a great gift or treat for yourself.
While the bags are widely available in needlework shops, you can see the entire selection on the company’s website.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
Janet,
I have found single zip, double zip, and triple zip Walker color mesh project bags and project totes in a larger 18×18 size at several yarn and needlepoint stores. For some reason they aren’t on the Walker website. It is a very handy size for us stitchers.
In re to Janet’s comment that these bags are not on their web site; they are there. Just saw the 18 X 18 inch bags as I scrolled all the way down.
When looking at older posts and at reposts of older articles, please remember that the article reflects sites at the time it was written.
I’m glad the information is there now.
Keep stitching,
Janet