Use pruning shears to trim the bamboo placemat into a floor for your purse. Use bamboo chopsticks to give the bag structure at the top.

Measure and mark your placemat symmetricially between the strings which hold the sticks together. Make two marks 4.5 inches or 11 cm apart.

While wearing eye protection, cut the sticks in between the strings which hold them together.

Trim the opposite side to match.

Using the chopstick as your guide, fold over the top of the bag flap and graft the casing shut to hold it.

Make sure stitches remain aligned while grafting casing shut. See Grafting Facings, page 84, and more tips on p85 in the DomiKNITrix book.

Leave the last 4 stitches of the casing to graft later. Cut two 2 inch or 5 cm circles of thin fabric which matches the stick. Thread a sewing needle with thread which matches the bag.

Place the end of one chopstick in the center of the fabric circle.

Wrap fabric around end of the stick.

Gently push fabric circle into casing.

Push stick through casing, taking care to keep the fabric on the end of the chopstick.

Push chopstick until centered inside the casing.

Check that the tip of the chopstick is still covered by the fabric circle. If it has moved off center, pull the stick out and repeat this operation.

Use a needle and thread to sew the fabric to the knitting. Take care NOT to move the stick, lest the fabric bit uncover the end of the stick.

Sew the fabric to the knitting in small discreet stitches.

Sew all round the circumference of the stick

Now turn your attention to the opposite end of the casing, where sts still remain to be bound off. Cover this end with another fabric circle.

Wad the fabric around the end of the stick and twist it up a bit. Sew a few stitches with needle and thread to secure this end cap.

Take a bit of scotch tape and secure the fabric to the stick so it stays put.

Graft the final stitches of casing around the fabric end cap.

Sew the fabric end cap to the knitting to secure this end of the chopstick.

Sew the casing closed at the end to conceal the fabric. Knot end of thread by making some tiny stitches in the knitting to anchor.

Repeat with opposite side of bag and make sure sticks are placed symmetrically within their casings.

Sew down the handles with hemp yarn and darning needle.

Pass the yarn through the purse handle.

Pass the yarn around and under the chopstick to anchor the handle to the stick.

Place the bamboo placemat in the floor for the bag. If you wish, use a needle and thread to secure the placemat to the floor of the bag at the corners. Sew through the string holding the mat together and the stitches at each corner of the bag floor.