furoshiki patchin handle

I happened across these handles and my kid recognized them as a traditional way to carry bento boxes.
I recognized them as an usefull way to carry tools and fasteners!
The ability to spread the cloth out flat for sorting and then gather it up could be amazing.

Looking into it, the handles are not 100% nessiary, but they seems like a sweet spot  between   clever knotting and actually sewing.
They come in three main varieties, two piece wood/plastic handles ,two piece plastic hoops and  one piece leather/nylon straps.
I'm already thinking of variations, honestly a single ring might be enough for my purposes.

I can't seem to find dimensions, templates or diagrams for these handles,so I thought I would ask here before I started messing around  blind.

Disclaimer - it's been a *long* time since I used a furoshiki. People who are currently living in Japan will have more recent knowledge!

However, to me the advantage of the "handle" would only be worth it if it made the furoshiki more comfortable to carry. If you're planning to carry tools, they are going to be much heavier than a bento box, so if it were me, I'd go for the wood bars, and I would think in terms of hand comfort when choosing the size and shape to experiment with. My hands will tire faster if the strap on a bag is too narrow, or if it is curves such that the weight isn't distributed evenly across all my fingers. If you look at good bucket handles, they are actually a curved cylinder - not flat - and if you curve your fingers into a "hook" you will see that in fact your fingers are also curved with the two middle fingers lower than the index and small fingers.

The pictures you've posted are intended as "style" rather than "heavy lifting"! I would love it if you came up with a practical version of what the pictures show. The neat thing about furoshiki are that they can be folded in your pocket one minute, and ready to carry a bunch of parcels the next. Because they're just a flat piece of fabric, you can tie them around a great many sizes and shapes. It would be neat if they were the next "cultural invasion of North America"!

on the other hand, you can use strong fabric for a furoshiki. a broken umbrella, if it hasn't been out in the weather, will yield a super strong furoshiki with minimal effort. If you used heavy enough fabric and big enough holes (and maybe even some specialized sewn corners with slots for toggles) I bet you could use this for heavy tools, carrying wood, etc.

I've not seen these wooden things, but i have to say i LOVE them, since I am absolutely impossible at tying furoshiki, they always come out looking like the dog did it. they remind me of those old straps for carrying a pile of books?

Thank you for the first hand feedback!
I am notorious for using purses as toolbags,  so it's no wonder I  see lunchboxes the same way.
I will have to experiment with them to get it right, but right now I'm thinking of double end closed head wrenches for the handles.
The could be part of the set that is being carried, or extras.
Umbrellas as source of cloth is a great idea, I was thinking of canvas or the cloth they make hammocks out of.

I wonder if we should even call them "handles".
Most pictures show the furoshiki being held by the knotted cloth, indeed the wood "handles" often have magnets in them, so they stick to each other.
They are more like a clasps than handles.
The strap and the hoops are definitely used as handles, but I'm less attracted to those.

I missed this thread earlier, but what a great idea!

William Bronson wrote:but right now I'm thinking of double end closed head wrenches for the handles.
The could be part of the set that is being carried, or extras.
Umbrellas as source of cloth is a great idea, I was thinking of canvas or the cloth they make hammocks out of.

Using wrenches (spanners) is inspirational. It's easy enough to pick up some double ended ones from a garage sale for pennies, they don't have to be top quality by any means. One advantage of umbrella fabric (who hasn't got a broken umbrella?) is that it is very fine so will fit through very small holes as well as being light weight and thus compact.

I wonder if we should even call them "handles".
Most pictures show the furoshiki being held by the knotted cloth, indeed the wood "handles" often have magnets in them, so they stick to each other.
They are more like a clasps than handles.

Agree, they are struts or braces that stop what you are carrying from being compressed by it's own weight, like an engine lift bar. Neat! Ideal for picnics too!